Darwin Falls

Let’s get this straight. You go here for the novelty of seeing water in DVNP. Not because you want to see a spectacular waterfall.
The hike in is along a gravel path. Probably the ugliest hike we went on in DV. Though the temperature was only in the 60s, we encountered many scantily clad women — in the hippie type of way. Kinda gross. All this to see a waterfall about 2′ tall.

I love desert oases. I never get tired of the contrast between the hot and dry desert and a cool and lush oasis.
Darwin Falls is a great example. There are other riparian areas in the Death Valley area, but most of them are shadeless and salty. In contrast, Darwin Falls has it all: trees, mossy and grassy areas, flowers and cooler temperatures from the mist and shade. The hike starts in a hot and shadeless canyon, then you’ll start to see some greenery, then hear burbling from the creek, and eventually reach a small but lush riparian area framed by the bone-​dry cliffs. The falls themselves are lovely, and they feel like a wonderful reward after the short hike. My 13 year old son ranked the Darwin Falls hike as one of his top 3 moments in Death Valley.
Access is via a gravel road that’s easily passable by passenger cars. Just drive carefully. There are no services at the trailhead, Route-​finding is easy – just stay in the canyon (or follow the water pipes). Watch out for slippery rocks, and it may take some careful maneuvering to keep your feet dry on the hike once you get into the riparian area.

An unexpected find in Death Valley — and not something that you’re just going to stumble across since the road to the trailhead isn’t well-​marked. Less than a mile west of Panamint Springs is rough but passable gravel road leading to the south. A couple miles in and you’re at the trailhead. The hike is relatively easy through the first part — a dry canyon similar to other places you’ve seen in Death Valley. After about a mile the landscape starts to changes, as mostly barren rock given way to small shrubs and then some trees. You’ll have to climb over some rocks on the way to the falls; be aware that the route that seems to be the most obvious (and difficult) may not necessarily be the best way to get there (we learned this the hard way). Either way, it’s a great adventure that was easily managed by our youngish kid (8 and 10). The rocks can be slippery — as we were leaving a man carrying way too much photography equipment fell and injured himself, requiring some first aid in the field. Fortunately he was able to get up and slowly make his way to the falls and then back.
I believe the trail continues on past the falls — at least that’s the Open Street Map on my GPS device said. We didn’t see any easy access, but we had made it as far as we wanted and had a long drive home ahead of us.

Unexpected oasis in a harsh, unforgiving landscape. I’ve been to DV many times, but this blew my mind when I first saw it!
Hike in is very easy; maybe 10 minutes from the parking area, on a flat, gravel road. Lower falls are very easily accessed; upper falls are a bit trickier, involving some climbing.
Highly recommended, if you happen to be in western DV!

Many things come to mind when one thinks about Death Valley. It is the hottest place in the United States. It is also the driest. One does not typically think of an oasis completed with multiple waterfalls when they think about Death Valley, but they should!
Darwin Falls is an absolutely stunning area hugging the western border of Death Valley. It is, without a doubt, my favorite part of the park both because of how beautiful it is and also how much the area contrasts with the rest of Death Valley
Access is fairly easy: Just a couple miles west of Panamint Springs, drive 2.5 miles down a dirt road to a parking lot where the easy 1 mile walk to the falls begins. (If you have a 4×4 capable vehicle, you can also take a dirt road 5 miles past the parking lot to China Garden Spring, which feeds the waterfalls).
The hike to the falls is quite easy, it’s a very flat path but you do need to cross the small stream a few times so good shoes are a must. There is some rock scrambling/​climbing required to see all of the falls but it’s well worth the effort.
This is a beautiful area that every visitor to Death Valley should make a point to see!