Scotty's Castle, Spanish Colonial Revival villa in Death Valley National Park, US.

Scotty's Castle is a two-story villa with white stucco walls, red tile roofs, and wrought iron details, situated in Grapevine Canyon at about 916 meters elevation. The building displays Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with large windows, broad porches, and decorative archways spread across the property.

Construction began in 1922 on land in Grapevine Canyon that an incorrect survey had placed on government property, halting work until the error was fixed in 1935. The 1929 stock market crash and the 1933 failure of Johnson's insurance company ended further building, so the Johnsons rented rooms to visitors. The Gospel Foundation inherited the ranch in 1946, and the National Park Service bought it in 1970 for $850,000.

The castle is tied to the legend of Death Valley Scotty, a character who spread tales about gold mines funding the building and shaped the region's local stories. His invented narrative about the castle's origins remains part of how people understand and talk about the place today.

The castle and grounds are closed to the public, with reopening not expected before 2026 after the 2015 flood and the 2021 fire that destroyed the visitor center. Only specially ticketed flood recovery tours of the grounds have been offered. Check the National Park Service site before planning a visit; the drive from Stovepipe Wells is about 45 miles.

Underground tunnels beneath the building contain a powerhouse with a Pelton wheel generator and nickel-iron batteries. This hidden technical equipment was necessary to supply electricity to the villa long before the area had access to public power lines.