Trip Journal: Death Valley National Park, California
Wednesday, March 23, through Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Introduction This trip was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving of last year, but Lynn fell ill and we had to postpone. When adjusting the lodging, I just grabbed random dates in March and as luck would have it we were able to visit during the once-a-decade superbloom of wildflowers. The flowers were just one of many surprises that Death Valley had in store for us as this park of "not exactly what I was expecting" kept us on our toes with something new and different around each corner. We got a very good sampling of this huge park while exploring different areas each day.
Before I started researching this trip, I had a completely different understanding of Death Valley. What I "knew" about Death Valley was not wrong, it was just incomplete. I knew about the lowest, hottest, driest adjectives, the salt flats and sand dunes and even the 20-mule team Borax mining operations. All of that is certainly part of Death Valley. But there is so much more! As I studied the park in order to plan the trip, I learned about the geology, the mountain ranges that define the wide valley, the amazing hiking trails into the canyons and even more about the mining history of the area. This is a park with something for just about everyone.
Death Valley is a park that requires more than a little planning to hopefully ensure an enjoyable and efficient visit. First of all, it is a HUGE park with points-of-interest spread across a vast area, so part of the planning was just figuring out what we were most interested in seeing and where these places were situated in the park. It is important to group near-by (relatively speaking) attractions to reduce time in the car and avoid backtracking as much as possible. But that all falls right into my wheelhouse as the planning is part of the fun.
A “Last Minute” Trip We usually plan our trips well over a year in advance in part so that we can coordinate with work schedules but more so because the places we like to visit, the National Parks, often necessitate making lodging reservations that far in advance. So the original plan for this visit to Death Valley was certainly “last minute” at least on my time scale. So I’m including some of those details in this section just so I can remember how this all played out.
The seed for this trip was planted over dinner on September 18, 2015, a Friday evening. I had just returned from what should be the final business trip of the year (a week at NASA Ames that did include a couple of short excursions into San Francisco). This was a full day of travel, but I was home early enough for dinner with Lynn, so we went to the local BBQ and beer joint, Lagerheads, for a sort of quiet dinner (the place is usually hopping on Friday but we got there just after 8:00 so it was starting to calm down a bit….hey, this is the country). I mentioned to Lynn that we are down to one last trip for the year, our Trip Advisor meet-up in Sedona, when she commented that it would be nice to have a trip for just the two of us since almost every trip we had taken this year involved other folks (our weekend at The Wilds was our only “solo” adventure in 2015). OK, what that heck. What’s another trip, right? We chatted a little more about it and I gleaned some requirements: (1) Thanksgiving might be a good time-frame. (2) Not a long trip (less than a week; more like a extra long weekend). (3) Just the two of us. (4) Plenty of downtime. (5) Keep it relatively simple. Let the planning begin! Since this would most likely be a late fall or early winter trip, destinations in the northeast and Mountain West would not be good options. Maybe Santa Fe? Problem there is that since this is a short trip and we want to keep is simple, I would prefer a direct flight to wherever we go. That further limits options now that CLE is no longer a hub airport.
On Saturday, I did a little more investigating. By googling “direct flights from CLE” I found a list of possible destinations. Not a lot of options, although both Las Vegas and Phoenix were on the list. Hmmmm, both of those are great entry/exit points for our favorite region, the desert southwest, but where to go specifically for this trip? A quick peek at the map and I had a destination: Death Valley. Hey, that could be ideal. So a little research was in order. There were direct flights from CLE on United with a good itinerary and decent cost (held for a week), lodging was available, albeit fairly pricey ($225 to $550 per night in the park), the drive time is only about 2 hours and a quick scan of Trip Advisor indicated that late November is a good time to visit and that there would be plenty to keep us busy for five days. I grabbed a reservation at the lowest rate available at the Ranch at Furnace Creek just to give us a starting point. No need to spend big bucks on the Inn. Later in the day, Lynn and I discussed the options a bit. She had also been looking at lodging. I think she is getting on board with the plan. I also started looking at rental cars and doing a little more research on things to do in the park. Looks like some places, like the Race Track, require 4WD and high clearance vehicles; that could be tricky.
Once back from the Sedona meet-up, I started doing some more investigation of things to see and do in Death Valley. However the research I did turned up some bad news as there were major storms on October 18th that flooded and washed out the roads to Scotty’s Castle and the Badwater area. Scotty’s Castle was severely damaged and could be closed for months. Hopefully the roads will be in better shape by the time we get there. All the surrounding parks are pitching in to help with the repairs. We’ll see what happens. No need to change any plans….yet.
And then the bottom really fell out (well, it’s not that bad but still the trip had to be canceled or at least postponed). Lynn came down with what we thought was the flu on Friday before our Wednesday departure but had not improved over the weekend so we went to the Urgent Care on Monday to find out she has a sinus infection. Not likely she’s going to shake that in 2 days, so I canceled the reservations but did rebook lodging in March (at the suggestion of the very helpful young lady from Xanterra). Too bad that we could not take the trip as planned but I’m a "glass half full" kind of guy so the spring could work out well as there was already talk about 2016 being a grand wildflower season, plus maybe Scotty’s Castle will be reopened by then. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Back on the Schedule! We’re getting into early February so close to a decision point for Death Valley. While Lynn’s work schedule is a bit hectic at present, she thinks that there still at least a chance that we can make it work, so I’ll keep plugging away on the arrangements. The dates are locked in with lodging at the Ranch at Furnace Creek from Wednesday March 22 through Monday the 28th. Airfare is decent, but the best rate and direct flight itinerary get us into Las Vegas in the evening and requires a red-eye return. Lynn is good with this. I booked a rental SUV through Thrifty. With the evening arrival we figured we would not make it all the way to the park so toyed with the idea of staying in Pahrump that first night. However, based on advice from Frisco_Roadrunner on TA we opted to stay that first night in Las Vegas to avoid driving at night which would mean missing a lot of beautiful scenery and having a higher possibility of critter encounters along the road (same advice I give folks on the Utah forums). By February 16, Lynn’s project at work was in pretty good shape so she was able to schedule the time off. We are heading west after all!
Now that our "last minute" trip has moved from fall to spring, I’ve had time to do a bit more research and get a decent plan in order. As always, we’ll adjust on the fly as needed but this at least provides a starting framework. I noted during one visit to the Death Valley website the hiking challenge for 2016 which encouraged folks to get out on the trails, take photos of themselves while on the trail and share the experience with the Rangers all to earn points toward the 2016 Hike Death Valley sticker. Hey, that might fun and the sticker would be a nice memento of the trip so I’ll factor that into the planning as well.
We’ll basically have five days including the travel days between Las Vegas and Death Valley. I divided the park into 4 (give or take) areas and basically used a day for each area with the return travel day left open. The order of the areas listed for each day can be shuffled as needed.
Before I started researching this trip, I had a completely different understanding of Death Valley. What I "knew" about Death Valley was not wrong, it was just incomplete. I knew about the lowest, hottest, driest adjectives, the salt flats and sand dunes and even the 20-mule team Borax mining operations. All of that is certainly part of Death Valley. But there is so much more! As I studied the park in order to plan the trip, I learned about the geology, the mountain ranges that define the wide valley, the amazing hiking trails into the canyons and even more about the mining history of the area. This is a park with something for just about everyone.
Death Valley is a park that requires more than a little planning to hopefully ensure an enjoyable and efficient visit. First of all, it is a HUGE park with points-of-interest spread across a vast area, so part of the planning was just figuring out what we were most interested in seeing and where these places were situated in the park. It is important to group near-by (relatively speaking) attractions to reduce time in the car and avoid backtracking as much as possible. But that all falls right into my wheelhouse as the planning is part of the fun.
A “Last Minute” Trip We usually plan our trips well over a year in advance in part so that we can coordinate with work schedules but more so because the places we like to visit, the National Parks, often necessitate making lodging reservations that far in advance. So the original plan for this visit to Death Valley was certainly “last minute” at least on my time scale. So I’m including some of those details in this section just so I can remember how this all played out.
The seed for this trip was planted over dinner on September 18, 2015, a Friday evening. I had just returned from what should be the final business trip of the year (a week at NASA Ames that did include a couple of short excursions into San Francisco). This was a full day of travel, but I was home early enough for dinner with Lynn, so we went to the local BBQ and beer joint, Lagerheads, for a sort of quiet dinner (the place is usually hopping on Friday but we got there just after 8:00 so it was starting to calm down a bit….hey, this is the country). I mentioned to Lynn that we are down to one last trip for the year, our Trip Advisor meet-up in Sedona, when she commented that it would be nice to have a trip for just the two of us since almost every trip we had taken this year involved other folks (our weekend at The Wilds was our only “solo” adventure in 2015). OK, what that heck. What’s another trip, right? We chatted a little more about it and I gleaned some requirements: (1) Thanksgiving might be a good time-frame. (2) Not a long trip (less than a week; more like a extra long weekend). (3) Just the two of us. (4) Plenty of downtime. (5) Keep it relatively simple. Let the planning begin! Since this would most likely be a late fall or early winter trip, destinations in the northeast and Mountain West would not be good options. Maybe Santa Fe? Problem there is that since this is a short trip and we want to keep is simple, I would prefer a direct flight to wherever we go. That further limits options now that CLE is no longer a hub airport.
On Saturday, I did a little more investigating. By googling “direct flights from CLE” I found a list of possible destinations. Not a lot of options, although both Las Vegas and Phoenix were on the list. Hmmmm, both of those are great entry/exit points for our favorite region, the desert southwest, but where to go specifically for this trip? A quick peek at the map and I had a destination: Death Valley. Hey, that could be ideal. So a little research was in order. There were direct flights from CLE on United with a good itinerary and decent cost (held for a week), lodging was available, albeit fairly pricey ($225 to $550 per night in the park), the drive time is only about 2 hours and a quick scan of Trip Advisor indicated that late November is a good time to visit and that there would be plenty to keep us busy for five days. I grabbed a reservation at the lowest rate available at the Ranch at Furnace Creek just to give us a starting point. No need to spend big bucks on the Inn. Later in the day, Lynn and I discussed the options a bit. She had also been looking at lodging. I think she is getting on board with the plan. I also started looking at rental cars and doing a little more research on things to do in the park. Looks like some places, like the Race Track, require 4WD and high clearance vehicles; that could be tricky.
Once back from the Sedona meet-up, I started doing some more investigation of things to see and do in Death Valley. However the research I did turned up some bad news as there were major storms on October 18th that flooded and washed out the roads to Scotty’s Castle and the Badwater area. Scotty’s Castle was severely damaged and could be closed for months. Hopefully the roads will be in better shape by the time we get there. All the surrounding parks are pitching in to help with the repairs. We’ll see what happens. No need to change any plans….yet.
And then the bottom really fell out (well, it’s not that bad but still the trip had to be canceled or at least postponed). Lynn came down with what we thought was the flu on Friday before our Wednesday departure but had not improved over the weekend so we went to the Urgent Care on Monday to find out she has a sinus infection. Not likely she’s going to shake that in 2 days, so I canceled the reservations but did rebook lodging in March (at the suggestion of the very helpful young lady from Xanterra). Too bad that we could not take the trip as planned but I’m a "glass half full" kind of guy so the spring could work out well as there was already talk about 2016 being a grand wildflower season, plus maybe Scotty’s Castle will be reopened by then. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Back on the Schedule! We’re getting into early February so close to a decision point for Death Valley. While Lynn’s work schedule is a bit hectic at present, she thinks that there still at least a chance that we can make it work, so I’ll keep plugging away on the arrangements. The dates are locked in with lodging at the Ranch at Furnace Creek from Wednesday March 22 through Monday the 28th. Airfare is decent, but the best rate and direct flight itinerary get us into Las Vegas in the evening and requires a red-eye return. Lynn is good with this. I booked a rental SUV through Thrifty. With the evening arrival we figured we would not make it all the way to the park so toyed with the idea of staying in Pahrump that first night. However, based on advice from Frisco_Roadrunner on TA we opted to stay that first night in Las Vegas to avoid driving at night which would mean missing a lot of beautiful scenery and having a higher possibility of critter encounters along the road (same advice I give folks on the Utah forums). By February 16, Lynn’s project at work was in pretty good shape so she was able to schedule the time off. We are heading west after all!
Now that our "last minute" trip has moved from fall to spring, I’ve had time to do a bit more research and get a decent plan in order. As always, we’ll adjust on the fly as needed but this at least provides a starting framework. I noted during one visit to the Death Valley website the hiking challenge for 2016 which encouraged folks to get out on the trails, take photos of themselves while on the trail and share the experience with the Rangers all to earn points toward the 2016 Hike Death Valley sticker. Hey, that might fun and the sticker would be a nice memento of the trip so I’ll factor that into the planning as well.
We’ll basically have five days including the travel days between Las Vegas and Death Valley. I divided the park into 4 (give or take) areas and basically used a day for each area with the return travel day left open. The order of the areas listed for each day can be shuffled as needed.
Wednesday, 23 March - Travel Day to Las Vegas.
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Saturday, 26 March - Beatty and Titus Canyon.
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This was the starting plan. I really did not expect to keep to this schedule or even do everything listed, but it gave us something to work from. Of course Scotty's Castle (something that was at the top of Lynn's list when we first started the planning) is off the list due to the flood damage, but we can always try that next trip. And other that maybe driving Titus Canyon we were not planning on anything that required long drives on dirt roads, and particularly not roads that were known to eat tires. We can look into those type activities for the next trip. Now let's see how well we did compared to the plan....
