Darwin Falls

Tucked away in what appears to be a forlorn range of mountains on the east side of Panamint Valley is a year-round creek and waterfall. Darwin Falls and the mini-oasis surrounding it are reminders that the desert always has a few tricks up its sleeve – little surprises hidden off the main Mojave roads.

When Congress passed the landmark California Desert Protection Act of 1994, Death Valley National Park gained considerable acreage on its western frontier, including Darwin Falls. Once a centerpiece of a BLM wilderness study area, it’s now firmly in the national park portfolio. For travelers entering from the west via U.S. Highway 395 and California State Highway 190, Darwin Falls is an easy side trip and well worth the stop.

The falls are fed by an underground spring bubbling up through the volcanic rock floor of Darwin Canyon. Cottonwoods and willows fringe the stream, offering shade, while the oasis provides a lifeline for wildlife and more than eighty species of birds. To see a riparian ribbon winding through this stark country is to understand just how precious water is in the desert.

Darwin Falls also has its place in human history. During the mining boomtown days of the 19th century, a Chinese-American farmer cultivated vegetables in the fertile soil below the falls and sold them to miners. “China Garden Springs” still appears on maps, a reminder that life – and good food – once flourished here thanks to the water.

The near-ghost town of Darwin itself, just up the road, tells a different kind of survival story. At its peak, Darwin boasted 3,500 residents, but today counts fewer than 40. The 2011 documentary film “Darwin” by Nick Brandestini captured the town’s eccentric cast of characters, holding on in a place with no church, no school, and no real economy – though it does have plenty of ramshackle buildings, rusted-out cars, and abandoned mining gear. It’s the kind of place where locals shrug at adversity and insist there’s no place like home, even when home is a dusty outpost at the end of nowhere.

Best times to visit Darwin Falls are the cooler months and especially spring, when the creek is full and the 20-foot cascade tumbles at its best. Plan on creek crossings – your boots will get wet – and pack a picnic. There aren’t many places in Death Valley where you can lunch beside a waterfall.