Hiking the Darwin Falls Trail in Death Valley National Park
Distance: 2.0 miles / 3.2 km
The Darwin Falls Trail in Death Valley National Park is a relatively short and easy day hike, located on the far western edge of the park. For this reason, Darwin Falls is one of the least-hiked trails in Death Valley compared to other popular adventures closer to Furnace Creek, such as Artists Palette.
In any case, the 18-ft (5.5 m) Darwin Falls, located at the very end of the 1.0-mile (1.6 km) trail, is a great year-round adventure because the waterfall is spring-fed, not rain-fed.
This means that even in the hottest parts of the summer months, visitors can still enjoy Darwin Falls, which I recommend visiting it either on the way to or when leaving Death Valley from the eastern Sierras, as the trail is a bit out of the way from most other areas in the park.
Darwin Falls Trailhead Parking
Getting to the Trailhead
When turning off of Highway 190, the first part of Old Toll Road across Darwin Wash tends to be the roughest/ muddiest.
If you make it across the wash, most two-wheel drive vehicles should be able to make it down Old Toll Road if you go slow.
Parking for the Darwin Falls Trail is located in a small dirt parking lot off of Old Toll Road.
Do not park in front of the gate like the car in the photo below. Darwin Falls is Panamint Springs’ main freshwater source, and the residents may need to drive up the wash to service their water supply. They did when I was visiting, and this car was blocking their exit.
Google Maps Directions: Darwin Falls Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Death Valley
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Death Valley National Park.
Hiking the Darwin Falls Trail
Darwin Falls is not dependent on snowmelt, meaning that the spring-fed waterfall will be flowing all year-round.
The trail starts out at the bottom of Darwin Wash for the first 0.4 miles (0.6 km).
There may not seem like a distinct trail at first, but as long as you are hiking up stream, all trails eventually converge later on.
After this fence, the trail will come together on a more distinct gravel road.
At this point, it becomes easiest to follow the wash for much of the remaining trail.
Even though staying in the stream may seem more difficult than hiking on the banks, the overgrowth along the banks make it much more difficult than remaining in the stream through this narrow stretch.
The other side of this small waterfall is much easier to navigate than the side I’m standing.
This boulder may not look like much in the photo I have here, but it does take a small amount of scrambling to get up.
Darwin Falls
After just 1.0 mile (1.6 km), the trail ends at the 18-ft. (5.5 m) tall Darwin Falls.
