Darwin Falls is just west of Panamint Springs, in the foothills of the Panamint Range. There's a gravel road from Hwy 190 to the Darwin Falls trail, which leads to a year-round waterfall, and an oasis of life and greenery in the desert. The transition from the desert to a waterfall with ferns was quite a surprise after three days in Death Valley.
The hike from the trail gate to the waterfall becomes gradually more green, and there are frequent stream crossings. The canyon walls are steep, but there is a use trail which requires some rock scrambling to get up to an overlook from which the upper falls can be viewed. I scrounged up my courage, put on some neoprene gloves, and scrambled up the rocks. The total climb is about 140 feet, and is a nasty place to fall, but there are only three places I remember being particularly tricky.
