Ubehebe Crater•Death Valley NP

00:00     Title
00:15     Ubehebe Crater   
03:50     Tea Kettle Junction    
05:50     Racetrack Playa    
11:35     Mesquite Spring Campground     
13:05      Fin
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Ubehebe Crater can be found a few miles north of the road to Scotty's Castle, which is currently closed due to major flash flood reconstruction. All is not lost in this end of the park as far as attractions go because the paved road ends at Ubehebe Crater and this point of interest is easy to access with a passenger car. The long dirt roads to Eureka Dunes, Big Pine and Racetrack Playa also start near Ubehebe Crater, but these back country trips are limited to high ground clearance 4x4 vehicles. For most visitors, Ubehebe Crater is the end of the line and this ancient cinder cone simply is a must to experience in person.

The gigantic Ubehebe Crater is about one half mile wide and the first glance will likely result in an awestruck moment. The crater has a classic bowl shape with a colorful blast pattern on the bottom that resembles a woven basket, which lends to the translation of the Paiute language name. Eons of erosion have exposed the earthen colors inside this crater, which makes this big bowl a captivating sight to gaze upon. The foot trails go completely around the crater and there are plenty of good vantage points for taking it all in. By following the trails uphill to Little Ubehebe Crater, even better views can be found.

Trekking over the barren volcanic cinders to get a closer look is easy to do, but care must be taken around the rim because it is a long abrasive slide downhill. The contrast of endless gray color cinders covering this end of the valley certainly is mood altering and the views are quite memorable. For those who have nothing better to do at 3:00AM in the morning, this is an interesting place to do some moonlight photography. No matter whether you seek bright colors by day or mysterious somber tones at night, Ubehebe Crater is a visual experience like no other!