On to Death Valley! OK, enough preamble and planning, we are hitting the road. Time to add a new National Park to our list. We ended up doing a pretty good job keeping with the overall plan outlined above in terms of the areas of the park visited, but we did juggle several of the specific activities by swapping out a couple hikes and adding a few things based on recommendations received in real time at the park. The map below shows the areas we visited during the trip along with many of the specific places that we explored in and around Death Valley.
On to Death Valley! OK, enough preamble and planning, we are hitting the road. Time to add a new National Park to our list. We ended up doing a pretty good job keeping with the overall plan outlined above in terms of the areas of the park visited, but we did juggle several of the specific activities by swapping out a couple hikes and adding a few things based on recommendations received in real time at the park. The map below shows the areas we visited during the trip along with many of the specific places that we explored in and around Death Valley.
Day 1 – Wednesday, March 23 – Travel to Las Vegas. The one nice thing about leaving for the west coast on a late afternoon flight is that we got in almost a full day of work, so a little conservation of vacation time. We left the base at 3:00 and drove over to Hopkins but the onsite lots were all full so we looped over to one of the offsite lots on Snow Road and bused back to the airport; not a big deal. In fact I was sort of expecting that to be the case with all the construction and related lot closings at the airport. I guess we were checked in, through security and sitting down for our first beer of the trip at Great Lakes before 4:00 (I had a Conway’s Irish Ale). We split a flat bread pizza and then walked on down to the gate. We were on standby for first class with my mileage upgrades but up to now had not heard anything from United but now we got the call to see the agent at the gate. They had one seat available in first class. That’s better than nothing, so I let them move Lynn up. No issues with the flight, in fact we got into LAS a little early. The only snag along the way was with the rental car. Obviously Thrifty did not do their homework as there were several folks looking for SUVs but there were none to be had. I was told there should be several available in the morning and to check back then. Good thing that we’re staying in Las Vegas tonight. OK, we got our sedan and went to the hotel. We were in our room by 8:15 so again pretty quick.
We stayed at the Homewood Suites (review) which was just a short walk away from the rental car terminal which works out well particularly now that I have to swap vehicles in the morning. Last time we used Las Vegas as our entry point we also arrived in the evening but a little later, so I just waited until the following morning and walked over for the car. That worked very well. This trip we were a little earlier so it was nice to have a vehicle for tonight (even if it was the wrong one) so that we could find some place to eat. We opted for the Yard House (review) in the nearby Town Square shopping mall. I reckon is was getting close to 9:00 by the time we got there and the mall was jumping. Oh, yeah, we’re in Vegas. No wonder! We were quickly seated and then greeted by our very cheerful server. He brought us a couple waters while we studied the lengthy list of beer offerings. The only thing I don’t like about Yard House is that they don’t offer “custom” beer flights. Sure they have a couple of pre-selected flights on the menu, but even the IPA flight does not include the more interesting hoppy ales. The best bet then to sample a few beers is the small size (I think it is 9 oz.) and that works pretty well. I started with the Sculpin Grapefruit IPA from Ballast Point then tried the Union Jack IPA from Firestone. Both went well with the spicy jambalaya I had for dinner but I preferred the Sculpin.
Over dinner we talked about plans for tomorrow. Of course first thing is to sort out the rental car. Then we’ll stop on the way out of town for provisions (I’ve already scoped out an Albertson’s that is conveniently located). The plan is to get on the road early, by 8:00, but we’ll see how the rental car plays into that. Lynn suggested exploring Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge on the way to the Death Valley then we’ll just see how the timing works out for the stops in the park. Seems reasonable to me. After dinner we just went back to the hotel and crashed. It has been a long day, but a good day.
Day 2 – Thursday, March 24 – Las Vegas to Death Valley. I was awake early as expected and just got ready for the day. I called Thrifty at 0600 but there was no one home so we went to breakfast. I did get through at 6:40 and the advice was to get there soon as they work on a first come, first served basis (I guess the whole reservation idea is lost on these folks) but they did not expect any issues as there were several SUVs due to be returned early this morning. I headed straight over and there were already a few SUVs waiting so I had a shiny red Santa Fe almost immediately and was back at the hotel by 7:00. So other than a minor inconvenience there was really no delay as Lynn was still getting ready when I returned. I went in search of the ice machine to fill the cooler; the on our floor was busted, so I marched down a flight of stairs and found one that was working. Plenty of ice now to keep our beer cold. Shoot, we were on the road at 7:30 so 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Very nice morning at 54 degrees F with blue skies with a few clouds; very comfortable. There were a couple hot air balloons floating around the mountains to the west. We watched them for a while as we drove away from Sin City.
I was concerned that the Alberston’s might be open yet (I thought their website listed 8:00 AM as their start time), but they were up and running when we arrived (I guess I read the website wrong) so in I went to buy our supplies for the next few days. They even sold beer as singles so I got a mix-and-match six pack along with a six pack of Islander IPA from Coronado Brewing (one of our favorites). I stopped by the deli and picked up an assortment of cheeses for our planned afternoon downtime. The hardest part of this stop was getting all the stuff that needed to be refrigerated to fit in the cooler, but we managed and were back on the road in short order.
Hey, is it just me or do the traffic signals in Las Vegas seem to take a long time to change?
We’ve used Las Vegas several time as our entry point for Utah and Arizona, but this was our first time heading west out of town. Going east on I-15 is not that pretty of a drive until entering Arizona, so honestly we were not expecting much going the other direction. However, we were pleasantly surprised as the landscape along route 160 was very nice with interesting color in the rocks and there was some variety as we climbed up and over the mountains. Other than a little road construction the drive was easy and we were driving through Pahrump before we knew it. We drove through town to reach Belle Vista Road then turned west toward Death Valley.
We stayed at the Homewood Suites (review) which was just a short walk away from the rental car terminal which works out well particularly now that I have to swap vehicles in the morning. Last time we used Las Vegas as our entry point we also arrived in the evening but a little later, so I just waited until the following morning and walked over for the car. That worked very well. This trip we were a little earlier so it was nice to have a vehicle for tonight (even if it was the wrong one) so that we could find some place to eat. We opted for the Yard House (review) in the nearby Town Square shopping mall. I reckon is was getting close to 9:00 by the time we got there and the mall was jumping. Oh, yeah, we’re in Vegas. No wonder! We were quickly seated and then greeted by our very cheerful server. He brought us a couple waters while we studied the lengthy list of beer offerings. The only thing I don’t like about Yard House is that they don’t offer “custom” beer flights. Sure they have a couple of pre-selected flights on the menu, but even the IPA flight does not include the more interesting hoppy ales. The best bet then to sample a few beers is the small size (I think it is 9 oz.) and that works pretty well. I started with the Sculpin Grapefruit IPA from Ballast Point then tried the Union Jack IPA from Firestone. Both went well with the spicy jambalaya I had for dinner but I preferred the Sculpin.
Over dinner we talked about plans for tomorrow. Of course first thing is to sort out the rental car. Then we’ll stop on the way out of town for provisions (I’ve already scoped out an Albertson’s that is conveniently located). The plan is to get on the road early, by 8:00, but we’ll see how the rental car plays into that. Lynn suggested exploring Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge on the way to the Death Valley then we’ll just see how the timing works out for the stops in the park. Seems reasonable to me. After dinner we just went back to the hotel and crashed. It has been a long day, but a good day.
Day 2 – Thursday, March 24 – Las Vegas to Death Valley. I was awake early as expected and just got ready for the day. I called Thrifty at 0600 but there was no one home so we went to breakfast. I did get through at 6:40 and the advice was to get there soon as they work on a first come, first served basis (I guess the whole reservation idea is lost on these folks) but they did not expect any issues as there were several SUVs due to be returned early this morning. I headed straight over and there were already a few SUVs waiting so I had a shiny red Santa Fe almost immediately and was back at the hotel by 7:00. So other than a minor inconvenience there was really no delay as Lynn was still getting ready when I returned. I went in search of the ice machine to fill the cooler; the on our floor was busted, so I marched down a flight of stairs and found one that was working. Plenty of ice now to keep our beer cold. Shoot, we were on the road at 7:30 so 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Very nice morning at 54 degrees F with blue skies with a few clouds; very comfortable. There were a couple hot air balloons floating around the mountains to the west. We watched them for a while as we drove away from Sin City.
I was concerned that the Alberston’s might be open yet (I thought their website listed 8:00 AM as their start time), but they were up and running when we arrived (I guess I read the website wrong) so in I went to buy our supplies for the next few days. They even sold beer as singles so I got a mix-and-match six pack along with a six pack of Islander IPA from Coronado Brewing (one of our favorites). I stopped by the deli and picked up an assortment of cheeses for our planned afternoon downtime. The hardest part of this stop was getting all the stuff that needed to be refrigerated to fit in the cooler, but we managed and were back on the road in short order.
Hey, is it just me or do the traffic signals in Las Vegas seem to take a long time to change?
We’ve used Las Vegas several time as our entry point for Utah and Arizona, but this was our first time heading west out of town. Going east on I-15 is not that pretty of a drive until entering Arizona, so honestly we were not expecting much going the other direction. However, we were pleasantly surprised as the landscape along route 160 was very nice with interesting color in the rocks and there was some variety as we climbed up and over the mountains. Other than a little road construction the drive was easy and we were driving through Pahrump before we knew it. We drove through town to reach Belle Vista Road then turned west toward Death Valley.
We pulled on the dirt road leading into the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge just before 10:00. We stopped at the entrance sign for the customary passport photo and to look at the information on the little kiosk. Looks like there are several areas that we could explore including the visitor center. We decided to start with the visitor center in order to get a better handle on the highlights since we figured we would have limited time here. That turned out to be a good strategy.
The roads in the refuge are all dirt and gravel but well maintained so there was no issue getting around. As we were driving to the visitor center we were looking for animals and saw a few "gone birds." We also spotted some mining operations which are on private lands within the boundary of the refuge; interesting green ore around these mining areas. The visitor center is located about in the center of the refuge. It is not large but it is set up very nicely. The parking lot has a covered area, sort of a big car port. Lynn noticed that it is really the support for the solar panels but the dual purpose of providing shade for the parked cars is a nice bonus. But that was not a big issue today as the temperature when we arrived was 57 F, still under blue skies with streaks of white clouds for added interest. There were only two or three other cars in the lot so no crowds to worry about.
Inside we were greeted by a very friendly staff person, who we also found to be extremely knowledgeable about the refuge. She was helping another couple but took the time to say hello when we entered. She was giving the other couple the rundown on the highlights of the park, so I just listened in to get the scoop. She suggested starting with the video showing here at the visitor center which provides and overview of the refuge including some history and information on the pupfish, the stars are the area. Next was the walk along the boardwalk to see Crystal Springs and the area behind the visitor center. She pointed out four other areas to view: Rogers Spring, Longstreet Spring and cabin, Devil’s Hole and Point of Rocks Springs. Each of the springs were home to the energetic little pupfish. Some of these sites were right off the road while short walks were required for others. Her favorite of spot in the refuge was the Devils Hole, which is actually a detachment of Death Valley National Park. Lynn asked about the mining operations that we saw in the are and the green rocks. As it happens the green rock is the ore that is being mined, Zeolite. It is used for a number of purposes, particularly in agriculture, but is also an ingredient in kitty litter. How's that for a random factoid.
OK, we’re here so let’s take in the full experience. We started with the video which was indeed worth watching as it provided good background on the area, the history of the refuge, and an introduction to the pupfish. The video described how human activities in the area had a huge negative impact and nearly destroyed the area. Wetlands were drained and the area was mined for peat. Then a developer came along with plans to take advantage of the springs by building a town here that would have included hundreds of homes, shopping, casinos…the works. Fortunately that got turned off. Conservationists purchased the land from the developers and then donated for use as the wildlife refuge. The pupfish that live in the springs, and nowhere else, were saved from extinction through this transaction. There are at least 27 species of plants and animals endemic to Ash Meadows, that is they exist here and nowhere else on the planet. There were several snails and bugs on the list, as well as desert plants and flowers, but we did see at least one of the species, the little Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish.
After watching the video and taking a quick tour through the exhibits in the visitor center we grabbed our hats from the car and headed out to the boardwalk (this is a completely exposed area, so a little cover is needed, thus the hats). The boardwalk is about a mile and runs to Crystal Spring and along the creek. It provides a very good very platform for seeing the little pupfish. We saw a few birds along the walk as well, including a Phainopepla. The color of the spring reminded me of some of the thermal springs in Yellowstone. The springs here at Ash Meadows are amazingly clear and quite beautiful and as mentioned provide the habitat for the small, endangered pupfish. There was a very good interpretive sign along the boardwalk that described how these springs were formed. The desert extends in all directions from the boardwalk, affording some interesting views of the area. The sky was a brilliant blue which provided a stark contrast to the brown and tan of the landscape but the dots of greens from the desert shrubs and splashes of white in the sky added interest and made for some nice panoramic views.
The roads in the refuge are all dirt and gravel but well maintained so there was no issue getting around. As we were driving to the visitor center we were looking for animals and saw a few "gone birds." We also spotted some mining operations which are on private lands within the boundary of the refuge; interesting green ore around these mining areas. The visitor center is located about in the center of the refuge. It is not large but it is set up very nicely. The parking lot has a covered area, sort of a big car port. Lynn noticed that it is really the support for the solar panels but the dual purpose of providing shade for the parked cars is a nice bonus. But that was not a big issue today as the temperature when we arrived was 57 F, still under blue skies with streaks of white clouds for added interest. There were only two or three other cars in the lot so no crowds to worry about.
