Coffin Peak 1

Coffin Peak

Coffin Peak 1

Coffin Peak

Take a short but trailless hike to a viewpoint not far from Dantes View.

Total Distance: 4.6 miles out & back	Elevation Gain: 939ft. (5,117ft. to 5,507ft.)
Difficulty: Moderate	0-5 Mile Difficulty: Strenuous
View Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0	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: Yes
Best Seasons: October-May	Special Permits: None
Water Availability: None	Overnight Options: None
Trailhead Amenities: Restrooms	Crowd Factor: Solitude
Trailhead Access: 0.7
Uses:	Trail Surface:
Features:	Hazards:

Mile-by-Mile: Coffin Peak Route

0.0 Unmarked Trailhead (5,178ft.). Park in the trailer parking lot near the restrooms below Dantes View. Begin trekking east via the wash until the wash takes a sharp right turn to the south. From here, begin climbing up to the ridgeline by continuing in an easterly direction. You may find a vague trail. Continue as the ridgeline twists and turns, occasionally skirting or walking over small peaks. The trail improves as it approaches the summit of Coffin Peak. (36.217759°, -116.722197°)

2.3 Coffin Peak (5,506ft.). Enjoy views in all directions, including to the Panamint Mountains (west), down toward Badwater Flats (also west), and to nearby peaks and valleys. (36.214368°, -116.705727°)

History & More

As you walk along the ridgeline, enjoy views to Dantes View Peak and Perry Peak, Badwater Basin, the Panamint Mountains, Pyramid Peak and other summits of the Funeral Mountains, Charleston Peak far to the east in Nevada, and many summits in the Black Mountains and Greenwater Range.

I don’t know how Coffin Peak received its name, but chances are that explorers or settlers thought the ridgeline looked like a coffin. Funerals were common in those days, in part because mourning services were community events. So everyone knew what a coffin looked like.

Coffin Peak is relatively unvisited. By following the ridgeline, you can expect nothing worse than Class 2 scrambling, though other faces of the peak are a bit more “fun.”

Download Route Map

Driving Directions

Take CA-190 east of Furnace Creek. The turn onto Dantes View Road is 18.1 miles west of Death Valley Junction (0.4 miles west of the fee kiosk) and 10.7 miles east of the Badwater Road Junction. Drive 12.6 miles up the Dantes View Road to the Trailer Parking/restroom on the left (south) side of the road. Park here.