Hiking in Death Valley
(And excerpt from the Death Valley's web site converted into the metric system)
Back to Death Valley
| Camping/lodging
| Map
| Other hikes in California
Death Valley's website
Death Valley is bounded on the west by Telescope Peak (3,367 meters high)
and on the east by Dante's View.
Badwater is the lowest point (-94 m.) in the western hemisphere.
Death Valley is generally sunny, dry, and clear throughout the year.
The winters are mild with occasional winter storms, but summers are extremely hot and dry.
Summer high temperatures commonly run above 40 degrees.
Sights
| Easy Hikes
| Adventurous Hikes
| Epic Hikes
Shorty's Well to Telescope Peak
| Hiking to the Race Track
Hikes
Easy Hikes:
1) Golden Canyon Interpretive Trail
- Length: 1.5 km, one-way.
- Starting Point: Golden Canyon parking area, 3 kms south of Hwy 190 on the Badwater Road.
- Description: Easy, self-guided trail through colorful canyon. Red Cathedral located 1 km up canyon from last numbered trail marker. Trail guides are available for 50 cents on site or at park visitor centers.
2) Gower Gulch Loop
- Length: 7 kms round-trip.
- Starting Point: Golden Canyon parking area, 3 kms south of Hwy 190 on the Badwater Road.
- Description: Colorful badlands, canyon narrows, old borax mines. Hike up Golden Canyon to last numbered trail marker, then take path over badlands to Gower Gulch. Hike up to Zabriskie Point or down gulch to finish loop. Two easy dryfalls must be scrambled down in Gower Gulch. Ask for the Gower Gulch handout in Visitor Center.
- Moderate hike.
3) Desolation Canyon
- Length: 1.5 km, one-way.
- Starting Point: End of left fork Desolation Canyon Road, (not marked, look closely for it) 6 kms south of Hwy. 190 on Badwater road.
- Description: Narrow canyon through colorful badlands. From road's end, drop into main wash heading south. Hike up canyon, keeping to right at the forks.
4) Natural Bridge Canyon
- Length: 1.5 km, round-trip.
- Starting Point: Natural Bridge parking area, 2 kms off the Badwater Road on graded dirt road, 20 kms south of Hwy 190.
- Description: Moderate uphill walk through narrow canyon. Large natural bridge at 0.3 mi. Trail ends at dry waterfall.
5) Badwater Salt Flat
- Length: 1 km to edge, 8 kms across.
- Starting Point: Badwater parking area, 25 kms south of Hwy 190 on the Badwater Road.
- Description: Level walk across lowest place in the Western Hemisphere. Crust of salt crystals may be covered with temporary lake after rain storms. Watch out for muddy areas.
6) Harmony Borax Works Interpretive Trail
- Length: 400 meters, round-trip; for a longer hike, walk the 1.5 km bicycle path along Hwy 190 from Furnace Creek.
- Starting Point: Harmony Borax Works parking area, 1.5 km north of Furnace Creek on Hwy 190.
- Description: Easy paved trail loops around ruins of 1880's borax processing plant. Interpretive signs along trail tell the story of what you are seeing.
7) Salt Creek Interpretive Trail
- Length: 1 km round-trip.
- Starting Point: Salt Creek parking area, 1.5 km off Hwy. 190, 20 kms north of Furnace Creek.
- Description: Easy, self guided trail on a boardwalk over small stream. Good for viewing rare pupfish and other wildlife. Best in late winter/early spring. Trail guides available on site or at park visitor centers for 50 cents.
8) Sand Dunes
- Length: 3 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: Sand Dunes parking area, 4 kms east of Stovepipe Wells, Hwy 190.
- Description: Graceful desert dunes, numerous animal tracks. Walk cross-country to high dunes. Best in morning or afternoon for dramatic light. Also good for full moon hikes.
9) Mosaic Canyon
- Length: 3 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: Mosaic Canyon parking area, 3 kms from Stovepipe Wells Village on graded dirt road.
- Description: Popular, easy walk up narrow, polished marble-walled canyon. Some slickrock scrambling necessary. "Mosaics" of fragments of rocks cemented together can be seen in canyon walls. Bighorn sheep sighted occasionally.
10) Titus Canyon Narrows
- Length: 2 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: Titus Canyon Mouth parking area, 5 kms off Scotty's Castle road on graded dirt road.
11) Dante's Ridge
- Length: 1 km to first summit, 7 kms one-way to Mt. Perry.
- Starting Point: Dantes View parking area.
- Description: Follow the ridge north of Dantes View for spectacular vistas and a cool place to escape summer heat.
12) Keane Wonder Mine Trail
- Length: 1.5 km, one-way.
- Starting Point: Keane Wonder Mill parking area, 3 kms off Beatty Cutoff road on graded dirt road.
- Description: Very steep, narrow trail from mill ruins to a mine 450 meters above. Sweeping views of Death Valley.
13) Keane Wonder Springs
- Length: 1.5 km, one-way.
- Starting Point: Keane Wonder Mill parking area, 3 kms off Beatty Cutoff road on graded dirt road.
- Description: Follow pipeline north along mountain base to sulfur springs and travertine mounds. Beyond springs are remains of an old stampmill and cabin.
14) Little Hebe Crater Trail
- Length: 1 km, one-way.
- Starting Point: Ubehebe Crater parking area, 13 kms west of Scotty's Castle.
- Description: Volcanic craters and elaborate erosion. Hike along west rim of Ubehebe Crater to Little Hebe and several older craters. Continue around Ubehebes rim for loop hike.
15) Darwin Falls Trail
- Length: 1.5 km, one-way
- Starting Point: Darwin Falls parking area, 3 kms off Hwy 190 on graded dirt road, 1.5 km west of Panamint Springs Resort.
