Bird tracks on sand Death Valley National Park CaliforniaAfter our first full day in Death Valley National Park we didn’t beat the early birds but did try to get an early start and headed to the .5 mile (.8 km) roundtrip boardwalk to Salt Creek.
Salt Creek trail Death Valley National Park CaliforniaSalt Creek Trail
There actually is a stream of sorts running through parts of Death Valley at over 200 feet (60 meters) below sea level. Salt Creek originates from brackish springs and marshes and the water becomes increasingly salty as it flows downstream. It meanders out onto the valley floor and eventually evaporates into the desert air leaving vast salt flats behind. Even this water, sometimes more saline than seawater, offers an oasis to plants and animals.
Pickleweed Salt Creek trail Death Valley National Park CaliforniaPickleweed
Pickleweed stores absorbed salt in special cells in their succulent stems. When too much salt builds up in a stem segment, the plant replaces it with fresh growth. It goes dormant over the winter when possible rains can increase the creek’s flow and reduce the salinity.
Salt Creek Death Valley National Park CaliforniaSalt Creek
Insects are drawn into the area and eaten by the Killdeer, which are in turn eaten by Coyotes or even Sidewinders. Yet the most adapted survivors in this harsh environment are the rare and endemic Salt Creek Pupfish.
Interpretive sign for Salt Creek Pupfish Death Valley National Park CaliforniaMore than 10,000 years ago pupfish lived in streams that fed freshwater Lake Manly which filled the bottom of Death Valley. As the climate became more arid the lakes dried up leaving the pupfish stranded in permanent waterholes scattered across the desert. They can withstand temperatures from near freezing to 111 F (43.88 C).
Salt Creek Death Valley National Park CaliforniaI didn’t see any pupfish.
View from Salt Creek trail Death Valley National Park CaliforniaView West from trail
Fossil evidence reveals life long before the pupfish or its Ice Age lake. The tracks of camels, primitive horses, lion-sized cats and mastodons left in the silty lake bottom have now been uplifted and eroded into these badlands.
View from Salt Creek trail Death Valley National Park CaliforniaView East from trail
As we learned at Harmony Borax Works, the ancient salt deposits would later be mined and used by blacksmiths, potters, dairy farmers, housewives, meat packers and even morticians.