Harmony Borax Works — Attraction in Beatty

This is a borax plant that operated a few miles north of the present day Furnace Creek Visitor Centre from 1883-1888. It is an easy and family friendly place to visit in Death Valley National Park.

Here you can visit the old plant structures and see the famous 20 mule team cart which was used to haul borax out of Death Valley, still resting in front of the plant. You will also be able to learn a bit about the history of borax and other mining activities that existed in the area in the past.

Information panels around the Harmony Borax Works reveal that borax was discovered here in 1881, leading to the plant being built and operated by American pioneer and businessman William T. Coleman between 1883-1888.

Unfortunately, the operation went out of business after just 5 years, leaving the plant foundation, buildings and other nearby structures behind. The Harmony Borax Works sat unattended to until the early 1970s when it was placed in the National Register of Historic places in the United States.

To visit the Harmony Borax Works, just follow the turnoff signs along Hwy 190. There is a sizeable carpark for plenty of vehicles. I don't believe there are toilet facilities here. However, you can find them a few miles south at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. You will see the plant structure and mule team cart as you drive to the carpark. There is very little walking involved for visiting this attraction in Death Valley.

If you are looking for other things to do in the area, you can follow the dirt road north from the Harmony Borax Works car park through the yellow coloured Mustard Canyon, a short drive that links back up with H-190 about a mile north of the Harmony Borax...

It was a fun place to visit with some history. Another place where hard working Chinese labor was used. If you plan ahead you can catch a ranger going over the history of the place. Borax was found near Furnace Creek Ranch (then called Greenland) in 1881. Harmony Borax Works employed 40 men who produced three tons of borax daily. During the summer months, when the weather was so hot that processing water would not cool enough to permit the suspended borax to crystallize. Getting the finished product to market from the heart of Death Valley was a difficult task, and an efficient method had to be devised. The Harmony operation became famous through the use of large mule teams and double wagons which hauled borax the long overland route to Mojave. The romantic image of the “20-mule team” persists to this day and has become the symbol of the borax industry in...

There isn't a better place to do Star gazing, but Death Valley. This place- Harmony Borax Works is one of the popular spots in Death valley with a history. We were here on a full moon day and this place is as bright as if there were a lamp post up above. You won't believe its all just from the Moon. You can see your shadows clearly. There is parking lot for about 15 cars in this location. Soon you park, you will see a waling trail that will walk you to the Harmony Borax Wagon(Google up-20 Mule Team Borax). There are info boards that will tell the story. While we watched the stars up above that we could only count so far...