Places of interest in the Death Valley area Places of interest in the Death Valley area Places of interest in the Death Valley area are mostly located within Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Artist's Drive rises up to the top of an alluvial fan fed by a deep canyon cut into the Black Mountains. Artist's Palette is an area on the face of the Black Mountains noted for a variety of rock colors. These colors are caused by the oxidation of different metals (iron compounds produce red, pink and yellow, decomposition of tuff-derived mica produces green, and manganese produces purple). Called the Artist Drive Formation, the
Death Valley pupfish Death Valley pupfish The Death Valley pupfish ("Cyprinodon salinus"), also known as Salt Creek pupfish, is found in Death Valley National Park. There are two recognized subspecies: "C. s. salinus" and "C. s. milleri". It is endemic to two small, isolated locations and currently classified as endangered. The desert pupfish is a small, silvery colored fish with 6-9 dark bands on its sides. It has an average length of , with a recorded maximum of . The males turn bright blue during mating season, April through October. The pupfish can withstand harsh conditions that would kill other fish: water that