- Description: This small waterfall flows year round in a deep, rugged gorge. Thick vegetation and muddy stream crossings can be challenging.
15) Panamint Sand Dunes
- Length: 7 km one way
- Starting Point: Lake Hill Road
- Description: Death Valley's most remote sand dunes Topomap. As of 2015: drive east from Panamint Springs
about 7 kms until you see a sign about overheating, and Lake Hill Rd will be
20 meters before that sign, on the opposite side of the road.
Drive about 30 minutes on this dirt road (usually passable by all vehicles when the weather is dry) to where the road becomes impassable to low-clearance
vehicles, a point where you will find a wide parking lot,
and at that point the dunes will be very visible.
It takes about 1.5 hours to walk to the bottom of the dunes.
[It is popular to camp at that parking lot. Unfortunately in 2015 someone
stole my tent and my emergency water that was in it]
Adventurous Hikes:
No trails. Rock scrambling... you're on your own!
16) DeathValley Buttes
- Length: 2.5 km, one-way.
- Starting Point: Hell's Gate parking area, 34 kms NE of Furnace Creek.
- Description: Short but strenuous scramble to the two prominent hills at the foot of the Grapevine Mountains. From Hell's Gate, walk SW 1 km toward the buttes. Scramble south up the ridge to the first of the buttes. You made it! Now you can decide whether you want to attempt #2. It's more difficult. If so, descend carefully down the ridge 100 meters, then climb the narrow ridge to butte #2. Extreme care should be used when climbing the buttes. Ridges are narrow and exposed with steep drop-offs. Windy days make this effect quite dramatic. The views are among the best in Death Valley.
17) Fall Canyon
- Length: 6 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: Titus Canyon Mouth parking area, 5 kms off Scotty's Castle road on graded dirt road.
- Description: Deep and spectacular canyon north of Titus Canyon. Walk 1 km north along base of mountains to large wash, then 2.5 mi. up canyon to a 12m dryfall. Using caution, you can climb around the falls on the south side. This will give you access to some of the most beautiful narrows in Death Valley. You can follow the canyon up another 7 or 8 kms.
18) Red Wall Canyon
- Length: 5 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: Scotty's Castle Road, 6 kms north of Titus Canyon road exit.
- Description: Colorful (red) narrow mountain canyon. From road, hike 3 kms up alluvial fan to mouth of canyon (watch for meeting of red and black rock to locate canyon). Rock climbing skills are needed to continue beyond a dry waterfall 1.5 km up the canyon.
19) Little Bridge Canyon
- Length: 5 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: 5 kms east of Stovepipe Wells Village, Hwy 190. Park along side of road, (first major canyon east of Grotto Canyon).
- Description: Ascend alluvial fan 3 kms south of road to canyon mouth. The canyon is very wide at first before narrowing. A small arch appears on the right 1 km into the canyon and a 7m high natural bridge spans the east side of the canyon 1 km further on. White quartzite canyon walls and interesting side canyons to explore. Canyon narrows further up from bridge.
20) Wildrose Peak Trail:
- Length: 6 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: Charcoal Kilns parking area, upper Wildrose Canyon Road.
- Description: A good high peak to climb (2762m). Trail begins at north end of the kilns. Spectacular views beyond 3 kms point. Steep grade for last km.
Epic Hikes:
21)
Telescope Peak from Mahogany Flat:
- Length: 11 kms, one-way.
- Starting Point: Mahogany Flat Campground (2500m), reachable from the Panamint Valley Rd or Trona-Wildrose Rd and a very steep and rough dirt road, Upper Wildrose Canyon Road, for about 15kms, passing the Charcoal Kilns (12kms). The asphalt ends at the Charcoal Kilns, 3kms from the trailhead. Rough, steep road after Charcoal Kilns (it may take you up to one hour to do the unpaved part and most people with a regular vehicle simply hike the last 500 meters). Also the dirt road is closed at the Charcoal Kilns till april or may. There are two nearby campgrouns: Mahogany Flat, which is right at the trailhead, and Thorndike, about 1km below the trailhead.
- Description: the trail to the highest peak in the park (3367 meters) is long but not strenous. The elevation gain is about 1,000 meters.
The view at the top (all the way to Mt Whitney) is definitely worth it.
If you hike at sunrise, you don't need to carry too much water.
2004 time: 3.5 hours up, 3 hours down.
Telescope Peak
(3,367 meters high)
is a mountain in the middle of Death Valley that provides a 360 degree view of the valley and the Sierra peaks to the north, notably Mt Whitney (thus views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous USA). This is actually one of the tallest mountains in the USA if one counts the elevation gain from the valley floor to the summit (3,400 meters) but the trailhead is at the elevation of 2,478m (this elevation gain for the hike is about 900m) The hike to the top is not very long (22kms roundtrip, i.e. about 3 hours up and 2 down) and not very steep.
Telescope Peak is high enough that it gets icy in winter. There are still patches of snow in may, despite the heat down in the valley.
Weather forecast for Telescope Peak
22)
If you like climbing in the middle of nowhere: Dry Mt and Tin Mt
23)
Panamint City
and Sentinel Peak
24)
The mother of all California day hikes (because of the elevation gain): Telescope Peak from Shorty's Well:
25)
If you are in a suicidal mood 1.: Marble Canyon to Race Track (Playa):
26)
If you are in a suicidal mood 2.: Race Track to Lake Hill
27)
If you are in a suicidal mood 3.: Mahogany Flat to Ballarat via Telescope Peak, Sentinel Peak and Panamint City
28)
Ubehebe Peak
- Length: approximately a one-hour hike.
- This little hill is located west of the Race Track.
There is a well-market trail from the Grandstand parking lot of Race Track to
the saddle, from where the final scramble should be obvious.