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One of the best hikes in Death Valley. We scrambled as far as we could on the trail to Red Cathedral - great views, but since we also had great views along the loop, this was not necessary. There are two paths along the loop for views after leaving Golden Canyon. Hiking through Gower Gulch was not as scenic.
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Great winding canyon
Many colorful rock formations.
Hike as far as you like and return.
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Interesting layers of colors in the canyon. Lots of tempting “trails” that split off and potentially lead to good views. Good views of the red cathedral along the way. Flat, but very hot.
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Not enough Time in the day. But make sure it’s Jan or Feb. ‘cause it was 88f and the wind was a saving grace. Will be back.
Oh… and check out wine ridge RV and cottages. It’s a Ten.
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Walked Fri 12/06/24 – Have not been out here on the salt flats for a long time and forgot just how unique a place it is. Despite a full parking lot in the late afternoon, I found myself alone in the middle where it gives you the sense of a “reverse summit” where everything is much higher than the flat, expansive plane you’re standing (or sitting) on. The flats would be an ideal place to watch the sunrise or sunset with parking most likely being much easier.
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Solo hiked Fri 12/06/24 – Great views of the Badlands and Middle Basin from the top of Red Cathedral Peak for such a short hike along a nice ridge line. This was a good one to do on the way back to Furnace Creek from Mt Perry/Dante’s View and would be a great “add on” for anyone hiking the Golden Canyon and/or Gower Gulch trails from Zabriskie Point. The trailhead is a steep, unmarked ramp near the start of the descent on the Golden Canyon trail just above the Zabriskie parking lot, making it easy to miss (see photo). There is only one very short washed out section near the start of this trail with the rest of it in great shape. You’ll have to stop yourself from taking photos of the Badlands from several good viewpoints near the top! Logged 2.4 miles / 300 vertical ft with Gaia
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Solo hiked Fri 12/06/24 - Cris Hazard at hikingguy.com considers Mt Perry to be the most underrated hike in Death Valley and I share his opinion. I found it to be a nice meandering ridge route that offered great panoramic views along the entire route. The best part of the hike was the last quarter mile segment with a rocky arête that steepened slightly, leading up to Perry’s false summit before ending on the higher official one. Another unusually great weather day for this late in the season made for an enjoyable sunrise followed by epic views. The northwest to southwest views of Badwater Basin were spectacular, especially with Telescope Peak and the Panamint Range as the backdrop. The northeast views toward Pyramid Peak and the Funeral Mountains Wilderness were even more impressive with the sunlit rolling foothills. If you’re looking for a ridge line hike requiring moderate effort, this would be a great choice. Although this is the best time of year for most DV (Death Valley) hikes (IMHO), this one is a good candidate for the hotter months as it’s shorter and more straightforward than many other DV treks. As one would expect, there are no water sources on this route so plan accordingly. Logged 9.0 miles / 1801 vertical ft with Gaia.
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Solo Hiked Thurs 12/05/24 – Did the loop counter-clockwise to leave the trail early and climb Manly Beacon which was short but still quite exhilarating. The somewhat steep route up Manly’s northeast spine was straight forward on the ascent but must there is one steeper pitched 15 foot section just below the summit that must be carefully down climbed. There are a few small rocks sticking out from Manly’s tuffaceous sandstone in this section that can be used as holds, some of them encased more firmly in the sandstone than others. It’s definitely a no slide/fall zone that can’t be protected so worth a quick hold test/descent plan on the way up. The views from the Manly summit were easily worth the trip up, especially those of Golden Canyon, Red Cathedral and Middle Basin. Taking the Golden Canyon Trail down to Middle Basin in perfect weather was more like a nice, very scenic walk while going back up Gower Gulch felt more like a hike. Gower starts off as a narrow slotted wash but quickly opens up to a wider canyon drainage with great surrounding views. Highly recommend the loop trail for a short hike that most everyone would enjoy. The Badlands Loop offers an even shorter version of this hike for families with kids on the younger side. Definitely would bail on climbing Manly Beacon if rain’s in the forecast! Logged 8.7 miles / 1408 vertical ft with Gaia.
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Solo Hiked Thurs 12/05/24 – Did the loop counter-clockwise to leave the trail early and climb Manly Beacon which was short but still quite exhilarating. The somewhat steep route up Manly’s northeast spine was straight forward on the ascent but must there is one steeper pitched 15 foot section just below the summit that must be carefully down climbed. There are a few small rocks sticking out from Manly’s tuffaceous sandstone in this section that can be used as holds, some of them encased more firmly in the sandstone than others. It’s definitely a no slide/fall zone that can’t be protected so worth a quick hold test/descent plan on the way up. The views from the Manly summit were easily worth the trip up, especially those of Golden Canyon, Red Cathedral and Middle Basin. Taking the Golden Canyon Trail down to Middle Basin in perfect weather was more like a nice, very scenic walk while going back up Gower Gulch felt more like a hike. Gower starts off as a narrow slotted wash but quickly opens up to a wider canyon drainage with great surrounding views. Highly recommend the loop trail for a short hike that most everyone would enjoy. The Badlands Loop offers an even shorter version of this hike for families with kids on the younger side. Definitely would bail on climbing Manly Beacon if rain’s in the forecast! Logged 8.7 miles / 1408 vertical ft with Gaia.
