Dantes View Road is a rural highway in Death Valley National Park located in the fold of Furnace Creek Wash. Said roadway branches south from California State Route 190 and ascends 13 miles to the namesake Dantes View at 5,575 feet above sea level. The last quarter mile of Dantes View Road carries grades of 15%. What is now Dantes View Road was largely constructed to service the Greenwater and Furnace mines during the first decade of the twentieth century.
Part 1; the history of Dantes View Road
The origin of Dantes View Road is tied to that of the Greenwater mining camp. Greenwater originated in 1905 around a copper ore claim in the Funeral Mountains. Greenwater had numerous camps located nearby such as Furnace.
Greenwater is thought to have reached a population of about 2,000 before it began to decline. Access to the community required roads be constructed through Furnace Creek Wash. The roadways constructed includes portions of what are now Furnace Creek Wash Road in addition to much of present day Dantes View Road.
What is now Dantes View Road can be seen on the 1908 United States Geological Survey map of Furnace Creek. The final descent from Furnace Creek Wash to Dantes View is not shown to be present. Furnace and Greenwater are displayed west Furnace Creek Wash Road near Copper Canyon.
By 1909 copper mining in the Funeral Mountains had declined which led to the abandonment of Greenwater and Furnace. The area around Furnace Creek Wash would however remain relevant due to the Lila C colemanite mine in the Amargosa Mountains having been struck in 1907. The Lila C town site was originally located on the eastern side of the Amargosa Mountains and would be renamed to Ryan in 1908.
In 1914 the Death Valley Railroad established by the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The line terminus was located in the western extent of the Amargosa Mountains at Furnace Creek Wash. The terminus community was tied to the Ryan mine but was originally known as Devar (shorthand for Death Valley Railroad). Devar would be renamed as Ryan shortly after opening. The original Ryan town site at the Lila C mine was eventually abandoned.
In 1928 borax mining operations out of Ryan ceased. The Death Valley Railroad was converted to a tourism line with Ryan becoming a head of tourism to Death Valley. Around this time a roadway from Furnace Creek Wash to Dantes View was constructed.
Death Valley National Monument would be declared during February 1933. The National Monument boundary included Dantes View but much of the lands east of Furnace Creek Wash were left in private hands. Dantes View Road can be seen on the 1934 Death Valley Hotel Company map.
Part 2; a drive on Dantes View Road
Dantes View lies an elevation of 5,575 feet above sea level. Much of Death Valley and Badwater Basin can be viewed from the overlook. The Panamint Mountains can be seen to the west of Death Valley.
The initial descent from Dantes View through the Funeral Mountains along northbound Dantes View Road is a steep 15% grade.
Northbound Dantes View Road continues to descend and intersects Furnace Creek Wash Road.
Dantes View Road continues north through the outskirts of the Ryan mine and intersects Ryan Road.
The site of Ryan can be viewed from the intersection of Dantes View Road and Ryan Road. The Death Valley Railroad would shutter in 1931 with the tracks being removed. Ryan kept servicing tourism lodging until the 1950s and the area was sporadically mined. The Death Valley Conservancy obtained the deed to Ryan in 2013 via donation from Rio Tonto Borax Corporation.
Dantes View Road from Ryan Road descends to California State Route 190 at an approximate elevation of 2,000 feet above sea level. Death Valley can be seen in the distance approaching the end of the roadway.
Pictured below is the southbound start of Dantes View Road. A sign indicates the 15% grades present at the southern terminus can be seen.
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