Inside we were greeted by a very friendly staff person, who we also found to be extremely knowledgeable about the refuge. She was helping another couple but took the time to say hello when we entered. She was giving the other couple the rundown on the highlights of the park, so I just listened in to get the scoop. She suggested starting with the video showing here at the visitor center which provides and overview of the refuge including some history and information on the pupfish, the stars are the area. Next was the walk along the boardwalk to see Crystal Springs and the area behind the visitor center. She pointed out four other areas to view: Rogers Spring, Longstreet Spring and cabin, Devil’s Hole and Point of Rocks Springs. Each of the springs were home to the energetic little pupfish. Some of these sites were right off the road while short walks were required for others. Her favorite of spot in the refuge was the Devils Hole, which is actually a detachment of Death Valley National Park. Lynn asked about the mining operations that we saw in the are and the green rocks. As it happens the green rock is the ore that is being mined, Zeolite. It is used for a number of purposes, particularly in agriculture, but is also an ingredient in kitty litter. How's that for a random factoid.
OK, we’re here so let’s take in the full experience. We started with the video which was indeed worth watching as it provided good background on the area, the history of the refuge, and an introduction to the pupfish. The video described how human activities in the area had a huge negative impact and nearly destroyed the area. Wetlands were drained and the area was mined for peat. Then a developer came along with plans to take advantage of the springs by building a town here that would have included hundreds of homes, shopping, casinos…the works. Fortunately that got turned off. Conservationists purchased the land from the developers and then donated for use as the wildlife refuge. The pupfish that live in the springs, and nowhere else, were saved from extinction through this transaction. There are at least 27 species of plants and animals endemic to Ash Meadows, that is they exist here and nowhere else on the planet. There were several snails and bugs on the list, as well as desert plants and flowers, but we did see at least one of the species, the little Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish.
After watching the video and taking a quick tour through the exhibits in the visitor center we grabbed our hats from the car and headed out to the boardwalk (this is a completely exposed area, so a little cover is needed, thus the hats). The boardwalk is about a mile and runs to Crystal Spring and along the creek. It provides a very good very platform for seeing the little pupfish. We saw a few birds along the walk as well, including a Phainopepla. The color of the spring reminded me of some of the thermal springs in Yellowstone. The springs here at Ash Meadows are amazingly clear and quite beautiful and as mentioned provide the habitat for the small, endangered pupfish. There was a very good interpretive sign along the boardwalk that described how these springs were formed. The desert extends in all directions from the boardwalk, affording some interesting views of the area. The sky was a brilliant blue which provided a stark contrast to the brown and tan of the landscape but the dots of greens from the desert shrubs and splashes of white in the sky added interest and made for some nice panoramic views.
We had a pleasant stroll and only had to share the space with a handful of other folks. By the time we made it back to the visitor center there were three van loads of students pouring out on to the boardwalk along with several other tourists. It was time to move along.
We decided to follow the advice collected at the visitor center and hit the suggested points. Who knows when we’ll be here again so we might as well see at least the highlights. We went north from the visitor center, bouncing lightly along the graded gravel roads. Not much in the way of traffic; I think we saw one or two other vehicles along this stretch. We drove up to Rogers Spring, which is just a few yards from the parking area (less than a tenth of a mile roundtrip). Much smaller then Crystal Spring but still pretty and it had its own colony of pupfish as well. We lingered here only a few minutes then retraced the road back to the Longstreet cabin and spring. There is a decent size parking lot here plus a restroom, but we had the area all to ourselves. A boardwalk guided us to the cabin and spring, and easy 0.1 miles from the parking area. There is a sign at the parking area with a poem about the man who built the little cabin, Jack Longstreet. The Ash Meadows website also has a little information about this old west character, but there is not much known about him other than he was a gambler, prospector and gunman with the cliché notches on the grip of pistol to tally the men he had killed. He built the cabin next to the spring in 1896. Longstreeet made a small fortune by selling the property and the water rights in 1907 for the kingly price of $30,000. The cabin has been restored. The boardwalk provides a nice view of the spring which is in a very pretty setting.
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Our next stop was the Devils Hole which as mentioned is administered by the National Parks Service and is part of Death Valley National Park. There were a few more cars at the parking lot for this intriguing natural wonder. The trail to the viewing platform is 0.15 miles and works downhill slightly across the desert then back up at the base of the hill to the viewing platform. While this is a very interesting feature, there is not much to actually see other than peering into the hole from the viewing deck (although in fairness, the Ash Meadows website does state this point). The depth of Devils Hole is unknown but has been mapped to 500 feet. It is home to the smallest of the pupfish, the aptly named Devils Hole pupfish. A fact that speaks to the complexity of our planet is that within minutes of an earthquake anywhere in the world waves as high as 6 feet have been observed in the Devils Hole. Fascinating, Captain. We also walked around and up the hill to the second opening, but again there is not much to see in the hole, but it did afford a little walk through the desert which was in bloom when we visited.
Our final stop in Ash Meadows was at the Point of Rocks. This is another easy walk along a boardwalk that runs closer to the base of the hills, along a creek and next to the springs, so another great opportunity for seeing the little pupfish. We saw many of these little guys but I could not get a good photo, mostly just little blue, green or brown smudges. But we watched them at each of our stops and they were very evident and very active. The blue males were busy defending their turf. Again very nice views from the boardwalk in all directions. This was probably the nicest overall setting that we visited in Ash Meadows. There is a picnic pavilion at the trailhead and much of the boardwalk is shaded. It is only a half-mile lollipop route. We spent about 30 minutes here just enjoying the setting and watching the little fish. Back at the trailhead we had a quick snack, but then it was time to move on. We made a couple quick stops along the access road for photo ops of the flowers and desert views as we exited Ash Meadows. The day was getting warmer but it was still only 67 F but still under blue skies with high, white clouds. We spent 4 hours in the refuge and it was well worth the time. Here's the link to the photo gallery from our time at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. (review). I also tracked these short walks using the Ramblr app on my phone; here's the collection of tracks.
The drive into Death Valley was quite nice. There was some road work just west of Ash Meadows, but no real delays. The desert along this stretch of road was simply blanketed with flowers. The yellow flowers were thick here and stretched in all directions. An amazing display. Due to the construction and the number of other cars pulled off the road we decided just to enjoy the scene and forego the photo op. We figured there would be more scenes like this in the park and maybe we could catch this view on the return trip. We drove through the little burg of Death Valley Junction. Ah, there’s the Opera House. We kept rolling; the pull of the park had us now.
Our final stop in Ash Meadows was at the Point of Rocks. This is another easy walk along a boardwalk that runs closer to the base of the hills, along a creek and next to the springs, so another great opportunity for seeing the little pupfish. We saw many of these little guys but I could not get a good photo, mostly just little blue, green or brown smudges. But we watched them at each of our stops and they were very evident and very active. The blue males were busy defending their turf. Again very nice views from the boardwalk in all directions. This was probably the nicest overall setting that we visited in Ash Meadows. There is a picnic pavilion at the trailhead and much of the boardwalk is shaded. It is only a half-mile lollipop route. We spent about 30 minutes here just enjoying the setting and watching the little fish. Back at the trailhead we had a quick snack, but then it was time to move on. We made a couple quick stops along the access road for photo ops of the flowers and desert views as we exited Ash Meadows. The day was getting warmer but it was still only 67 F but still under blue skies with high, white clouds. We spent 4 hours in the refuge and it was well worth the time. Here's the link to the photo gallery from our time at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. (review). I also tracked these short walks using the Ramblr app on my phone; here's the collection of tracks.
The drive into Death Valley was quite nice. There was some road work just west of Ash Meadows, but no real delays. The desert along this stretch of road was simply blanketed with flowers. The yellow flowers were thick here and stretched in all directions. An amazing display. Due to the construction and the number of other cars pulled off the road we decided just to enjoy the scene and forego the photo op. We figured there would be more scenes like this in the park and maybe we could catch this view on the return trip. We drove through the little burg of Death Valley Junction. Ah, there’s the Opera House. We kept rolling; the pull of the park had us now.
At 2:20 we pulled into the parking area around the Death Park National Park sign. Like many visitors, I like to get that “passport stamp” of the welcome sign to the parks. Now it is official, we are in Death Valley National Park. The view to off to the right of the sign provided a good look into the geology of the area. Now that we’re at mid-afternoon we decided to just get the lay of the land and head straight to Furnace Creek; we’ll save Dante's View, 20 Mule Team Canyon and Zabriskie Point until later. We stopped at the kiosk to buy our entry ticket, but there was no option to get an annual pass here. I went ahead and paid the entry with the plan of making the Visitor Center our next stop so that we could sort out the pass. On the drive to Furnace Creek we noted the road to Dante's View and the other sites that we wanted to check out. These would be easy enough to see later today or even when we were exiting the park (see, the initial plan is morphing again!).
This was a lovely drive. Both Lynn and I commented that we were not sure what to expect but that colors in the rock surpassed our expectations. We were going downhill basically from the time we entered the park it seemed. Hey, we’ve got to below sea level! The color in the rocks was astounding and just got better with every mile. We could now see the Inn at Furnace Creek coming up and as we made the bend in the road the valley and Furnace Creek opened up before us. Pretty cool. Just past the Inn and the junction with the Badwater Road was a very interesting green and white road sign that read “Sea Level.” Now that’s just sort of of an odd feeling to know that you have crossed the level of the ocean and the road before is still going substantially downhill and there is no big body of water anywhere in sight. Continuing on down the hill to Furnace Creek the next sign read “100 Feet Below Sea Level.” OK, now you’re just showing off!
We drove slowly through the Furnace Creek area, a lush, green plot of land out in the harsh desert. The Visitor Center was our first stop and it was hopping! Fortunately we spotted a car backing out of a parking spot as the lot was really jammed. It was a lot warmer down here in the valley at 85 F, but it felt good. Once inside, I queued up for a park pass. That was the shorter of the lines. The information line was a dozen people deep. Just a short wait to get my annual pass and sign the form to show the credit for the park pass I purchased at the kiosk. We looked around the shop for a minute then went over to see if we could check in a little early at the Ranch.
We drove slowly through the Furnace Creek area, a lush, green plot of land out in the harsh desert. The Visitor Center was our first stop and it was hopping! Fortunately we spotted a car backing out of a parking spot as the lot was really jammed. It was a lot warmer down here in the valley at 85 F, but it felt good. Once inside, I queued up for a park pass. That was the shorter of the lines. The information line was a dozen people deep. Just a short wait to get my annual pass and sign the form to show the credit for the park pass I purchased at the kiosk. We looked around the shop for a minute then went over to see if we could check in a little early at the Ranch.
Our timing was good as there was no one in line at the registration building. I opted for an upstairs room even though we would have to lug our gear of the stairs (only one floor so it can’t be that bad), figuring that a balcony would provide a better view and more privacy than a lower level patio. The lady at the desk said she was giving us a room in the back of the property overlooking the golf course where it should be nice and quiet. Bonus! We wove our way along the road from registration past the restaurants, lodge buildings and other amenities at the Ranch. The parking lot by building 900 was nearly empty at this time of day (that’s good; folks should be out exploring the park!). We grabbed a load of gear and headed to our room (926). Bummer, the key doesn’t work. Luckily one of the maintenance staff was walking by and let us in. I got the rest of our stuff from the Santa Fe then marched back to the front to get rekeyed while Lynn got things organized in the room.
This little hike gave me an opportunity to see the see what was what here at the Ranch. An interesting point about the Ranch at Furnace Creek is that the land and facilities are not part of the National Park. This is all owned by Xanterra. It was originally built by the Fred Harvey Company. As I was walking from our lodge building I noted the stables down at the end of our parking lot, the golf course behind our building then further along the meandering sidewalk was a very nice pool complex, basketball and tennis courts, and lawn and patio areas to hang out in, complete with fire pits. It put me in mind of the old resorts that were so popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Remember “Dirty Dancing”? That kind of facility. It was very nice, and I’m certain of great value for families with kids, but I was pretty sure that we would not be taking advantage of any of it (well maybe the golf course) as we came here for the natural wonders of the park.
After I got the keys squared away (a short wait at registration this trip), it was right at 4:00 and time for a little downtime with a beer on the balcony. We decided to try one of the mixed six-pack selections purchased in Las Vegas, the Ghostrider white IPA from Wasatch brewing, a Utah beer. Seems appropriate since we take so many trips to Utah. We got a chuckle out of the suggested food pairing listed on the back of the bottle, squirrel over an open fire. Sounds tasty, actually. The balcony was plenty big enough for the two of us to enjoy and came equipment with rocking chairs and little table. Yep, I can see spending our late afternoons here relaxing after exploring the park in the morning. Nice and shady on this side of the building plus a nice view, to the west over the golf course to the Panamints and to the east the ridge that overlooks this little oasis.
We started walking toward dinner about a little after 4:30, figuring that would give us time to check out the options and still beat the rush. We walked through the outdoor exhibits at the Borax Mining Museum but the museum building was closed at the moment. We’ll see it later in the weekend, I’m sure. We stopped by the general store as we’ll need to restock at some point. There’s a decent selection of just about everything one might need while exploring the park, including a couple of good IPAs and a couple other local offerings.
This little hike gave me an opportunity to see the see what was what here at the Ranch. An interesting point about the Ranch at Furnace Creek is that the land and facilities are not part of the National Park. This is all owned by Xanterra. It was originally built by the Fred Harvey Company. As I was walking from our lodge building I noted the stables down at the end of our parking lot, the golf course behind our building then further along the meandering sidewalk was a very nice pool complex, basketball and tennis courts, and lawn and patio areas to hang out in, complete with fire pits. It put me in mind of the old resorts that were so popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Remember “Dirty Dancing”? That kind of facility. It was very nice, and I’m certain of great value for families with kids, but I was pretty sure that we would not be taking advantage of any of it (well maybe the golf course) as we came here for the natural wonders of the park.
