Overview

Teakettle Junction is one of those odd cultural sites in the desert that acts as a strong vortex sucking people from all over the world to the remote intersection of two dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. Well, not really in the middle of nowhere, it is located deep in the heart of Death Valley National Park and surrounded by the Death Valley Wilderness Area. How it got the name probably is lost to history, but now people bring new and old teakettles to adorn the sign. Some people write messages on the kettles, but far more write on paper and place their message inside the kettles. I'm sure the messages bring good luck, at least to the teakettles, because this is the sort of thing the National Park Service normally would discourage -- but they don't!

Link to map.

Watch Out

This area is safe, but watch for people driving too fast on "Racetrack" road. Ensure that your spare tire is in good condition, and bring plenty of water. For details of issues associated with the journey, see the Racetrack Road webpage.

Getting to Teakettle Junction

Teakettle Junction is located along Racetrack Road in the north end of Death Valley National Park, about 5 hours northwest of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out to Death Valley. From the Furnace Creek Visitor Center (Table 1, Site 0712), drive north about 50 miles to the Grapevine Ranger Station. Continue north for 0.2 miles, then turn left onto Ubehebe Crater Road and drive northwest for 5.7 miles to Racetrack Road (Site 0756). Turn right onto Racetrack Road and drive 19.5 miles to Teakettle Junction (Site 0757), which has a well-adorned road sign. For details of the journey, see the Racetrack Road webpage.