Zabriskie Point is a renowned scenic overlook and erosional landscape in Death Valley National Park, California, part of the Amargosa Range on the eastern side of the valley. It sits roughly 4–5 miles (about 6–8 km) southeast of Furnace Creek along California Highway 190, at coordinates approximately 36°25′12″N 116°48′40″W and an elevation of around 710–713 feet (216–217 m) above sea level.
The site is famous for its dramatic badlands: intricately eroded yellow, gold, brown, and rust-colored hills and ridges with almost no vegetation. The most prominent feature visible from the overlook is Manly Beacon, a high outcrop rising to about 823 feet (251 m), named for William L. Manly (one of the “Forty-niners” who helped guide stranded emigrants out of Death Valley during the 1849–1850 California Gold Rush). Distant views often include the valley’s salt flats and the Panamint Mountains to the west. A short paved walk (about ¼ mile / 400 m) leads from the parking area to the viewpoint; trails such as the Badlands Loop also begin nearby.
Geology
The landscape is older than modern Death Valley itself. Millions of years before the current valley formed and Lake Manly existed, a prehistoric lake known as Furnace Creek Lake occupied the area (beginning roughly 9 million years ago). Over several million years, sediments—saline muds, gravels from nearby mountains, and ashfalls from the then-active Black Mountain volcanic field—accumulated on the lake bottom, forming what is now called the Furnace Creek Formation (mudstones, siltstones, and related deposits).
Around 5 million years ago the lake dried up. Later tectonic activity—widening and sinking of Death Valley plus uplift of the Black Mountains—tilted the sediments. Rare but intense rains then carved the soft rocks into the intricate badlands seen today. Darker lava caps from eruptions 3–5 million years ago resist erosion in places and help explain why Manly Beacon stands higher than surrounding ridges. The primary source of borate minerals historically mined in the area is also the Furnace Creek Formation.
History and Namesake
The point is named for Christian Brevoort Zabriskie (1864–1936). Born October 16, 1864, at Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory (where his father was stationed), he worked early as a telegrapher for the Virginia & Truckee Railroad in Carson City, Nevada, and held various jobs in Nevada mining towns (including banking and even a partnership in a mortuary).
In 1885 he was hired by Francis “Borax” Smith to supervise Chinese laborers for the Pacific Coast Borax Company near Candelaria, Nevada. He rose to become vice president and general manager, serving about 36 years until retiring in 1933. Under his tenure the company expanded operations into Death Valley (famous for its 20-mule-team borax transport) and later other sites. The overlook itself was developed by the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the late 1920s as a roadside stop for automobile visitors to view Manly Beacon and the badlands, well before the area became Death Valley National Monument in 1933 (later a national park). Zabriskie died on February 8, 1936.
Role in Popular Culture
Zabriskie Point has long attracted artists, filmmakers, and photographers for its otherworldly appearance.
Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 film Zabriskie Point takes its title from the location. Key scenes, including a lengthy desert sequence with the protagonists and a surreal, choreographed group of bodies in the dunes (sometimes called the “orgy” scene), were shot there. The film was a commercial and critical failure on release but later gained cult status for its cinematography, countercultural themes, and soundtrack (featuring Pink Floyd and others).
U2’s 1987 album The Joshua Tree is closely linked to the site. In December 1986, photographer Anton Corbijn and the band (along with designer Steve Averill) drove through the California desert seeking images that captured themes of America, the desert, and a sense of displacement. The iconic black-and-white cover photograph of the four band members was taken at Zabriskie Point. The landscape’s stark, cinematic quality suited the album’s widescreen aesthetic; the actual lone Joshua tree that appears in other photos (and inspired the title) was found nearby along Highway 190, not in Joshua Tree National Park (which is more than 200 miles away). Working titles had included “The Two Americas” and “The Desert Songs”; the final name came after Corbijn recounted the Mormon settlers’ association of the tree’s form with the biblical Joshua. The shoot was brief and cold; the band’s serious expressions partly reflected the freezing conditions.
The location continues to draw visitors, photographers, and fans of the album, and it has appeared in other media (including later television productions). Its combination of geological drama, mining-era history, and cultural associations makes it one of Death Valley’s most iconic and photographed viewpoints, especially at sunrise and sunset when the colors of the badlands are most vivid.