After I got the keys squared away (a short wait at registration this trip), it was right at 4:00 and time for a little downtime with a beer on the balcony. We decided to try one of the mixed six-pack selections purchased in Las Vegas, the Ghostrider white IPA from Wasatch brewing, a Utah beer. Seems appropriate since we take so many trips to Utah. We got a chuckle out of the suggested food pairing listed on the back of the bottle, squirrel over an open fire. Sounds tasty, actually. The balcony was plenty big enough for the two of us to enjoy and came equipment with rocking chairs and little table. Yep, I can see spending our late afternoons here relaxing after exploring the park in the morning. Nice and shady on this side of the building plus a nice view, to the west over the golf course to the Panamints and to the east the ridge that overlooks this little oasis.
We started walking toward dinner about a little after 4:30, figuring that would give us time to check out the options and still beat the rush. We walked through the outdoor exhibits at the Borax Mining Museum but the museum building was closed at the moment. We’ll see it later in the weekend, I’m sure. We stopped by the general store as we’ll need to restock at some point. There’s a decent selection of just about everything one might need while exploring the park, including a couple of good IPAs and a couple other local offerings.
We walked the old west wooden walkway along restaurant row, checking the options. Lynn was thinking that we should start with the steakhouse. Fine by me. We got there just when it was opening and there were only a couple other parties there so we were seated right away. The service was excellent and the server was very happy to answer questions and make suggestions. I think we both ordered the filet, baked potato and mixed veggies. I had the Badwater Ale from Indian Wells Brewing. It is a blonde ale so I was not expecting too much in the way of flavor and I was not disappointed. Still it was cold and not a bad combination with the steak. Overall it was a pretty good meal. (review)
Over dinner we talked about plans for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Will head down the Badwater Road in the morning with the hike up Golden Canyon and back via Gower Gulch being first on the itinerary then we’ll hit Badwater and Artist Drive and also look for the bloom which is supposed to be still nice further south in the valley. For tonight I suggested a drive back to Zabriskie Point for sunset since it not too far.
We arrived at Zabriskie Point about 6:30 with the sun just still above the Panamints. The lot was getting full. This is obviously a popular spot for sunset. We started up the paved trail, enjoying the views on all directions. The clouds were already showing some color but the golden glow on the Funeral Mountains to the east was the star of the show at the moment. I stopped a couple of times to take in the colors to the east.
Over dinner we talked about plans for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Will head down the Badwater Road in the morning with the hike up Golden Canyon and back via Gower Gulch being first on the itinerary then we’ll hit Badwater and Artist Drive and also look for the bloom which is supposed to be still nice further south in the valley. For tonight I suggested a drive back to Zabriskie Point for sunset since it not too far.
We arrived at Zabriskie Point about 6:30 with the sun just still above the Panamints. The lot was getting full. This is obviously a popular spot for sunset. We started up the paved trail, enjoying the views on all directions. The clouds were already showing some color but the golden glow on the Funeral Mountains to the east was the star of the show at the moment. I stopped a couple of times to take in the colors to the east.
At the top of the short uphill trail there was plenty of room for everyone to enjoy the developing light show. Most folks were arrayed along the low stone wall that faces west but a few went into the sandstone hills to find a vantage point. The light was bathing the Funeral Mountains in gold but the bare ridges of the Badlands to the south of the view point were also getting some nice light as well. We were also watching the as the sun sank behind the mountains to the west; the colors in the clouds changing from yellow to orange to pink and red. It was quite the sight. I remembered reading that clouds are not frequent in Death Valley so I’m sure the photographers lining the view point and along the ridges were very appreciative. I know I was. Here's the link to the rest of the photos from Zabriskie Point.
We stayed until we had lost most of the light then started back down the trail. I was now watching the tourists as they were taking selfies or portraits of stuffed animals. I tried to get a few candid shots but the light was not that good. A lady passerby asked if I was taking people photos. Turns out she was a photographic art historian (or something along those lines) and likes to talk to photographers. I told her I just take pictures and sometimes get lucky with a nice image. She had been watching the photographers earlier who had been out on the edge of the Badlands trying to recapture some famous images of the area. As we were chatting I turned around for one more glance at the western sky. The light show was still going with the pink shades in the clouds giving way to the dark purple of the approaching night sky. Brilliant.
We left the parking lot about 7:25 and were shortly back at the Ranch, out on the balcony, beer in hand. A great finish to our introductory day in Death Valley. The sky was still in twilight but the stars were already starting to show through. I went out behind the lodge building about 8:20 to check the stars from the relative darkness on the golf course. Looking straight up was excellent but there was still too much ambient light here at the resort to get the horizon-to-horizon blanket of stars or to discern the Milky Way. But it was still a glorious sight starring up into the heavens.
Day 3 – Friday, March 25 – Exploring along the Badwater Road. We were up early locally at 5:15, but that’s really sleeping in on eastern time. Quick breakfast of a banana nut muffin and tangerine juice from our Albertsons supplies then we were heading out the door at 7:15 heading toward the Badwater Road. We took in the view from the golf course of the morning light on the Panamints before loading into the Santa Fe. The parking lot at building 900 was packed so not many other folks were on the road yet.
It was a beautiful morning. Almost crisp. The sky was bright blue with some light wispy clouds and the temperature was in the mid-50s. Extremely pleasant. Great weather for a hike and that’s just how we plan to start this day, starting at the Golden Canyon Trailhead.
When decided to visit Death Valley, I started researching the hiking trails, using a variety of resources. The National Parks Service website is always a good starting point but that site usually does not provide a lot of detail on the trails. Trip Advisor also provides good general ideas and rankings of hikes. I never really found a good hiking website on Death Valley, but I did find a very good book, Hiking Death Valley by Michel Digonnet. This book was recommended by Pudgy_Groundhog, a regular on the National Park forums on Trip Advisor, although in this case I pulled the recommendation from one of her posts on the Photography-on-the.Net forums. Hiking Death Valley is a very good reference as it provides detailed descriptions of the hikes along with background information on the geology and history seen along each trail. It is also a very organized book. I also looked at the Falcon guide for hiking in Death Valley which was a good compliment to Diggonnet’s book, and while it did not contain all the additional information on history and science, it was smaller and weighed a lot less in case I wanted to carry a book for on the trail reference (I did not). Between these resources and looking at the #Hike Death Valley sticker requirements, I was able to pick out a few hikes that looked like they would provide a good overview of the park. The Golden Canyon – Badlands – Gower Gulch Loop was sort of a no-brainer to hike as it was highly recommended in all of the resources I used. Besides, it is also worth multiple points toward the hiking sticker. And I had learned that some scenes for Star Wars were filmed in Golden Canyon, so it has a nerdy cool factor going for it (more on Star Wars later). The clincher was the sign at the trailhead that mapped out all three trails and just made it seem like the way to go.
The short story is that the hike absolutely lived up to the billing. In fact I told Lynn as we were making our way down Gower Gulch that this could end up breaking into my top ten list for National Park day hikes. It was just that much fun and provided such variety in terms of scenery and geology.
We pulled into the parking area at the Golden Canyon trailhead at 7:40. There were maybe four other cars there when we arrived and a couple more pulled in while we were getting our gear in order, so not crowded at all. I reckon this will be the lowest starting point that we have had for a hike as the trailhead is about 140 feet BELOW sea level. The view from the parking lot out over the valley was lovely particularly with the morning light on the Panamints off in the distance. It did not take us long to get our packs in order and start up the canyon.
We left the parking lot about 7:25 and were shortly back at the Ranch, out on the balcony, beer in hand. A great finish to our introductory day in Death Valley. The sky was still in twilight but the stars were already starting to show through. I went out behind the lodge building about 8:20 to check the stars from the relative darkness on the golf course. Looking straight up was excellent but there was still too much ambient light here at the resort to get the horizon-to-horizon blanket of stars or to discern the Milky Way. But it was still a glorious sight starring up into the heavens.
Day 3 – Friday, March 25 – Exploring along the Badwater Road. We were up early locally at 5:15, but that’s really sleeping in on eastern time. Quick breakfast of a banana nut muffin and tangerine juice from our Albertsons supplies then we were heading out the door at 7:15 heading toward the Badwater Road. We took in the view from the golf course of the morning light on the Panamints before loading into the Santa Fe. The parking lot at building 900 was packed so not many other folks were on the road yet.
It was a beautiful morning. Almost crisp. The sky was bright blue with some light wispy clouds and the temperature was in the mid-50s. Extremely pleasant. Great weather for a hike and that’s just how we plan to start this day, starting at the Golden Canyon Trailhead.
When decided to visit Death Valley, I started researching the hiking trails, using a variety of resources. The National Parks Service website is always a good starting point but that site usually does not provide a lot of detail on the trails. Trip Advisor also provides good general ideas and rankings of hikes. I never really found a good hiking website on Death Valley, but I did find a very good book, Hiking Death Valley by Michel Digonnet. This book was recommended by Pudgy_Groundhog, a regular on the National Park forums on Trip Advisor, although in this case I pulled the recommendation from one of her posts on the Photography-on-the.Net forums. Hiking Death Valley is a very good reference as it provides detailed descriptions of the hikes along with background information on the geology and history seen along each trail. It is also a very organized book. I also looked at the Falcon guide for hiking in Death Valley which was a good compliment to Diggonnet’s book, and while it did not contain all the additional information on history and science, it was smaller and weighed a lot less in case I wanted to carry a book for on the trail reference (I did not). Between these resources and looking at the #Hike Death Valley sticker requirements, I was able to pick out a few hikes that looked like they would provide a good overview of the park. The Golden Canyon – Badlands – Gower Gulch Loop was sort of a no-brainer to hike as it was highly recommended in all of the resources I used. Besides, it is also worth multiple points toward the hiking sticker. And I had learned that some scenes for Star Wars were filmed in Golden Canyon, so it has a nerdy cool factor going for it (more on Star Wars later). The clincher was the sign at the trailhead that mapped out all three trails and just made it seem like the way to go.
The short story is that the hike absolutely lived up to the billing. In fact I told Lynn as we were making our way down Gower Gulch that this could end up breaking into my top ten list for National Park day hikes. It was just that much fun and provided such variety in terms of scenery and geology.
We pulled into the parking area at the Golden Canyon trailhead at 7:40. There were maybe four other cars there when we arrived and a couple more pulled in while we were getting our gear in order, so not crowded at all. I reckon this will be the lowest starting point that we have had for a hike as the trailhead is about 140 feet BELOW sea level. The view from the parking lot out over the valley was lovely particularly with the morning light on the Panamints off in the distance. It did not take us long to get our packs in order and start up the canyon.
Golden Canyon is almost a nature walk, pretty easy with the views being from the floor of the canyon up to the walls. By itself I’m not sure that Golden Canyon would be a great hike, but then again it is pretty and relatively short so just doing it as an out-and-back would not take much time and would still be worthwhile. However when combined into the loop with Badlands and Gower Gulch, well, it then takes on a whole new vibe and becomes a really amazing hike.
Actually, Golden Canyon is very pretty, particularly in the morning as the sunlight works its way down the canyon walls and does give the rocks a golden glow (thus the name, right?). From the point that we entered the canyon the trail runs gradually, almost imperceptively, uphill. It was an easy trail to walk for the most part as we could usually walk on a hard packed surface with occasional patches of gravel in the wash. Early in the hike while still in the narrows we passed a couple of sections of the old road surface that I had read about during my research for the trip. I explained to Lynn that these were the remains of the road that used to run through the canyon until it was washed out during a flood in 1976. The canyon got wider the further in and up we hiked, allowing for better views. We found a few of the numbered markers that were supposed to identify points of interest in the canyon but missed most of them, but since we did not have a key to the numbers it really didn’t matter. No worries as we were just happy to enjoy the peace of the morning and the beauty of the area.
Somewhere along this stretch of the trail George Lucas and company used Golden Canyon as a canyon on the distant planet of Tatooine (you know, "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…."). The scenes shot here were when R2D2 was captured by the Jawas. I discovered this tidbit during the pre-trip research but there was no definite information on the exact spots in the canyon where the scenes were shot. After our trip I found a website put together by a Death Valley and Star Wars fan that lists all the filming locations that he and his friends have found, including here in Golden Canyon. We actually stumbled on to a few of them without trying and were close to others. It might be fun to try and track them all down on a future trip. I’ll also bookmark the website for hiking information for the next trip; it looks to be pretty useful.
When we reached the end of Golden Canyon we continued up the trail that branched to the left toward Red Cathedral. Great views along this stretch as we were looking up at the fudge ripple striped rocks flanking the canyon as we walked toward the dark ochre wall of Red Cathedral. The colors in the rock are simply amazing. There are areas with very sharply contrasting layers of yellows and dark browns but also more subtle hues of pinks, purple, green and grey thrown in for good measure. The colors, texture and contours truly make for a photographer paradise, not to mention a mesmerizing hike.
Somewhere along this stretch of the trail George Lucas and company used Golden Canyon as a canyon on the distant planet of Tatooine (you know, "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…."). The scenes shot here were when R2D2 was captured by the Jawas. I discovered this tidbit during the pre-trip research but there was no definite information on the exact spots in the canyon where the scenes were shot. After our trip I found a website put together by a Death Valley and Star Wars fan that lists all the filming locations that he and his friends have found, including here in Golden Canyon. We actually stumbled on to a few of them without trying and were close to others. It might be fun to try and track them all down on a future trip. I’ll also bookmark the website for hiking information for the next trip; it looks to be pretty useful.
