Dante's View Panoramic in Death Valley, California

by John Twynam

Title

Dante's View Panoramic in Death Valley, California

Artist

John Twynam

Medium

Photograph

Description

A panoramic shot of Dante's View, a famous spot on top of a mountain in Death Valley, California, looking down on Badwater Basin.

This view is on the north side of Coffin Peak, along the crest of the Black Mountains, about 25 kilometres south of Furnace Creek. The mountain range to the west (on the opposite side of the basin below) is the Panamint Range; to the north lie the Funeral Mountains, and to the south lie the Owlshead Mountains. On very clear days, the highest and lowest points in the contiguous 48 states of the United States (Mount Whitney and Badwater Basin, respectively) can be seen.

Dante's View is named from Dante Alighieri, who wrote the Divine Comedy, in which there are described the nine circles of Hell, the seven terraces of Purgatory and the nine spheres of Paradise. In 1926, some businessmen realized the touristic attractiveness of Death Valley, and were trying to pick the best view. They had nearly chosen Chloride Cliff in the Funeral Mountains, but upon seeing this view, they were immediately persuaded and promptly called this point Dante's View.

Uploaded

November 24th, 2021

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags