tea kettle junction

Basically a three-way intersection on a road that is washboard from start to finish. Driving around a corner headed to the racetrack and there it is.... a sign indicating Tea Kettle Junction and all sorts of tea kettles hanging on the sign! An excuse to stop and stretch your legs, take a few pictures of the sign and wonder who started it all. What the heck.... it made us both grin! There is no way I would put up with that road just to see tea pots hanging from a sign, however, as it was on the way to an attraction we really wanted to see, so much the better!

Well, it’s basically no more than a fork in the road. You’ll not see this junction unless you are on the way to The Racetrack / Playa or coming or going over Hunter Mountain., in other words, a considerable number of miles on rough, unpaved road … if any spot can be called the back of beyond and not in, but way behind the sticks, then this is it. Allegedly, according to some locals, the teakettles were put there to show early settlers that there was water nearby. The modern tradition is to bring a new teakettle and to either inscribe your message on it or write a message and put it inside one already there. This is supposed to bring good luck to those that leave a kettle and to provide an interesting sign for future travelers.

Tea Kettles were hanging! they seemed to all have 2014 dates, do they take them down sometimes? We stopped in between the race track and hidden valley. Not a destination, but a view along the way

Forgot we would be passing this junction or I would of brought a teapot. Many teapots are left here by visitors with date and names and even some have notes. This is your junction to the racetrack...take the right one or u will never get there.

Six miles from the race track tea kettle junction is a whimsical stop with a couple of dozen tea kettles hanging from a sign when we were there. If you don't bring a kettle to add to the group you can bring a felt tip marker to leave a message on one of those already hanging.The road to the racetrack is extremely rough (washboarded) over most of its distance. There are places where it is washed out and a high clearance vehicle is best - although if you were really determined you might just make it in a large car (not recommended). 52 miles of rough road (there and back) is really hard on a vehicle and it can easily take a couple of hours each way. The chance of a puncture is high but there does seem to be a reasonable flow of visitors every hour or so during the day so you are not likely to get stuck there overnight unless you are doubly unlucky. There is no cellphone service at all in the area. There is an old mine down a valley off to the right on the way to the Racetrack which most people seem to pass by. Best not to break down there but it is worth the detour.On our way back we saw a large tarantula striding across the road (easily visible from the front seats of our SUV), which was interesting. It completely ignored us as we took photos and like one of the Jeeps that we saw, displayed no road sense whatsoever.

It was a nice surprise to see this bit of fun after such a long bumpy drive. Take a kettle or a sharpie to add a note or signature to one already there.

Teakettle Junction is a 5-minute must-stop photo op on the way to The Grandstand and The Racetrack. It is about 20 miles in on the 26-mile washboard road. Hop out of the Jeep, bring a teakettle, and snap off a few fun pictures! If nothing else, it gives one hope that the final destination of The Racetrack is not that much father along on that wretched road !!

As an experienced desert camper Death Valley is one of my favorite places. And this year we made our first trip out to the Racetrack on June 6th 2013. Once you get passed the Ubehebe crater is when the real adventure begins.The dirt road can be very rough is some areas so be sure your vehicle can handle it. I had seen many photographs of Tea Kettle Junction and couldn't wait to get there and add another kettle to the collection. To our amazement all the tea kettles had been removed and the sign was totally clean, no tea kettles at all. The plan was to continue on to the Racetrack and camp south of the lake bed, and leave our tea kettle on the sign the next morning. After a couple of hours on the playa we decided to head back to Mesquite Springs campground and camp there, and we needed to get there before sundown. Needless to say we had to hurry back. Staying focused on the road is very important, so we didn't see the Tea Kettle Junction sign on the way back. Completely forgot about leaving our tea kettle, and getting any pictures of it. A popular phrase these days is "epic fail", and that was a total epic fail!! We made it to the campsite and set up before dark, but we were cursing ourselves the rest of the night. To any desert lover this is a must see area of Death Valley with spectacular views everywhere. Just be sure you're are prepared for the worst, bring plenty of water, food, and any other resources you need to survive.....And yes, I will be going back there within the next year to donate my tea kettle to the sign.....TBC