When we reached the end of Golden Canyon we continued up the trail that branched to the left toward Red Cathedral. Great views along this stretch as we were looking up at the fudge ripple striped rocks flanking the canyon as we walked toward the dark ochre wall of Red Cathedral. The colors in the rock are simply amazing. There are areas with very sharply contrasting layers of yellows and dark browns but also more subtle hues of pinks, purple, green and grey thrown in for good measure. The colors, texture and contours truly make for a photographer paradise, not to mention a mesmerizing hike.
In addition to the geologic wonders along the trail toward Red Cathedral we also found the best examples of wildflowers in the canyon. Nothing crazy, not the vast carpet of gold of the superbloom but some nice clumps of purple and yellow flowers clinging to the gravel in the wash.
Rather than returning to the trailhead by retracing our path back down Golden Canyon we hung a left onto the connecting trail that continued gaining elevation as it worked along the base of Manly Beacon. This is where the hike started to get really interesting, fun and more challenging. Where the trail through Golden Canyon was a very gradual climb, this section was severely uphill and gave us a bit of a workout. But the effort paid off as the higher we got the better the views of the surrounding formations and the mountains off across the valley. These vistas were some of the best landscape shots of the trip.
We also got a bit more solitude along this section of the trail. While there were several hikers working their way up and down Golden Canyon, we only saw three other hikers on the traverse below Manly Beacon, an older couple that we passed just beyond the connection at Golden Canyon and a young lady who we had leap-frogged a couple of times earlier. She passed us for the final time just below Manly Beacon as I was just having too much fun with the camera at this point. There were wonderful images everywhere from wide panoramics or more narrow shots that honed in on the contours and textures, or the shadow and light of specific areas of the rock formations. It was quite the photographers and I bet geologists delight. At the high point of this section of the trail we were provided a view over the variety of rocks was simply amazing starting with the frozen and stark sandstone dunes of the badlands on the left and stretching back around to the brightly striped hills and Red Cathedral on the right all with the Panamints as an awesome backdrop.
Rather than returning to the trailhead by retracing our path back down Golden Canyon we hung a left onto the connecting trail that continued gaining elevation as it worked along the base of Manly Beacon. This is where the hike started to get really interesting, fun and more challenging. Where the trail through Golden Canyon was a very gradual climb, this section was severely uphill and gave us a bit of a workout. But the effort paid off as the higher we got the better the views of the surrounding formations and the mountains off across the valley. These vistas were some of the best landscape shots of the trip.
We also got a bit more solitude along this section of the trail. While there were several hikers working their way up and down Golden Canyon, we only saw three other hikers on the traverse below Manly Beacon, an older couple that we passed just beyond the connection at Golden Canyon and a young lady who we had leap-frogged a couple of times earlier. She passed us for the final time just below Manly Beacon as I was just having too much fun with the camera at this point. There were wonderful images everywhere from wide panoramics or more narrow shots that honed in on the contours and textures, or the shadow and light of specific areas of the rock formations. It was quite the photographers and I bet geologists delight. At the high point of this section of the trail we were provided a view over the variety of rocks was simply amazing starting with the frozen and stark sandstone dunes of the badlands on the left and stretching back around to the brightly striped hills and Red Cathedral on the right all with the Panamints as an awesome backdrop.
Lynn was not fully on board with adding the Badlands Loop to the itinerary as the original plan was to hike up Golden Canyon then back down Gower Gulch. But she agreed to consider it; we’ll wait and see what we feel like when we get to that point was her position. But she had been enjoying the hike as much as me when we reached the junction point and when I showed her that adding that section did not make that big of a difference in the length of the hike, she was all for it. Glad we decided to include the Badlands section of the trail as it was a very nice addition.
The landscape along the trial continued to change as we made a turn north toward Zabriskie Point. The only downside to adding in the Badlands part of the trail was the uphill portion of the trail at this point. But that little exertion was more than compensated for by the wonderful views in all directions as we climbed up the ridge. The colors in the rocks were subtle but varied: ribbons of white, yellow, brown, pink and orange. Just an amazing variety of hues. There was also quite the variety of people in this area as well as we passed a number of hikers coming down the trail from Zabriskie Point, including a couple of trail runners from Europe. We exchanged pleasantries as they cruised past. They were obviously enjoying themselves but I’ll stick to a slower pace so that I can better study the details of the canyon.
The landscape along the trial continued to change as we made a turn north toward Zabriskie Point. The only downside to adding in the Badlands part of the trail was the uphill portion of the trail at this point. But that little exertion was more than compensated for by the wonderful views in all directions as we climbed up the ridge. The colors in the rocks were subtle but varied: ribbons of white, yellow, brown, pink and orange. Just an amazing variety of hues. There was also quite the variety of people in this area as well as we passed a number of hikers coming down the trail from Zabriskie Point, including a couple of trail runners from Europe. We exchanged pleasantries as they cruised past. They were obviously enjoying themselves but I’ll stick to a slower pace so that I can better study the details of the canyon.
Not far after we passed the trail runners the trail started to descend through the Badlands toward Gower Gulch. It was all downhill from here, at least in terms of elevation but still great views were to be had. That’s one of the factors that really made this trail special, the variety. So many colors and textures in the rocks along every step of the trail. It seemed that each time we turned a corner on the trail that there was something new to enthrall us. The variety really rivals the rocks of the Grand Circle. Gower Gulch kept up with the pace in terms of adding interesting sights with new twists and turns. Gower had a completely different feel than Golden Canyon even though they are adjacent to each other. Gower Gulch seemed wider and less deep than Golden but Gower also had more variation in terms of width as there were a few narrows with steep falls to negotiate while Golden Canyon was basically “level” with no abrupt obstacles. Gower Gulch also sported some very interesting patches of color with green and reds along with some streaks of yellow in the strata. We also spotted a few old mine tunnels that had been dug into the cliff face above the gulch. There were social trails up to some of these old sites but we just observed from a distance.
Just as we were existing Gower Gulch where the trail turns north parallel to Badwater Road, we caught up with the older couple that we had passed on the trail heading up out of Golden Canyon. They skipped the Badlands Loop so had gotten back in front of us. They were plodding along, but they were persistent. We caught them right at a narrow section of the trail, so we just waited as they made their way along. Friendly folks, so we chatted a bit. They were Death Valley groupies and have been visiting the park for a number of years. They offered up a few suggestions for things to see and do while in the park. While they did not have any hiking suggestions (granted they were out on a nice trail this morning, but hiking was not their usual activity; seems they prefer biking) they highly recommended a drive up to Aguereberry Point to take in the view. They said they went there yesterday, the dirt road was in great shape and they had the place to themselves. They also mentioned the charcoal kilns but noted that it was really packed. They also mentioned that the road through 20 Mule Team Canyon was as smooth as they had ever seen it (they had biked it earlier in the week). More good ideas for the itinerary; always a good thing.
The only downside to the hike was the lack of animals. We did not see anything at all along the trail other than a couple of butterflies and a lizard and that was not until we were on the final stretch back to the trailhead.
Just as we were existing Gower Gulch where the trail turns north parallel to Badwater Road, we caught up with the older couple that we had passed on the trail heading up out of Golden Canyon. They skipped the Badlands Loop so had gotten back in front of us. They were plodding along, but they were persistent. We caught them right at a narrow section of the trail, so we just waited as they made their way along. Friendly folks, so we chatted a bit. They were Death Valley groupies and have been visiting the park for a number of years. They offered up a few suggestions for things to see and do while in the park. While they did not have any hiking suggestions (granted they were out on a nice trail this morning, but hiking was not their usual activity; seems they prefer biking) they highly recommended a drive up to Aguereberry Point to take in the view. They said they went there yesterday, the dirt road was in great shape and they had the place to themselves. They also mentioned the charcoal kilns but noted that it was really packed. They also mentioned that the road through 20 Mule Team Canyon was as smooth as they had ever seen it (they had biked it earlier in the week). More good ideas for the itinerary; always a good thing.
The only downside to the hike was the lack of animals. We did not see anything at all along the trail other than a couple of butterflies and a lizard and that was not until we were on the final stretch back to the trailhead.
We were back at the trailhead at 11:00, so 3:20 to cover 6.5 miles. Not bad for us. The temperature at the trailhead head risen to 78 F and increase of over 20 degrees since we started the hike. The parking lot was jammed by the time we returned to the trailhead. Folks were parking out on the road. We had a quick snack before moving on to our next adventure. Per our normal mode of operation, we tend to eat lunch on the trail. I found some really good trail mix, the dark chocolate medley from Second Nature. The dark chocolate chunks in the mix were particularly good.
The loop through Golden Canyon, the Badlands and Gower Gulch is rich with photo opportunities. I'm sure I did not do it justice! Here's the link to the gallery of images from this wonderful hike. I tracked the hike using Ramblr app on my phone. The track is shown below but the track on the Ramblr website has additional information (here's the link). (and the TA review)
The loop through Golden Canyon, the Badlands and Gower Gulch is rich with photo opportunities. I'm sure I did not do it justice! Here's the link to the gallery of images from this wonderful hike. I tracked the hike using Ramblr app on my phone. The track is shown below but the track on the Ramblr website has additional information (here's the link). (and the TA review)
After the break we drove south on Badwater Road looking for the superbloom. The NPS website showed that there was a nice area of flowers south of Badwater. This gave us an opportunity to scope out the other places we wanted to explore as we drove past (Artist Drive and Badwater Basin) figuring that we’d make those stops on the return drive. It was interesting to note that the road south of Badwater changes character a bit it seemed a little narrower with older blacktop. It was certainly not nearly as heavily traveled as the section leading to the parking area at Badwater.
The remains of the bloom were still impressive north of Badwater but those flowers were a bit past prime and were showing signs of stress. We found the more recent blooms around milepost 27 south of Badwater. We drove as far as mile post 31 (I think) then turned around as the flowers were thinning out rapidly. The flowers around mile post 27 were also a little past prime but they were still pretty and provided a nice blanket of yellow over the desert. Not thick but still thick enough to give a nice yellow haze as you looked across them off in the distance. I found a nice wide spot and pulled over to enjoy the scene. As I recall there was only one other car along this section of the road, so it was quiet and peaceful.
The remains of the bloom were still impressive north of Badwater but those flowers were a bit past prime and were showing signs of stress. We found the more recent blooms around milepost 27 south of Badwater. We drove as far as mile post 31 (I think) then turned around as the flowers were thinning out rapidly. The flowers around mile post 27 were also a little past prime but they were still pretty and provided a nice blanket of yellow over the desert. Not thick but still thick enough to give a nice yellow haze as you looked across them off in the distance. I found a nice wide spot and pulled over to enjoy the scene. As I recall there was only one other car along this section of the road, so it was quiet and peaceful.
Next stop was Badwater so that we could claim to at least be close the lowest point in elevation in the United States. Unlike the road just a few miles to the south, the parking lot at Badwater was not quiet and peaceful. In fact it was packed now at noon. We pulled in the lot and queued up for an open parking spot. Fortunately the turnover is pretty quick so we really had no wait at all for a space to store the Santa Fe. I was toying with the idea of finding the actual lowest point in the basin. I had the coordinates plugged into the GPS but Lynn figured we were close enough for government work so we just walked out in the salt flat a short distance just to say we had been there. It was hot out there on all that white, reflective ground! The temperature was about 85 F but it seemed a lot higher than that! The “Sea Level” sign up on hill overlooking Badwater provides a nice gage to the elevation. I tracked this short walk on Ramblr, just for completeness.
The cars were still rolling into the parking when we returned so we hurried to get in gear to make room for the next load of tourists. We continued back north on Badwater Road to our next destination. We marked the location of the access roads for Natural Bridge and the Devils Golf Course but opted to save those two features for another time. Our next detour was along Artists Drive. And a lovely drive it is. It is really just a very scenic cruise. The colors in the rocks were unbelievable. We only stopped at Artists Palette but it was so worth stopping. As amazing as the colors have been today, well, this was something special. Granted it is a relative small area, but boy does it pack a punch. There is a rainbow of colors in the rock right in front of us. It is almost overpowering. Shades of purple and yellow dominate the landscape stretching out before us, but there are stripes of while, splotches of crimson and patches of turquoise. Yes, turquoise. I’m not making this up. It is simply amazing. Then throw in the deep blue sky and the white, wispy clouds….I’m glad the batteries on my camera were fully charged!
We lingered just long enough to take in the beauty of the area and then continued on around the drive. The road changes character after Artists Palette. Up to this point it was generally uphill with sweeping curves and a couple of swells, but now we are heading back downhill, through tightly packed hills with tighter turns. This was a most interesting drive. One that I will hopefully get to do again.
We lingered just long enough to take in the beauty of the area and then continued on around the drive. The road changes character after Artists Palette. Up to this point it was generally uphill with sweeping curves and a couple of swells, but now we are heading back downhill, through tightly packed hills with tighter turns. This was a most interesting drive. One that I will hopefully get to do again.
Back at Badwater Road we turned right toward Furnace Creek. Only one more stop for this excursion. Shortly after leaving the Golden Canyon parking lot, Lynn had spotted a really interesting rock, sort of a black hoodoo-looking basaltic rock just sitting along the road and she wanted to get a photo of this goofy geologic specimen…if we could find it again. Well, as it happens we did find it, right where we left it just to the east of Badwater Road and there was just enough room to pull over so that Lynn could capture a couple quick photos from the car. After the trip we found out that Lynn’s Crazy Rock used to be called Mushroom Rock, named for the distinctive cap it once had. It was on park maps for decades and there was even a turnout for vehicles. It was loved to death, and after too many people got on top to take pictures, the rock cap broke. Now it is being allowed to blend back into the natural landscape. Thanks to Frisco_Roadrunner, Death Valley DE, for that additional information. The time is now 1:30 and it is time for one of Lynn’s requirements for this trip and have a little downtime. OK, back to the Ranch. So a few minutes after finding Lynn’s crazy rock, we’re kicking off our dusty hiking shoes and getting ready for a cold beer out on our little balcony. What a great way to spend an afternoon following a wonderful day of exploring along Badwater Road. Islander IPA from Coronado Brewing, a personal favorite. Here's the gallery with the images from our touring along the Badwater Road.
We had nice quiet afternoon out on the balcony. We were on the north side of the building and in the shade so it was very comfortable sitting outside, sipping a beer and enjoying the afternoon. We used the time to recount the morning’s events and plan the evening and tomorrow. There were a couple other guests also enjoying the day out on their balconies or patios. Not much action on the golf course; I only spotted a few carts tooling past during the course of the day. We eventually got to discussing dinner options. Lynn suggested the Inn, so I called for reservations. Good thing that I did as there were only two options available, 5:00 or 8:40. It was already after 3:00 so the 5:00 option would mean a bit of rushing around and I am firmly entrenched in “let’s not be in a rush” mode. So while Lynn would have opted for the early time we agreed on a late dinner tonight. But the additional time gives us options; maybe another scenic drive for sunset? Certainly we’ll have time for a drink at the bar at the Inn.
I did have some logistical questions for the Rangers at the Visitor Center to help determine our plans for tomorrow, specifically the road conditions through Titus Canyon. So I walked over a little before 4:00 to see what I could find out. As expected, the line at the information desk was a little long, but the Rangers were doing all they could to do answer everyone’s questions and still keep things moving. The Ranger I spoke to advised against driving Titus Canyon in street tires, even with an AWD SUV. He indicated that the road had not been graded all the way through so it would be a risky drive. I knew that was the conservative answer, but figured it was still good advice. We’ll factor that into the decision process for tomorrow’s plan.
On the way out I spotted the current weather display: 93.5 F and 7% humidity at 3:57 PM. The classic "it's a dry heat." But the heat index was only 88 F, so that’s not too bad.
Next stop was the golf course, just to get a handle on the costs and to see about tee times. The pro shop guy was out but there was an off-duty grounds crewman was there (looked like we was getting ready to head out for a round of golf himself). I got the rates for greens fees and rental clubs. The rates drop by half in the afternoon. He did tell me that the greens were in bad shape and that some were really a mess. He also said that they are holding a scramble on Sunday afternoon, so I’ll have to plan around that. Getting in a round of golf here in Death Valley is not on the must do list, but it would be sort of cool to play at the lowest course on the planet.
We had nice quiet afternoon out on the balcony. We were on the north side of the building and in the shade so it was very comfortable sitting outside, sipping a beer and enjoying the afternoon. We used the time to recount the morning’s events and plan the evening and tomorrow. There were a couple other guests also enjoying the day out on their balconies or patios. Not much action on the golf course; I only spotted a few carts tooling past during the course of the day. We eventually got to discussing dinner options. Lynn suggested the Inn, so I called for reservations. Good thing that I did as there were only two options available, 5:00 or 8:40. It was already after 3:00 so the 5:00 option would mean a bit of rushing around and I am firmly entrenched in “let’s not be in a rush” mode. So while Lynn would have opted for the early time we agreed on a late dinner tonight. But the additional time gives us options; maybe another scenic drive for sunset? Certainly we’ll have time for a drink at the bar at the Inn.
I did have some logistical questions for the Rangers at the Visitor Center to help determine our plans for tomorrow, specifically the road conditions through Titus Canyon. So I walked over a little before 4:00 to see what I could find out. As expected, the line at the information desk was a little long, but the Rangers were doing all they could to do answer everyone’s questions and still keep things moving. The Ranger I spoke to advised against driving Titus Canyon in street tires, even with an AWD SUV. He indicated that the road had not been graded all the way through so it would be a risky drive. I knew that was the conservative answer, but figured it was still good advice. We’ll factor that into the decision process for tomorrow’s plan.
On the way out I spotted the current weather display: 93.5 F and 7% humidity at 3:57 PM. The classic "it's a dry heat." But the heat index was only 88 F, so that’s not too bad.
Next stop was the golf course, just to get a handle on the costs and to see about tee times. The pro shop guy was out but there was an off-duty grounds crewman was there (looked like we was getting ready to head out for a round of golf himself). I got the rates for greens fees and rental clubs. The rates drop by half in the afternoon. He did tell me that the greens were in bad shape and that some were really a mess. He also said that they are holding a scramble on Sunday afternoon, so I’ll have to plan around that. Getting in a round of golf here in Death Valley is not on the must do list, but it would be sort of cool to play at the lowest course on the planet.
We headed to the Inn at 6:40. Once there we sort wandered aimlessly about the grounds for a bit, just taking in the surroundings. Eventually we found the lobby bar and the restaurant. Still plenty of time for a drink before dinner but first we thought we’d just take a quick peek at the menu. The crazy thing was that the listed offerings just did not speak to us. And besides, Lynn saw her arch enemy, Brussels sprouts, was the featured vegetable and that just sealed that deal that this was not where we wanted to eat. So we canceled our dinner reservation but we still had a drink so that we could enjoy the view. There was no space on the patio but we found a couple of comfy chairs at the big bay windows in the lobby with a view that overlooked the valley. We just sat there was watched the twilight settled into night.
Well, we were still hungry, so it was back down to the Ranch to find some dinner. Walking from our lodge building to restaurant row really highlighted the “resort” aspects of Furnace Creek as the pool and ball courts were packed with people and there were plenty of happy sounds coming from all directions. A number of folks had circled their chairs under the big tree that provides shade for patio area of the walk. It is looking like a pleasant evening here in Death Valley. Once at the wooden boardwalk we made a quick assessment of the dining options. The Forty-Niner Cafe (review) was the best choice at this time of night. Arrived just before 8:00 and were told that there would be a 45 minute wait. Not unexpected at this time on a Friday evening. So we found a place to sit outside to enjoy the evening and watch the tourists. The good news was that our wait was only about 15 minutes. Possible seating error by the host? Who knows but we’ll take it. The place was hopping so the service was lagging but they were doing the best they could and everyone was really hustling. Lynn had a burger that was on the greasy side and I had the fish and chips (yeah, I know, that is not very desert-like but what the heck). Not bad overall (quite good for National Park fare). Green Flash IPA was the beer de jour tonight. We used the time again to recount our adventures from the day and to finalize our plans for tomorrow. Based on the commentary from the Ranger at the Visitor Center we decided to pass on driving Titus Canyon and instead we’ll hike the adjacent Fall Canyon (a highly recommended hike on TripAdvisor and Hiking Death Valley). That will be the starting point for tomorrow followed by a trip to Beatty.
There were still folks out in the pool and ball courts when we walked back, plus others out to check out the stars. We also did a little star gazing from the golf course before calling it a night. Good stars but I think the light here at Furnace Creek combined with the low elevation (more atmosphere to look through) do mute things a bit. Hopefully we can try at higher ground over the weekend.
Well, we were still hungry, so it was back down to the Ranch to find some dinner. Walking from our lodge building to restaurant row really highlighted the “resort” aspects of Furnace Creek as the pool and ball courts were packed with people and there were plenty of happy sounds coming from all directions. A number of folks had circled their chairs under the big tree that provides shade for patio area of the walk. It is looking like a pleasant evening here in Death Valley. Once at the wooden boardwalk we made a quick assessment of the dining options. The Forty-Niner Cafe (review) was the best choice at this time of night. Arrived just before 8:00 and were told that there would be a 45 minute wait. Not unexpected at this time on a Friday evening. So we found a place to sit outside to enjoy the evening and watch the tourists. The good news was that our wait was only about 15 minutes. Possible seating error by the host? Who knows but we’ll take it. The place was hopping so the service was lagging but they were doing the best they could and everyone was really hustling. Lynn had a burger that was on the greasy side and I had the fish and chips (yeah, I know, that is not very desert-like but what the heck). Not bad overall (quite good for National Park fare). Green Flash IPA was the beer de jour tonight. We used the time again to recount our adventures from the day and to finalize our plans for tomorrow. Based on the commentary from the Ranger at the Visitor Center we decided to pass on driving Titus Canyon and instead we’ll hike the adjacent Fall Canyon (a highly recommended hike on TripAdvisor and Hiking Death Valley). That will be the starting point for tomorrow followed by a trip to Beatty.
There were still folks out in the pool and ball courts when we walked back, plus others out to check out the stars. We also did a little star gazing from the golf course before calling it a night. Good stars but I think the light here at Furnace Creek combined with the low elevation (more atmosphere to look through) do mute things a bit. Hopefully we can try at higher ground over the weekend.
Day 4 – Saturday, March 26 – Fall Canyon, Beatty and Rhyolite. I was awake at 0500, waiting for Lynn to wiggle so that I can turn on a light. That’s a downside to a hotel room over a rental house, but the location of the lodge in the middle of the park more than makes up for that minor logistical issue. She finally came to about 5:30 or so. We finished our Albertson’s muffins for breakfast and then got ourselves in order for another day of exploring. I went out about 6:40 to check the day. The waning moon was still perched high above the horizon. The sun was not yet over the Funeral Mountains when I went out, but I soon saw the first direct light on Telescope Peak and watched a while as the rays worked down the western mountain range giving the Panamints an orange and pink glow. Windy this morning but a cloudless sky. Breezy enough that the Ravens were struggling to make headway. There was a vulture cruising past using the wind to his advantage to cover more ground. Lots of interesting sights, sounds and smells; the doves talking, the horses milling about munching on their hay and providing a very familiar scent!
I checked the weather conditions and forecast on my phone. Current conditions at Furnace Creek at 0700 showed the wind at 14 mph, 64 F and 17% humidity and the forecast for Beatty this afternoon was 68 F and sunny. Looks like another great day…for now anyway.
As mentioned, the plan for today has morphed from the original itinerary. We’ll start with a hike up Fall Canyon and then the thinking is we’ll head to Beatty for lunch (and to fill up the Santa Fe), check out Rhyolite ghost town and look for the superbloom. Sounds like a pretty full agenda.
We were on the road in good time as we were pulling out onto 190 at 7:45 heading north from Furnace Creek. The wind was really kicking up the sand in the valley off to our left. We could not see the west side of the valley. There was a huge cloud of dust off to the west plus several dirt devils scattered along the valley floor. The conditions were so bad in that direction that we were starting to think contingency plans just in case the wind became a factor where we were heading. The road did turn toward the sand storm a bit so we got a little taste but we were never in the really heavy stuff, at least not today. But to the east of the road there was no dust so we figured we’d be OK. Once we got to the trailhead that was the case. Breezy, sure, but no dust or sand flying about. Very light traffic this morning. We probably only passed 2 or 3 cars by the time we reached the dirt road heading into Titus Canyon. Scotty's Castle road runs basically right along the edge of the alluvial fan at about 100 feet above see level, give or take a contour line. Once we turned onto the dirt road leading toward Titus Canyon and the trailhead, it was uphill all the way as we climbed to about 940 feet at the trailhead parking area.
One hour exactly to the trailhead, the last 3 miles on gravel road which was maintained. Even though the road was cared for it was still rough in stretches. Nothing bad, I mean we later followed a bright yellow Mustang (a Ford, not a horse) on the road and low-clearance sportscar made it back to the main road without losing its muffler. But the going was slow as the washboard would jar your teeth loose; 15 mph was the max speed. After making that short drive, we were glad that we opted out of the 26-mile drive through Titus Canyon. I think that the Santa Fe could have made it but the ride would have been long and bumpy. There were only four cars at the trailhead when we arrived. We saddled up and were on the trail about 8:55. While the trail was not marked it was well worn and easy to follow. This was obviously a popular trail but we had it to ourselves at the moment.
The initial part of the trail is open and runs over the rolling terrain of the alluvial fan and is a simple connector between the Titus Canyon trailhead and mouth of Fall Canyon. There were a few sprigs of wildflowers along this stretch plus nice views back out over the valley. We could still see the sand being blown about out over the dunes to the west and south; that would not be a good place to visit today! But where we are the sky is blue and there is a just s slight breeze so it is again an ideal day for a hike.
I checked the weather conditions and forecast on my phone. Current conditions at Furnace Creek at 0700 showed the wind at 14 mph, 64 F and 17% humidity and the forecast for Beatty this afternoon was 68 F and sunny. Looks like another great day…for now anyway.
As mentioned, the plan for today has morphed from the original itinerary. We’ll start with a hike up Fall Canyon and then the thinking is we’ll head to Beatty for lunch (and to fill up the Santa Fe), check out Rhyolite ghost town and look for the superbloom. Sounds like a pretty full agenda.
We were on the road in good time as we were pulling out onto 190 at 7:45 heading north from Furnace Creek. The wind was really kicking up the sand in the valley off to our left. We could not see the west side of the valley. There was a huge cloud of dust off to the west plus several dirt devils scattered along the valley floor. The conditions were so bad in that direction that we were starting to think contingency plans just in case the wind became a factor where we were heading. The road did turn toward the sand storm a bit so we got a little taste but we were never in the really heavy stuff, at least not today. But to the east of the road there was no dust so we figured we’d be OK. Once we got to the trailhead that was the case. Breezy, sure, but no dust or sand flying about. Very light traffic this morning. We probably only passed 2 or 3 cars by the time we reached the dirt road heading into Titus Canyon. Scotty's Castle road runs basically right along the edge of the alluvial fan at about 100 feet above see level, give or take a contour line. Once we turned onto the dirt road leading toward Titus Canyon and the trailhead, it was uphill all the way as we climbed to about 940 feet at the trailhead parking area.
