Teakettle Junction Historic Trail Crossroads

This remote junction in Death Valley’s northern reaches sits where the road to Racetrack Playa splits from the route toward the Grandstand. Overlanders have been leaving teakettles here since the 1960s, creating an odd desert shrine that’s become a Death Valley tradition. The kettles hang from a wooden post, each inscribed with names and dates by passing adventurers.

The junction sits at 3,800 feet on rough dirt roads requiring high-clearance vehicles. Best accessed via the Ubehebe Crater road from the north or Racetrack Road from the east. No services or facilities — just a quirky piece of desert folklore that’s worth the detour when exploring Death Valley’s backcountry.

Desert crossroads shrine of traveler teakettles