Death Valley National Park, CA · NV
One-way drive through mustard-colored badlands from Harmony Borax Works to CA-190
Overview
Mustard Canyon Loop is the legacy name for a short, one-way scenic-road experience through the yellow badlands north of Furnace Creek. The mapped route begins at the Harmony Borax Works parking area, follows the compacted Mustard Canyon Road through the canyon, and ends at California 190. It is a point-to-point road route rather than a closed walking loop. The corridor is about 1.3 miles one way; the broader scenic-drive description is about 1.5 miles when the short paved access road from CA-190 to the parking area is included.
Yes, if you want a brief, colorful scenic drive or a low-effort way to see the Mustard Canyon badlands. It is best understood as a one-way road detour paired with Harmony Borax Works, not as a 3.4-mile loop hike. Arrange your vehicle route accordingly, and do not confuse this road with the separate 0.4-mile paved Harmony interpretive loop.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs It Worth It?Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Death Valley Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Death Valley National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Death Valley audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Mustard Canyon Scenic Drive“Right by the Harmony Borax Works, there’s a turnoff for a scenic drive called Mustard Canyon. This is a short, mellow, one-way unpaved loop that takes you right through some bright yellow badlands.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Death Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
The road winds through low, mustard-colored hills and eroded badlands, with views toward the Panamint and Funeral Mountains. The canyon walls are lower and more open than the park’s major slot canyons, but the unusual yellow geology makes this a worthwhile short scenic detour. The Harmony Borax Works historic site is at the start area and can be visited separately on its paved interpretive loop.
This is a graded, compacted dirt road shared with vehicles, not a formal singletrack hiking trail. The route is one-way for vehicle traffic from the Harmony parking area to CA-190. Drivers should proceed slowly and watch for oncoming visitors, cyclists, and blind bends. Anyone treating it as a walk should plan for the point-to-point logistics rather than assuming the stored line returns to the parking area.
Approach Harmony Borax Works from CA-190 and use the paved parking area; the Mustard Canyon road begins beyond the parking area. The mapped visitor line starts at the parking-area junction and ends where the road rejoins CA-190. There is no water or restroom service along the canyon route. Leashed pets are permitted on the unpaved road, but pets are not permitted on the separate Harmony Borax Works interpretive trail.
Wildlife
71 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
101 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
458 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
28 sightingsFeral BurroMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
30 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
62 sightingsKit FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Death Valley. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyHarmony Borax Works Interpretive Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 0.2 mi awayA short paved loop through the ruins and stories of Death Valley’s Harmony Borax Works.
ModerateGolden Canyon to Red Cathedral3 mi · 1.8 hr · 4.4 mi awayA 3-mile Golden Canyon out-and-back to the red walls of Red Cathedral.
ModerateGolden Canyon and Gower Gulch Loop4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.4 mi awayModerate badlands loop linking Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch
ChallengingZabriskie Point to Golden Canyon7.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 5.4 mi awayStrenuous 7.8-mile loop from Zabriskie Point through Gower Gulch and Golden Canyon
ModerateBadlands Loop (Zabriskie Point)2.7 mi · 1.8 hr · 5.4 mi awayA 2.7-mile moderate loop through colorful badlands below Zabriskie Point.
EasyZabriskie Point Overlook Trail0.3 mi · 8 min · 5.4 mi awayA short paved out-and-back from the Zabriskie Point parking area to Death Valley's iconic badlands overlook.
ModerateDesolation Canyon Trail3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 6.1 mi awayColor-drenched badlands and a quiet canyon with easy scrambles
EasyArtist's Palette Wash0.4 mi · 48 min · 9 mi awayExplore a short, unmaintained loop through Death Valley's rainbow badlands.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayHarmony Borax WorksCompact ruins that tell the 20-mule team borax story
Sight · 1.1 mi awayBlink24/7 Level 2 EV charger near Furnace Creek
Campground · 1.2 mi awayFurnace Creek CampgroundCentral, reservable base camp with hookups at -196 feet
Visitor center · 1.3 mi awayDeath Valley National Park Visitor CenterHub for rangers, exhibits, AC, and the giant thermometer
Store · 1.3 mi awayDeath Valley Natural History Association Park StoreOfficial shop for DEVA books and souvenirs that fund the park
Sight · 1.3 mi awayFurnace Creek Visitor Center SignQuick photo stop with the famous giant thermometer out front
Sight · 1.3 mi awayFurnace Creek ThermometerClassic photo-op thermometer for extreme heat bragging rights
Sight · 1.4 mi awayThe Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death ValleyAn oasis round at the world’s lowest-elevation golf courseParkwolf’s Death Valley ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