One hour exactly to the trailhead, the last 3 miles on gravel road which was maintained. Even though the road was cared for it was still rough in stretches. Nothing bad, I mean we later followed a bright yellow Mustang (a Ford, not a horse) on the road and low-clearance sportscar made it back to the main road without losing its muffler. But the going was slow as the washboard would jar your teeth loose; 15 mph was the max speed. After making that short drive, we were glad that we opted out of the 26-mile drive through Titus Canyon. I think that the Santa Fe could have made it but the ride would have been long and bumpy. There were only four cars at the trailhead when we arrived. We saddled up and were on the trail about 8:55. While the trail was not marked it was well worn and easy to follow. This was obviously a popular trail but we had it to ourselves at the moment.
The initial part of the trail is open and runs over the rolling terrain of the alluvial fan and is a simple connector between the Titus Canyon trailhead and mouth of Fall Canyon. There were a few sprigs of wildflowers along this stretch plus nice views back out over the valley. We could still see the sand being blown about out over the dunes to the west and south; that would not be a good place to visit today! But where we are the sky is blue and there is a just s slight breeze so it is again an ideal day for a hike.
The trail continues along the alluvial fan as it turns toward the mouth of the canyon. Just like Golden Canyon, the trail is uphill all the way but it seems so gradual that it is really not that noticeable. As I recall there was only one little obstacle all along the trail (well, except the big fall at the end but we’ll get to that later) and that was near the mouth of the canyon where the trail works down a short steep section into the gravel wash. There are uneven steps here in the dirt wall, but after that it is smooth sailing, albeit the gravel is deep in spots.
This was another great hike into a canyon, but very different from the loop we made up Golden Canyon and back down Gower Gulch. First of all, we started at a much higher elevation with the trailhead sitting at about 940 feet above sea level. There was less variation in color here in Fall Canyon compared to what we saw above Golden Canyon and through the Badlands and Gower Gulch, but there were still amazing displays of reds, oranges and yellow in the rocks in the canyon walls. The walls of Fall Canyon were also much more massive than anything we saw yesterday as they towered above us for most of the hike. Very different but really a very complimentary hike as the two trails offer a myriad of rewards for us day hikers.
This was another great hike into a canyon, but very different from the loop we made up Golden Canyon and back down Gower Gulch. First of all, we started at a much higher elevation with the trailhead sitting at about 940 feet above sea level. There was less variation in color here in Fall Canyon compared to what we saw above Golden Canyon and through the Badlands and Gower Gulch, but there were still amazing displays of reds, oranges and yellow in the rocks in the canyon walls. The walls of Fall Canyon were also much more massive than anything we saw yesterday as they towered above us for most of the hike. Very different but really a very complimentary hike as the two trails offer a myriad of rewards for us day hikers.
One similarity between the hike into Golden Canyon and today into Fall Canyon was that both were uphill all the way but neither seemed like we were climbing that severely (well, there were a couple of steeper sections getting from Golden Canyon to Gower Gulch yesterday, but for the most part it was a gradually ascent and descent). But there was a lot more uphill here in Fall Canyon as we rose about 1300 feet from the trailhead, reaching an elevation of around 2270 feet about sea level. The elevation chart on the Ramblr track really shows the nature of the hike (even though the absolute elevations are not exactly correct the deltas are pretty close). We traipsed into the canyon about 3.6 miles from the trailhead to a nice size dry fall (18-feet tall according to Hiking Death Valley). No way around, well at least no easy way (the book describes a scrambling detour required some climbing skills, but I’m a hiker not a climber) so this was our turnaround point. On the return trip it seemed like we flew down out of the canyon and seemed more apparent to the eye that we were going downhill where it did not seem that significant on the uphill march. The timing of the hike sort of tells the tale as we took about 2:15 to reach the fall and only 1:45 roughly to get back to the trailhead.
Not a lot of traffic on the trail this morning, as I would have expected from the number of cars in the lot (and some of those folks might have gone up Titus Canyon). We passed two lady backpackers coming out of the canyon (sort of scratching our heads as to where they came from) and only saw three other couples hiking in including the long-legged kids who caught us at the end of the trail (good timing as we took each other’s “team” photo in from of the fall just to prove that we had all been there). So we had a very nice, quiet and peaceful morning hike. The situation changed once we reversed course as we passed a lot of folks coming up the canyon (I stopped counting at 30).
Funny story, sort of, as we neared the fall. We caught the one couple (also fifty-somethings) just short of the fall. We had been gaining on them throughout the hike and caught them when they found a nice shady spot for a snack. So stopped and chatted with them a bit which gave the other 50-something couple time to catch us all. The funny part was that the lady in the second group was asking how much further to the waterfall. I think she was expecting to see water flowing here. Lynn explained to her that this was a dry fall and that if there were water flowing over it at present that it could be a very bad thing for all of us. She seemed very disappointed with that answer. I think they turned around at this point. Go figure.
There were interesting sights all along the length of the canyon, starting with the conglomerate rock layers at the mouth of the canyon. Just a big mix of stones in the wall of the canyon…sort of a river rock concrete. There were also several interesting examples of folds and buckles in the rock strata with the layers going in all directions including a nearly vertical in places. There were also some very nice narrows and slots. Nothing really comparable to the slots in southern Utah or Northern Arizona but there were points that were reminiscent of Willis Creek and Little Wild Horse Canyon, just not nearly as tight.
We did much better in terms of critter sightings today as well as spotting a little more variety of wildflowers. Lynn noted that at the bottom of the trail there really was not much alive in terms of critters but there was a lot nearer the top of the canyon. We saw several lizards including a juvenile Chuckwalla. There were a lot of birds in the upper part of the canyon as well. Mostly “gone birds” (a term we coined during one of our trips a few years ago to describe birds that were gone before you could get a good look at them) but I did get a few photos so I was able to identify some of them: House Finch, Say’s Phoebe and a Ruby-crested Kinglet. There were also a few Ravens in the canyon and some vultures soaring overhead.
There was also quite the variety of flowers growing in clumps along the trail, again more so the higher we went. Between the rocks and the plants there was a rainbow of colors, at least in small patches. There were purples from the Notch-leaf Phacelia, Death Valley Phacelia and Desert Heron’s Bill, the orange of the Globemallow and a variety of yellow and gold flowers. At the upper end of the canyon (OK, as upper as we went) there were a lot of butterflies, perhaps drawn in by all the flowers. Most were the orange-winged Sagebrush Checkerspot. These little guys were flitting all about the canyon. At first I thought there were two types of butterflies as some were a deep orange with white trim on the edges of their wings while others sported the same brownish pattern but on a pale orange background and lacked the white trim. Seems these were all the same species. I guess the pale ones without the white edges were older (more beat up) specimens.
Not a lot of traffic on the trail this morning, as I would have expected from the number of cars in the lot (and some of those folks might have gone up Titus Canyon). We passed two lady backpackers coming out of the canyon (sort of scratching our heads as to where they came from) and only saw three other couples hiking in including the long-legged kids who caught us at the end of the trail (good timing as we took each other’s “team” photo in from of the fall just to prove that we had all been there). So we had a very nice, quiet and peaceful morning hike. The situation changed once we reversed course as we passed a lot of folks coming up the canyon (I stopped counting at 30).
Funny story, sort of, as we neared the fall. We caught the one couple (also fifty-somethings) just short of the fall. We had been gaining on them throughout the hike and caught them when they found a nice shady spot for a snack. So stopped and chatted with them a bit which gave the other 50-something couple time to catch us all. The funny part was that the lady in the second group was asking how much further to the waterfall. I think she was expecting to see water flowing here. Lynn explained to her that this was a dry fall and that if there were water flowing over it at present that it could be a very bad thing for all of us. She seemed very disappointed with that answer. I think they turned around at this point. Go figure.
There were interesting sights all along the length of the canyon, starting with the conglomerate rock layers at the mouth of the canyon. Just a big mix of stones in the wall of the canyon…sort of a river rock concrete. There were also several interesting examples of folds and buckles in the rock strata with the layers going in all directions including a nearly vertical in places. There were also some very nice narrows and slots. Nothing really comparable to the slots in southern Utah or Northern Arizona but there were points that were reminiscent of Willis Creek and Little Wild Horse Canyon, just not nearly as tight.
We did much better in terms of critter sightings today as well as spotting a little more variety of wildflowers. Lynn noted that at the bottom of the trail there really was not much alive in terms of critters but there was a lot nearer the top of the canyon. We saw several lizards including a juvenile Chuckwalla. There were a lot of birds in the upper part of the canyon as well. Mostly “gone birds” (a term we coined during one of our trips a few years ago to describe birds that were gone before you could get a good look at them) but I did get a few photos so I was able to identify some of them: House Finch, Say’s Phoebe and a Ruby-crested Kinglet. There were also a few Ravens in the canyon and some vultures soaring overhead.
There was also quite the variety of flowers growing in clumps along the trail, again more so the higher we went. Between the rocks and the plants there was a rainbow of colors, at least in small patches. There were purples from the Notch-leaf Phacelia, Death Valley Phacelia and Desert Heron’s Bill, the orange of the Globemallow and a variety of yellow and gold flowers. At the upper end of the canyon (OK, as upper as we went) there were a lot of butterflies, perhaps drawn in by all the flowers. Most were the orange-winged Sagebrush Checkerspot. These little guys were flitting all about the canyon. At first I thought there were two types of butterflies as some were a deep orange with white trim on the edges of their wings while others sported the same brownish pattern but on a pale orange background and lacked the white trim. Seems these were all the same species. I guess the pale ones without the white edges were older (more beat up) specimens.
Even with more hikers in the canyon on the return trip it was still very serene on our way back to the trailhead as there were still stretches where we had the canyon to ourselves. At times I found myself alone in the canyon when I would pause to try and capture a photo of a flower or “gone” bird (when I do this, Lynn just keeps going as who knows that I’ll shortly catch her). These were short lived periods of complete solitude, but they were greatly appreciated.
We had a nice gentle breeze most of the time that we were in the canyon which made for a very pleasant hike. The wind had settled down by the time we returned to the trailhead but there were still some dust devils out in the valley just nothing like this morning. We also noted more wildflowers along the stretch of trail between the mouth of Fall Canyon and the trailhead; I’m not sure how we missed them this morning unless they were not unfurled yet for the day. Purples dominated this part of the trail with Desert Five Spot and Bigelow Monkeyflower.
Back at the trailhead there was a lot of traffic coming out of Titus Canyon and the parking lot was over flowing. Mostly Jeeps and trucks coming down the Titus Canyon Road but there was also a minivan that made the trek, so I guess it is passable by just about anything. That or the driver got really lucky!
We did not want to tarry long at the trailhead as there were folks looking for a place to park. We just stowed our packs, had a quick snack and headed back out the choppy access road to the pavement. There was a steady stream of cars coming and going along the dirt track now. Yeah, it pays to get on the trail early.
Here are the links to the photo gallery, the TA review and the Ramblr track from our hike in Fall Canyon.
Back at the trailhead there was a lot of traffic coming out of Titus Canyon and the parking lot was over flowing. Mostly Jeeps and trucks coming down the Titus Canyon Road but there was also a minivan that made the trek, so I guess it is passable by just about anything. That or the driver got really lucky!
We did not want to tarry long at the trailhead as there were folks looking for a place to park. We just stowed our packs, had a quick snack and headed back out the choppy access road to the pavement. There was a steady stream of cars coming and going along the dirt track now. Yeah, it pays to get on the trail early.
Here are the links to the photo gallery, the TA review and the Ramblr track from our hike in Fall Canyon.
It was now about 1:00 so it was well past time for lunch considering we had put in over seven miles on the trail this morning, so it was on to Beatty to see what we might find in terms of food. This was a very nice drive as we climbed over Daylight Pass. The bloom had definitely found its way to higher elevation as there was a blanket of yellow flowers along both sides of the road east of the pass. We decided to enjoy the views as a drive-by for now and stop for photos on the return trip. We spotted the entrance road to Titus Canyon; several dust clouds were being generated by the vehicles rattling down that dirt road. Lynn noted the access to Rhyolite as well, so we’ll know where to go after lunch.
Once in Beatty, our first stop was fuel for the Santa Fe since gas was considerably less expensive here than inside the park. Then it was time to find fuel for us. Our friend Rob had suggested the Happy Burro for lunch, which was right across the street from the gas station. I also asked the attendant at the gas station for her recommendation, but she was not much help as just listed everything including the Subway as a good place to eat. We took a quick spin to the edge of town (it was about 100 yards away) just to get the lay of the land. Nothing of great interest in terms of lunch options that way so we headed back to the Happy Burro. You can’t go wrong with a name like that.
Once in Beatty, our first stop was fuel for the Santa Fe since gas was considerably less expensive here than inside the park. Then it was time to find fuel for us. Our friend Rob had suggested the Happy Burro for lunch, which was right across the street from the gas station. I also asked the attendant at the gas station for her recommendation, but she was not much help as just listed everything including the Subway as a good place to eat. We took a quick spin to the edge of town (it was about 100 yards away) just to get the lay of the land. Nothing of great interest in terms of lunch options that way so we headed back to the Happy Burro. You can’t go wrong with a name like that.
