Photo: Salt Flats California

The Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California is mostly salt flats.

The salt flats make parts of Death Valley National Park in California, USA appear as though they are covered with a layer of snow. The salt flats actually have a crusty surface that covers a mud and salt mix that has dried in the heat from the summer sun. It is a unique experience to wander out onto the salt flats in Death Valley National Park, California in the scorching summer temperatures and feel the ground crack beneath you.There are several salt trails and shallow seasonal streams that lead to pools across Death Valley, California and when the winter rain arrives, a large shallow lake forms. Most of this water evaporates or sinks below the ground and the salt flats are formed. The salt pools and flats of the Badwater Basin in California, USA never totally dry up and you can find a few species of fish that survive in the hot saline conditions.The Badwater is the lowest point in Death Valley National Park in California, USA and there are miles of salt flats to explore. ... continue below the picture...

... Stroll far enough out onto the salt flats so that other visitors and cars become small specks across the landscape.Salt, Badwater Basin, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, California, USA, North America.