Walking Wild & Free

Artists Palette 1

Artists Palette

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/2fwMWuN

Artists Palette2

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/ucyV5t

Artists Palette 3

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/2orEESh

Artists Palette 4

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/tmZ6oi

Artists Palette 5

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/u2eEr1

Artists Palette 6

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/2orFrmi

Artists Palette 7

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/23FuCsS

Artists Palette 8

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/u2eGn5

Artists Palette 9

Photo credit Jeff Hollett, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/23FuC7m

Hike up a canyon to see the beautiful Artists Palette – colorful badlands at the base of the Black Mountains.

Total Distance: Approx. 0.4 mile lollipop loop	Elevation Gain: 147ft. (603ft. to 713ft.)
Difficulty: Easy	0-5 Mile Difficulty: Moderate
View Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars3.0	Author’s Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0
Visitor Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]	Visitor Difficulty Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]
Pets: No	Horses: No
Best Seasons: November-April	Special Permits: None
Water Availability: None	Overnight Options: None
Trailhead Amenities: Primitive restrooms	Crowd Factor: Crowded
Trailhead Access: 0.8
Uses:	Trail Surface:
Features:	Hazards:

Mile-by-Mile: Artists Palette

0.0 Trailhead at Artists Palette (621ft.). Walk down the steps into the wash. While there are many routes you could take – it seems like many people scramble to their heart’s content here – we’re going to go across the wash and take a side wash into the mountains. A short distance later, we’ll take the second side wash to head north toward the colorful areas of the hills. Eventually, you’ll come to the colorful rocks and hillsides. From here, you can retrace your steps back down the side wash to explore another side wash, or you can scramble over the hillside to the right (north) and back down to the main wash. This guide does the latter, winding its way through the colorful area of Artists Palette, back to the wash, and then back to the trailhead. (36.363619°, -116.802621°)

0.4 Trailhead at Artists Palette (621ft.). (36.363619°, -116.802621°)

History & More

There are no official trails to or through Artists Palette. Any hiking you do will be by exploration only – which means you can discover slot canyons, rocks, and so much more along the way!

Use care while hiking through the badlands. Scrambling is fun, but the hillsides are often gravelly and slippery.

Scenes from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope were filmed in the badlands of Artist Palette. One memorable scene (where R2-D2 enters a canyon at sunset) is in the wash right next to the Artist Palette Parking Area. Scenes of half a dozen Jawas carrying R2-D2 to their Sandcrawler were reshot nearby in 1977. To represent the Jawas, the children of park employees were recruited from the local elementary school.

The colors in the badlands and rocks of Death Valley are formed from a mix of minerals, most of which are different forms of iron that have oxidized when exposed to the air. In general, Yellow Rock = Limonite, Purple Rock = Hematite, Red/Orange Rock = Hematite, and Green/Blue Rock = Chlorite or Nontronite.

Download Route Map

Driving Directions

The parking area is 4.5 miles from the beginning of Artists Palette Road along the Badwater Road – be sure to turn right toward Artists Palette after 4.3 miles.