In Death Valley Junction, the history of borax mining, distinctive architectural heritage, and the performing arts of the Amargosa Opera House come together. The railroad is also part of the townscape: its traces and connections can be followed back to the town’s beginnings. Accommodation options include different types of stays, from a 16-room hotel to a campground for tents and RVs.
A Town Shaped by Borax and Railways
The Death Valley Junction Historic District comprises 26 buildings constructed by the Pacific Coast Borax Company starting in 1923. They served the company’s operations and were intended for company visitors, employees, and their families. The district is associated with the borax mining industry in Death Valley. Sixteen of the larger buildings in the district were built in a single phase from 1923 to 1925, based on designs by architect Alexander Hamilton McCulloch.
Architecturally, the Historic District embodies characteristic features of southwestern adobe construction as well as the Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival styles of the 1920s. At the same time, most of the buildings are designed in a simplified version of the Spanish Colonial style. This classification connects individual buildings through a shared visual language without equating their different architectural influences.
The railroad’s history goes back further than the district’s construction period. Death Valley Junction first appeared on a map in 1907, after the Pacific Coast Borax Company completed the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad. Remains of the railroad bed and depot are located east of the Plaza, beyond Highway 127. The Death Valley Railroad was a 16-mile narrow-gauge railway that grew out of an extension of a branch line of the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad.
The Amargosa Opera House
Marta Becket gave her first performance at the Amargosa Opera House on February 10, 1968. The venue carries on her legacy with creative performances in a setting in the desert. One distinctive detail is the ceiling mural, which depicts 16 women playing ancient musical instruments.
Performances continue at the Amargosa Opera House, including an anniversary performance around February 10—the date of Becket’s first performance. As the program may change, check the current schedule before your trip. This lets you take a possible performance date into account when planning without tying your stay to an unconfirmed date.
Accommodation in Town
Death Valley Junction has places to stay. After mining officially moved out of the area in 1928, the Amargosa Hotel was converted and opened to the public. Today, it has 16 rooms and welcomes travelers from around the world year-round. If you would like to stay there, check availability for your travel dates.
The Amargosa Campground is across from the hotel. Overnight stays in RVs and tents are permitted there for a maximum of two nights. The hotel and campground therefore differ both in accommodation type and in the stated length of stay. Camping conditions and permit requirements may change; check in advance what applies to your stay.
Routes and Destinations Nearby
California State Route 190 runs 18 miles from Death Valley Junction into Death Valley National Park. California State Route 127 passes through Death Valley Junction and continues south to the town of Shoshone. These route descriptions help distinguish the two directions: Route 190 leads into the national park, while Route 127 heads south to Shoshone.
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is also accessible from the area around Death Valley Junction. The stated route to the south entrance follows NV-373, State Line/Belle Vista Road, and Spring Meadows Road. As unpaved road conditions can change, check route conditions before driving. This way, you can plan routes to the park, town, and refuge separately instead of inferring a shared route or fixed travel time from the place names.
Discover more destinations: Bishop, Lone Pine, Death Valley, Big Pine, Kearsarge, Olancha, Tecopa, Independence.
Go to the main travel overview: Inyo.
