America’s weirdest geographic coincidence
It's just one more strange oddity within the Great Basin
Did you know that the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States are separated by just 85 miles in a straight line. This is a geographic oddity that really makes the world feel almost like a glitch in the matrix rather than anything natural but it’s true! I’m, of course, talking about Mount Whitney, California, which rises to 14,505 feet (4,421 meters) above sea level and Badwater Basin in Death Valley which sinks to 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level (that’s -282 feet in case you get confused). This means that there’s a vertical difference of nearly three miles within less than an hour and a half’s drive, if you could drive* between the two that is.
*Technically you can drive between the two. According to Google Maps it’s about a 2 hour 40 minute drive, but it also requires a big backpacking trek at the end soooo… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, this bizarre proximity makes more sense when you understand the larger region in which it all takes place: the Great Basin. Which, if you so desire, you can learn all about in my video this week:
Now, contrary to what the name might suggest, the Great Basin isn’t a single basin at all, but rather a sprawling geologic region that covers much of Nevada, western Utah, parts of Oregon and Idaho, and, of course, California. And this area isn’t actually defined by its surface features but by its hydrology. You see, rainfall in the Great Basin doesn’t flow out to the ocean. Instead, water either evaporates or ends up in saline lakes and salt flats. It’s a land of internal drainage, and that plays a massive role in its unique topography.
The region is shaped by what geologists call basin and range topography. Picture the earth's crust being slowly stretched like dough, causing it to crack and break into long blocks. Some of these blocks drop down to form valleys or "basins," while others tilt upward to create sharp mountain ranges. Over millions of years, this stretching has created a sawtooth pattern of high peaks and deep troughs that define the American West. Mount Whitney is part of the Sierra Nevada range, which forms the western edge of the Great Basin. Just east, the land drops away into the arid, sun-scorched valleys of Death Valley National Park.
Now, Death Valley’s formation is particularly dramatic. It sits in a low block that’s been sinking for millions of years, while the mountains around it (including the Panamint Range) continue to rise. At the same time, the region’s climate has become progressively more arid over the last thousand years. With little rain and intense heat, any water that once shaped the valley floor has long since evaporated, leaving behind salt flats and a stark, lifeless terrain that just happens to mark the lowest point in North America.
But at the end of the day, what makes the juxtaposition so fascinating is just the visual surrealism of it. On a clear day, you can stand near the salt flats of Badwater Basin and see Mount Whitney in the distance (or so the internet says, I’ve not done this myself). But it’s a reminder that the natural world doesn’t always obey simple rules or smooth transitions. Instead, it tends to stacks opposites (wet and dry, high and low, life and lifelessness) into astonishingly close quarters.
Overall though, I just think that it perfectly encapsulates the essence of the Great Basin’s geography: a rugged, broken land shaped by deep time, tectonic tension, and the forces of isolation. It’s one of those weird little geography facts that makes you go 🤔
Here in Reno we need the city planners to watch your video before they keep approving more neighborhoods. It’s been awhile since we were relying on our emergency water storage. I bet we have gained 50,000 people since then. Or more. Lots of people will be shocked the next time we have a severe drought.
You can't see Mt. Whitney from Badwater Basin. The Panamint mountains and Inyo mountains are blocking you.