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Solo Hiked Thurs 12/05/24 – Did the loop counter-clockwise to leave the trail early and climb Manly Beacon which was short but still quite exhilarating. The somewhat steep route up Manly’s northeast spine was straight forward on the ascent but must there is one steeper pitched 15 foot section just below the summit that must be carefully down climbed. There are a few small rocks sticking out from Manly’s tuffaceous sandstone in this section that can be used as holds, some of them encased more firmly in the sandstone than others. It’s definitely a no slide/fall zone that can’t be protected so worth a quick hold test/descent plan on the way up. The views from the Manly summit were easily worth the trip up, especially those of Golden Canyon, Red Cathedral and Middle Basin. Taking the Golden Canyon Trail down to Middle Basin in perfect weather was more like a nice, very scenic walk while going back up Gower Gulch felt more like a hike. Gower starts off as a narrow slotted wash but quickly opens up to a wider canyon drainage with great surrounding views. Highly recommend the loop trail for a short hike that most everyone would enjoy. The Badlands Loop offers an even shorter version of this hike for families with kids on the younger side. Definitely would bail on climbing Manly Beacon if rain’s in the forecast! Logged 8.7 miles / 1408 vertical ft with Gaia.
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Solo hiked Fri 11/22/24 – Camped at Mahogany Flat Campground on Thurs and hiked up Telescope early to catch the sunrise before continuing on a cross-country hiking route up Bennett and Rogers peaks. Mahogany Flat is classified as “primitive” but every site has a fire ring and metal picnic table while the campground has one vault toilet facility. Like most of the Death Valley campgrounds, there is no water source. Lots of Pinyon Pines and some Junipers at every camp site and eastward views of Badwater Basin make it a very nice place to camp. I knew it would be windy for the entire night like most other saddles with east-west exposure (greatly reducing sleep time) but I was still able to have a nice fire. There was only one other party at the campground (a trio of nice ladies) which was unexpected as it’s a well-liked place. The Telescope Peak Trail is a steep, steady climb for a little over 2 miles before leveling out for a couple miles, after which it again steepens on the final leg to the summit. There are a few minor trail washout areas that are easily navigated with a little extra attention but not sketchy when free of snow/ice like now. The entire route was free of snow but I brought micro spikes as backup, with the Sierra snowfall steadily working its way eastward. Great views along the entire route with a 2°C/36°F starting temperature that warmed up very quickly after the sun was up. Clear weather with a few clouds but the usual strong wind gusts at the saddles and on the peaks which this areas is well known for. Bennett Peak was a great “add on” with amazing 360° views. Rogers Peak was less spectacular but slightly interesting, being the only non-wilderness high point in Death Valley with a giant telemetry radome resembling a soccer ball and several other military microwave towers to look at. Since the Rogers Peak Access Road winds down to the Telescope Peak trailhead, I decided to take part of the road down for a “snack on the go” option before making a more intense and direct cross-country descent back to the trailhead. While I reduced the mileage, there was definitely more work required. I was back at Mahogany Flat just after noon time so I had time to pack up and explore some of the park on the way out, after meeting up with a group of burros looking for handouts at one of the turns in Emigrant Canyon Road. First time driving a hybrid 4x4 off-road and it was a great experience. Glad to go up Telescope before the Mahogany Flat Road closes for winter. The afternoon lighting on the drive out of the park provided stunning views, especially to the west from Emigrant Pass. Logged 12.5 miles / 3756 vertical ft with Gaia
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Hit trail at 7AM. Never saw another person until almost back to the trailhead. Scramble route from 25’ dryfall to upper narrows was no joke. Very tricky coming down. Upper second set of narrows was fantastic and well worth the effort.
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Amazing, so much fun to sled down the dunes. Very chilly in the morning, sand a pain to walk up 😂
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Very pretty canyon, very different from Utah slick rock though. Not too many people on the first third and last third of the hike. A little washey on the last third, hard to walk in. Beautiful weather.
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Not difficult. Came across a stock ford fusion and it was getting along without too much scraping and banging. Of course, 4x4 recommended but most awd suvs will do this ok.
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Did fencing job for Death Valley Racetrack with Overland bound. Came out by Lippencott Rd and did Titus Canyon
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Racetrack fence completed then a lot of off shoots with mines. Awesome treck
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This is my favorite sunset and star night hike in Death Valley NP. A quick drive from Texas Springs Campground or Furnace Creek Resorts
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Une route en laveuse, un peu désagréable, mais la vue en vaux la peine. Entre les montagnes et des Joshua Tree.
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Amazing trail! Very technical and rocky. We did it in a 05 suburban and wow! The cabins along the way are awesome to see.
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Incredible landscapes. Easy main trail with many challenging side trails. Great views.
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Great way to disconnect. Hot springs, camping and 4x4 but the app routed us to a closed section of trail and we buried the axles in soot. Thankfully we didn’t get stuck
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Saline is a great area! Beautiful soaking hot springs, great vibe, sand dunes, salt lake, hiking. 4wd and high clearance is ideal. We did this trip with a 2021 Land Rover defender and a 2016 Rav 4 awd, no issues at all.
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Challenging but full of pleasant surprises. Diverse vegetation and landscapes. Descent from saddle overlooking Deadhorse Canyon was slippery and steep.
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Great hike with very few others on the trail so you’ll have the trail mostly to yourself
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No trail - not a large area - just wander to the highest dune before the heat of the day - and be sure to come back under a full moon.
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Amazing views. No people. Maybe cuz it was so cold. Some days there was not much wind
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Death Valley at this time of the year...especially as the foreign tourists are not here this year.
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Parhump through Death Valley To panamint springs to ballarat to Trona pinnacles ending @randsburg
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Great route overall! A little too rocky after Hunter Mountain to the valley floor.
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