Every Trail Tells a Story
Coffin Peak
The same view as Dante’s – without the Dante’s crowd.
Panoramas from Badwater to the Sierra Nevada.
A summit with a name to die for.
Make no mistake: Dante’s View offers one of Death Valley’s finest panoramas. Trouble is, you can drive to the viewpoint – and thousands of motorists do, meaning your chances for quiet contemplation of the desert below are about as slim as the possibility of rainfall.
For the hiker, there is an alternative: Coffin Peak, offering the same great view as Dante’s without the crowds. The 5,503-foot peak (a smidgen higher than 5,475-foot Dante’s View) is situated in the relatively little-traveled Black Mountains that extend along the southeastern boundary of the national park.
From atop Coffin Peak unfolds a panorama never to be forgotten. A vertical mile down lies the lowest spot on the continent. Opposite the peak, across Death Valley, rise Telescope Peak and the snow-clad summits of the Panamints. Farther still, on the western horizon, loom the granite ramparts of the Sierra Nevada. North and south from Coffin Peak is the Funeral Range. And from here, too, is the glimmer of that alkaline pool called Badwater – or is that just a mirage?
The name alone begs for commentary. Coffin Peak, flanked by the Funeral Mountains and staring across to Dante’s View, sounds like a location dreamed up by a gothic novelist or a morbid marketing committee. Yet, somehow, the bleak humor of it fits Death Valley. Unlike Dante’s, with its paved road, parking lot, and interpretive displays, Coffin Peak is a hikers-only summit. No rumbling buses, no selfie-stick jousts, just a trail-less scramble to solitude. For my money, that’s worth the price of admission.
From your perch on Coffin, you don’t just see Dante’s View – you see the crowds at Dante’s View, reduced to a swarm of ants. That irony alone is satisfying: the hiker savoring peace and wilderness, while motorists snap hurried photos before scuttling back to their cars.
The Black Mountains are full of such contrasts. A few miles away lies the ghost of Greenwater, the once-hyped copper boomtown that promised wealth and delivered ruins. Coffin Peak, by contrast, promises only views and delivers them in spades – no ghost town hype, no disappointment.
And while Dante’s name evokes visions of the Inferno, Coffin Peak offers something closer to heaven: 360-degree vistas, silence, and the rare joy of claiming a summit few others attempt. It’s one of my favorite hikes in the park – partly for the view, partly for the solitude, and partly because I just like telling people: “I spent the afternoon on Coffin Peak.”
From Badwater Road, Highway 190 junction just south of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, drive 10.8 miles on Highway 190 toward Death Valley Junction. Turn right on Dante’s View Road and continue 12.6 miles (0.6 mile short of Dante’s View). Turn left and park in a turnout with a restroom.
From the picnic site, hike east, parallel to Dante’s View Road, ascending a hill dotted with Mormon tea. Dodging spiny shrubs, follow the ridgecrest as it bends southeast and climbs to the top of a 5,360-foot hill.
Continue east among handsome desert varnish-stained boulders, savoring the valley views. Top another hill, descend northeastward to a saddle, then climb to Peak 5484. Now follow the crest south, then east, toward the conical summit of Coffin Peak. Your view encompasses the Black Mountains, the Funeral Mountains, Greenwater Valley, the shimmering floor of Death Valley, and – just to the northwest – crowded Dante’s View.