Salt Creek is the one and only home for the Salt Creek pupfish. These tenacious little fish, descendants of freshwater fish that once lived in the ancient Lake Manly before it dried-up, somehow survive in these shallow salty waters that range from almost 32oF (0oC) to over 100oF (38oC). The best time to see these amazing little fish is in the spring when spawning peaks and hundreds can easily be seen in the clear, shallow waters along the 0.5 mile (0.8k) boardwalk that loops through a portion of Salt Creek. They are harder to see at other times of the year as part of creek near the boardwalk dries-up in summer and the fish are dormant in the winter. To get to Salt Creek, heading north on CA 190 from Furnace Creek, look for the dirt road to Salt Creek on the left about 1.5 miles (2.4k) after the Beatty Cutoff. The 1.1 mile (1.8k) grated dirt road is suitable for ordinary passenger vehicle but was a bit washboarded during our visit. At the end of the dirt road is parking, the beginning of the boardwalk and clean pit toilets. The best time to visit is in the morning when the fish are the most active. If you enjoyed the pupfish here, you may wish to consider a side trip to Ash Meadows, a short distance north of Death Valley Junction, where several other species of pupfish live including the colorful Amargosa pupfish.
After checking out the trail online, we decided to stop here before driving up to the sand dunes. This is a short walk - roughly 1 mile and it's an easy one as well since you are walking on a "board walk" from the beach almost! I was surprised to see water (you know, we are in Death Valley!) and also the Pupfish. Talk about one of the coolest fish in the world - they are SO fast and it's almost impossible to get a picture of them. They are scattered throughout the water area. The views from the board walk are great as well. Of course, it is hot and you will sweat, take some water along with you! Be careful while walking, the lizards will blend into the board walk area and seem to do as they please!
We stopped here along our route. It was a fantastic place to walk about. We almost didn't expect to see much wild life but it was plentiful, seeing the small fish in the water was interesting and if you stood quietly for a minute you could see them playing around. Worth the short walk around
This walk is a winner - such a different environment from most other parts of the park. Kids loved running on the empty boardwalk, really extensive with intrepretive signage. No pupfish but running water and low scrub and lots of salt crystals. Really interesting to see the varied vegetation.
With over 3 million acres, some people forget that one of the most interesting things to see in Death Valley are the pup fish. Walk the boardwalk, feel the warm water, and view the tiny fish.
This area has a boardwalk that follows the creek. Nice, easy walk. Visit in Spring and check out the Pupfish, they are very active this time of year and fun to watch!
Delightful Boardwalk over creek and salt flats. Found many teeny pupfish, lucked out as there had been some rain before we arrived.
Very different from other parts of Death Valley. This is a little stream of water with green plants. Not something you'd expect in this area. I definitely recommend this easy walk.
Great view of the Salt Creek deposits. I was interested in finding some wild flowers and was able to view some beautiful Desert Sunflowers.
This is a very nice boardwalk hike. The pupfish were quite active while we were there. This doesn't take long, or much energy but has a nice view of the valley floors.