Saline Valley, California
Saline Valley is a large, deep, and arid valley in the northern Mojave Desert of California. Most of it became a part of Death Valley National Park when the park expanded in 1994. This area had previously been administered by the BLM. It is located northwest of Death Valley proper, south of Eureka Valley, and east of the Owens Valley. The valley's lowest elevations are about 1,000 feet (300 m) and it lies in the rain shadow of the 14,000-foot (4,300 m) Sierra Nevada Range, plus the 11,000-foot (3,400 m) Inyo Mountains bordering the valley on the west.
A large dry lake occupies the center of the valley. The west end of the lake supports a salt marsh, which contains a variety of plant and animal life. The marsh is fed by a perennial stream from Hunter Canyon. North of the lake is a large area of low sand dunes.
There are a number of hot springs in the northeast corner of the valley. The water temperature at the source of these springs averages at 107 °F (42 °C).
Saline Valley is a closed or endorheic basin. If filled with water it would be over 4000 feet (1200 m) deep, form a lake with a surface area of roughly 500 square miles (1,300 km²), and hold approximately 500,000,000 acre feet (620 km3) of water.
Saline Valley Road is a sporadically maintained dirt road running north-south through the length of the valley, and is the most commonly used access route. From SR 168 in the north to SR 190 in the south, it is 95 miles (153 km) long, and ranges in elevation from 1094 to 7593 feet (333 to 2314 m). It goes through two mountain passes: the Inyo Mountains in the north, and the Nelson Range in the south. The northern pass is higher, but is better maintained and is about 20 miles (30 km) closer to the hot springs. One or both passes may be closed during the winter due to snow, ice, or washouts. The "Road Closed" signs are often left in place year-round in an attempt to deter motorists who may not realize how treacherous the road is, and to limit Inyo County liability. It is not a Park Service Road, and Inyo County is responsible for its maintenance. Officially, the entire length of the road is passable by non-4WD vehicles, but long stretches of road are extremely rough and surfaced by sharp-edged primitive rock gravel. High ground clearance and mounted full-size spare tires are strongly recommended.
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