The small pool of water here is what actually gave the basin its name. It is a spring-fed pool, and back in the olden days a surveyor led his mule here to get a drink. The mule refused, because the water was "bad." Turns out it's not poisonous, just really salty. There are some aquatic animals that live in the pool, including the Badwater snail, which is only found here in this valley. The plants along the pool are pickleweed.
And another view of the pool, where the nearby mountains were reflected in the still waters.
Badwater Basin was once a large inland lake that completely evaporated tens of thousands of years ago. When it was gone, it left behind concentrated deposits of salt. Now the saltflat stretches on for about 200 square miles. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but the place is massive.
There usually isn't this much water here. This is all runoff from the hurricane that passed over the park a few months ago. Death Valley is a rocky place, with little to no vegetation. So all the rain that fell quickly ran down to the lowest point, where it has collected here. It won't absorb into the salt, so the water will remain until it's slowly evaporated away.
Badwater Basin is the lowest place in North America, but not the world. That distinction belongs to the Dead Sea, which has an elevation of -1,358 feet below sea level.
It had been bright and sunny all day, but some clouds appeared and helped to make a nice sunset that evening. The color in the sky reflected nicely in the waters of the ephemeral lake.
And one last view of the lake, and the salt formations in the shallow water. The last light of the day is beginning the fade out in the distance.
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