Harmony Borax Works

Very cool and interesting place. What history! And some short side treks will take you right into Death Valley itself! There was actually water leftover from Tropical Storm Mario in September 2025! Wear sunscreen!🌞😎

Great bit of history. Worth the quick stop. I cannot imagine working in that heat, many had to die.

Informative, easily accessible, site, near furnace Creek. Highly recommended! Very easy to do, at the beginning or end of your day, and add to the overall death Valley experience. My 86 Your old father was easily able to walk along the paved path

Since I was a little child, I remember the commercials for 20 Mule Team Borax laundry detergent and it showed the picture of the team pulling wagons in Death Valley. This part of Death Valley Made My Day!!

It's amazing that someone decided this was a good place to start a business. This was BEFORE Las Vegas was even a thing! I can't imagine them cooking the salts to remove the borax to ship it. In that heat? It was 110F when we visited. Very cool, though limited amount of historical artifacts. Stay hydrated! ☀️

Very cool interpretive exhibit about the borax that was mined in Death Valley for many years

Interesting bit of history and a nice 10 minute walk ( which is about all that is bearable in 110 degree heat)

I gave this a 3 because you need to really be super into this to have any benefit from visiting. It's just a place in the middle of the desert where there was once a place where they got borax. All you have now is a few wagons, a ruined house, and a few plaques that tell you what happened there in the late 1880s It's interesting for grown ups that appreciate the history, but for kids there is nothing to see. You should go to the borax museum for better effect.

There was so much history at Death Valley! Harmony Borax Works is now registered a National Historic Landmark. Harmony Borax Works was the central feature in the opening of Death Valley and the subsequent popularity of the Furnace Creek area. The plant and associated townsite played an important role in Death Valley history. After borax was found near Furnace Creek Ranch in 1881, William T. Coleman built the Harmony plant and began to process ore in late 1883 or early 1884. When in full operation, the 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, Coleman moved his work force to the Amargosa Borax Plant near present day Tecopa, California. 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 this country. The Harmony plant went out of operation in 1888, after only five years of production, when Coleman's financial empire collapsed. Aquired by Francis Marion Smith, the works never resumed the boiling of cottonball borate ore, and in time became part of the borax reserves of the Pacific Coast Borax Company and it successors. Harmony Borax Works was the central feature in the opening of Death Valley and the subsequent popularity of the Furnace Creek area. Come to visit this fascinating landmark in Death Valley!

A quick stop-off that stretches your legs and gives you some information on the Borax Mine and the 20 mule team.. - Slight hill to reach the top of the experience. Most people can navigate this short walk unless they have serious mobility issues. - If you're tight on time you can skip this interpretive trail. There are far more interesting things to see in Death Valley.

Harmony Borax Works should be on your Must See Places within Death Valley National Park. It's so accessible, very close to Furnace Creek Visitor Center, off 190, there are signs for it and a road that takes you there. The road is paved and you can spot the place from the road. There's parking right there. Anyone can come here, even if you just want to get out of the car shortly or stay longer, walk the trail, take photos and spend at least half an hour and take the information and the views in. This is more a historic visit, that explains the start of Death Valley, due to borax mining. Some remains are here, you'll also get to see where the 20 Mule Team comes from. These are the remains of a mile, it's a self guided tour, not too many people around when we went. So on the way to or back from Furnace Creek, make a stop here. It's educational, a nice break from hiking and hunting for harder to find places, historic and full of great information. And some photos ops that you can take advantage of!

One of the "human impact" displays in the park, as opposed to the "natural wonder" components, Harmony Borax Works nonetheless is an interesting little stop for a history lesson. The ruins of the Borax mining operation here help visitors make sense of the "white stuff" all over Death Valley (well, other than salt) and why people were trying to gather it. The displays and information boards share the historical significance of the site, along with the harsh conditions of the desert, made further difficult for some workers who were mistreated, cheated, or discriminated against. 20 Mule Team questions? They have answers here. Definitely a photo op or two in here, so worth a stop, but if you're in DVNP for natural features and on a limited time budget, no one will blame you for skipping this one.

Went to the Borax Works to get some salt refined and found out that they were closed. There was a sign that said they've been closed down over 100 years, so not sure why they're still advertising on Yelp. But I'll give them 5 stars for ambiance.

Cool and quick tour of an old Borax Mine and operation. There's some old buildings and equipment still on display. The history is intriguing and it's great there's still some remnants of the borax operations in DV. It's an easy stop, about 30 minutes to see everything, gain some knowledge about the history of the mines, and be on your way. Would recommend because it's convenient and interesting. It's just a couple minutes from Furnace Creek Ranch.

Harmony Borax Works Interpretive Trail is located on the southern part of Death Valley, a little north of Furnace Creek Area. It's a short stop. I think we were there for about 45 minutes. Walking on the trail, you'll come across signs at different areas. The signs give information on the borax mining that took place here. It's quite interesting to learn that the mining of borax lasted a few years in Death Valley and that the mineral was transported to other areas by a mule team. The trail itself is very short and leveled, so it's good even for those who aren't in their peak physical fitness. I thought the wooden wagon was picture worthy. So, if you have an hour or so to spare, I suggest that you make a stop here.

Cute little interpretive trail with some old borax mining equipment. Make it a part of your trip if you're driving from Furnace Creek to the northern parts of the park.