This is a bit of an eclectic looking place, with sort of a rustic, old-west feel. We walked into the patio area and had a seat under the shade of a large pine tree. There were a couple of guys sitting out here as well who we had seen riding in on their Harleys plus a few other patrons inside the adjacent building were the bar was housed. There were a couple dogs wondering around the premises, which is always a plus to Lynn. There were wanted posters and other interesting signs hanging around the patio to provide added flare. Not long after we sat down, one of the biker guys who was sitting on the patio stopped by our table and asked if we had ever been here before. No sir, first timers. He suggested that I check out the men’s restroom but gave no other clue as to why. OK, I’m sure I’ll have a reason to go after lunch.
The menu is limited (chili, burger, chili burger, hot dog, chili dog…you get the idea) and a short beer list, but they at least had Stone IPA, so all was well. Lynn had a burger which she said was better than the one she had last night. I decided to splurge and have my annual hot dog, a chili dog actually. Now this is not your typical hot dog with a little chili added on top. This is a knife and fork kind of meal. A big frank on a warm bun with a bowl of chili poured over it with onions and cheese added for good measure. Yep, not good for you but pretty darn tasty.
Sitting out on the patio with a nice, cold Stone IPA was a very enjoyable way to spend part of our afternoon. It was quite pleasant sitting in the shade on a beautiful, blue sky day. The forecast was right on target as the temperature was very comfortable at right around 70 F. As there were plenty of open tables we took our time and recounted this morning’s hike and discussed the plans for the rest of today and tomorrow.
Oh yeah, the restroom. Seldom does a guy, particularly a total stranger, suggest that another guy check out the men’s room, so my curiosity was a bit piqued. So before getting on the road, I paid a visit. Let’s just say that the décor of the restroom fit in perfectly with the rest of the establishment! This also tied in well with the large “Bikers Welcome” sign on the front of the building, as I have a feeling that they would feel right at home here. Yes, this was the first urinal that I have seen with handlebars! The clutch lever actually flushes the urinal. Hilarious! Some of the signs and photos were not family friendly, but still quite entertaining, including the words to live by from Fred Sanford (you’ll have to check out the photo gallery for those). Certainly worth a stop. (review)
OK, Rob did pretty well with the Happy Burro recommendation, so we’ll try his other suggestion for a place to stop in Beatty, the Death Valley Nut and Candy Company. Actually, this was also suggested by a few folks on the TA forums. Given all the high praise we were expecting a fairly large establishment, but we did not remember seeing it as we drove through town. I had to resort to the phone for directions. Hmmm, map says it is back up the road to the east where we had driven before lunch, so we drove back that way…looking…looking…oh, it is in the gas station complex. OK, we’re here so let’s take a look. Let me put it this way, Rob is now batting .500 on recommendations. Even taking into account that this is sort of the middle of nowhere, we were underwhelmed. Maybe we’re just swayed too much from our trips to B.A. Sweeties here in Cleveland or Coblentz Chocolates in Ohio Amish Country. Now those are candy stores. Sweeties is a warehouse full of candy to be exact. Death Valley Nut Company is just a few rows of bulk nuts and candy in a gas station. But we’re here so we bought some haystacks (dark chocolate) for later. Been there, done that. (review)
One other sort of strange sighting we had while cruising back and forth through Beatty was a very nice, and seemingly recently built sign for a casino resort, complete with an electronic billboard, located on the south side of the highway between the Happy Burro and the nut place. It was very nicely done but it seemed to be the only thing that was actually completed of the proposed complex. Perhaps that was all the funding that the investors could provide? We were not even sure where they planned to build as just beyond the sign is a series of rocky hills. A lot of earth would have to be moved to construct such a resort here. Frisco_Roadrunner also provided some history on this failed resort. The short version is that back about 2008 a guy named Eddie Ringle, who owned most of the lodging options in Beatty, wanted to develop a family-friendly resort marketed for Hispanic families (high-rise hotel, casino, water park, the whole shebang). He called it El Sueño de la Familia. El Sueño means “the dream” in Spanish. Obviously the resort never became a reality, just a fancy sign along the side of the road passing through Beatty.
The menu is limited (chili, burger, chili burger, hot dog, chili dog…you get the idea) and a short beer list, but they at least had Stone IPA, so all was well. Lynn had a burger which she said was better than the one she had last night. I decided to splurge and have my annual hot dog, a chili dog actually. Now this is not your typical hot dog with a little chili added on top. This is a knife and fork kind of meal. A big frank on a warm bun with a bowl of chili poured over it with onions and cheese added for good measure. Yep, not good for you but pretty darn tasty.
Sitting out on the patio with a nice, cold Stone IPA was a very enjoyable way to spend part of our afternoon. It was quite pleasant sitting in the shade on a beautiful, blue sky day. The forecast was right on target as the temperature was very comfortable at right around 70 F. As there were plenty of open tables we took our time and recounted this morning’s hike and discussed the plans for the rest of today and tomorrow.
Oh yeah, the restroom. Seldom does a guy, particularly a total stranger, suggest that another guy check out the men’s room, so my curiosity was a bit piqued. So before getting on the road, I paid a visit. Let’s just say that the décor of the restroom fit in perfectly with the rest of the establishment! This also tied in well with the large “Bikers Welcome” sign on the front of the building, as I have a feeling that they would feel right at home here. Yes, this was the first urinal that I have seen with handlebars! The clutch lever actually flushes the urinal. Hilarious! Some of the signs and photos were not family friendly, but still quite entertaining, including the words to live by from Fred Sanford (you’ll have to check out the photo gallery for those). Certainly worth a stop. (review)
OK, Rob did pretty well with the Happy Burro recommendation, so we’ll try his other suggestion for a place to stop in Beatty, the Death Valley Nut and Candy Company. Actually, this was also suggested by a few folks on the TA forums. Given all the high praise we were expecting a fairly large establishment, but we did not remember seeing it as we drove through town. I had to resort to the phone for directions. Hmmm, map says it is back up the road to the east where we had driven before lunch, so we drove back that way…looking…looking…oh, it is in the gas station complex. OK, we’re here so let’s take a look. Let me put it this way, Rob is now batting .500 on recommendations. Even taking into account that this is sort of the middle of nowhere, we were underwhelmed. Maybe we’re just swayed too much from our trips to B.A. Sweeties here in Cleveland or Coblentz Chocolates in Ohio Amish Country. Now those are candy stores. Sweeties is a warehouse full of candy to be exact. Death Valley Nut Company is just a few rows of bulk nuts and candy in a gas station. But we’re here so we bought some haystacks (dark chocolate) for later. Been there, done that. (review)
One other sort of strange sighting we had while cruising back and forth through Beatty was a very nice, and seemingly recently built sign for a casino resort, complete with an electronic billboard, located on the south side of the highway between the Happy Burro and the nut place. It was very nicely done but it seemed to be the only thing that was actually completed of the proposed complex. Perhaps that was all the funding that the investors could provide? We were not even sure where they planned to build as just beyond the sign is a series of rocky hills. A lot of earth would have to be moved to construct such a resort here. Frisco_Roadrunner also provided some history on this failed resort. The short version is that back about 2008 a guy named Eddie Ringle, who owned most of the lodging options in Beatty, wanted to develop a family-friendly resort marketed for Hispanic families (high-rise hotel, casino, water park, the whole shebang). He called it El Sueño de la Familia. El Sueño means “the dream” in Spanish. Obviously the resort never became a reality, just a fancy sign along the side of the road passing through Beatty.
On our way back to the park we made a couple stops, the first being at Rhyolite, an old mining town that is now a historic site under the BLM. We parked at the Bottle House and walked along the main drag through the remains of the town. We found an information sign with a map of the town to guide us for our walk. The flyer also outlined a little of the history of the town. There is not much left here but it was still an interesting historical footnote and worth a short visit.
Rhyolite was a gold rush town, a boom town. Gold was found in the area in 1904 and the town was established in 1905 and it quickly grew to about 10,000 inhabitants. But while it had a meteoric rise, its fall came just as quickly as a combination of financial disasters (first the collapsed of the San Francisco financial district due to the 1906 earthquake then the 1907 panic in the east) then the mines playing around 1910 led to it being nearly abandoned by 1920.
As mentioned, we started our tour at the Bottle House which was built in 1906 out of thousands of old beer bottles. Nearby where the old mercantile building used to stand there is a derelict old flatbed truck that made for an interesting photo op. We then walked the road past the remains of the old school (1909; actually a fairly large facility), the Overbury Building (1907), the Porter Brother’s Store (1906; all that remains is the front wall and the basement), the Cook Bank Building (1908) which was quite ornate and finally ended at the Las Vegas and Tonopah train depot (1909) which was the most intact of the remaining structures. This was one of three train lines that served Rhyolite during its short history. Since the town is a historic landmark and an archeological site, there is still a lot of old debris just lying about. Mostly old hunks of metal plates and pipes just strewn throughout the site. We opted not to loop through the lower part of the old town where only a couple of small building ruins remained (the jailhouse and a small residence building). According to the flyer, that was the red-light district of Rhyolite and the small residence may have served as a brothel as well. So I guess it was convenient that the jailhouse was also located nearby.
Rhyolite was a gold rush town, a boom town. Gold was found in the area in 1904 and the town was established in 1905 and it quickly grew to about 10,000 inhabitants. But while it had a meteoric rise, its fall came just as quickly as a combination of financial disasters (first the collapsed of the San Francisco financial district due to the 1906 earthquake then the 1907 panic in the east) then the mines playing around 1910 led to it being nearly abandoned by 1920.
As mentioned, we started our tour at the Bottle House which was built in 1906 out of thousands of old beer bottles. Nearby where the old mercantile building used to stand there is a derelict old flatbed truck that made for an interesting photo op. We then walked the road past the remains of the old school (1909; actually a fairly large facility), the Overbury Building (1907), the Porter Brother’s Store (1906; all that remains is the front wall and the basement), the Cook Bank Building (1908) which was quite ornate and finally ended at the Las Vegas and Tonopah train depot (1909) which was the most intact of the remaining structures. This was one of three train lines that served Rhyolite during its short history. Since the town is a historic landmark and an archeological site, there is still a lot of old debris just lying about. Mostly old hunks of metal plates and pipes just strewn throughout the site. We opted not to loop through the lower part of the old town where only a couple of small building ruins remained (the jailhouse and a small residence building). According to the flyer, that was the red-light district of Rhyolite and the small residence may have served as a brothel as well. So I guess it was convenient that the jailhouse was also located nearby.
This was a pretty popular spot as there were quite a few folks walking or driving through the old ghost town. Several photographers were set up along the road getting shots of the ruins against the backdrop of red rocks and blue sky. While all of the sites were posted and fenced off to keep the tourists at a safe distance (hey, these 100-plus year old ruins could topple over at any time, I reckon), the grounds around the old train station were open to allow closer inspection. Not much left other than the shell of the building but I bet it was something in its day based on the architectural details (well, what was left of them anyway). I walked in behind a family who were also exploring the area. Two of the boys walked over to the door of the station and the older one (probably about 10) started yanking on the handle trying to get it. I walked behind them, pointed at the “DANGER - No Trespassing” sign and said, “Read the sign, guys.” The younger brother thought this was great and began chanting “Ryan got told, Ryan got told.” Well, kids will be kids, particularly when parents are not watching.
On the return walk I was paying more attention to the details of the old town; the bits and pieces that were scattered about, the depressions that indicated the location of long gone structures, the “gone” birds flitting between the scrub bush and the carpet of little white flowers covering the field that used to contain the town. I think these were Pebble Pincushion. After our walking tour we returned to the Bottle House and loaded up in the Santa Fe (Rhyolite review). We did a slow drive by of the free outdoor sculpture museum on our way back to the main road but decided that closer inspection was not needed as the artwork was a bit too…..let’s just say eclectic and leave it at that….for our tastes.
Here's the link to the photos from Beatty and Rhyolite and our track of our walk through Rhyolite.
Again we enjoyed the wonderful scenery and the superbloom as we drove back to Death Valley. The flowers were spectacular as we neared Daylight Pass. We found a nice wide spot to park just east of the pass to grab a few photos. The yellow flowers stretched out over the rolling terrain as far as we could see. There were occasional splashes of purple or red but yellow was by far the dominate color along this stretch of the highway. Here are a few more photos of the bloom near Daylight Pass.
On the return walk I was paying more attention to the details of the old town; the bits and pieces that were scattered about, the depressions that indicated the location of long gone structures, the “gone” birds flitting between the scrub bush and the carpet of little white flowers covering the field that used to contain the town. I think these were Pebble Pincushion. After our walking tour we returned to the Bottle House and loaded up in the Santa Fe (Rhyolite review). We did a slow drive by of the free outdoor sculpture museum on our way back to the main road but decided that closer inspection was not needed as the artwork was a bit too…..let’s just say eclectic and leave it at that….for our tastes.
Here's the link to the photos from Beatty and Rhyolite and our track of our walk through Rhyolite.
Again we enjoyed the wonderful scenery and the superbloom as we drove back to Death Valley. The flowers were spectacular as we neared Daylight Pass. We found a nice wide spot to park just east of the pass to grab a few photos. The yellow flowers stretched out over the rolling terrain as far as we could see. There were occasional splashes of purple or red but yellow was by far the dominate color along this stretch of the highway. Here are a few more photos of the bloom near Daylight Pass.
Continuing back into the park and onto Furnace Creek, we took the Beatty cut-off as it was the most direct route and it allowed us to cover some new ground. The evidence of the superbloom was everywhere along this section of the road and the views out over the valley looking north were grand, particularly from near the pass. However, the flowers here were all well past their prime although they still created a yellow haze across the desert landscape.
This was a full day as we were not back in the room until nearly 5:00 PM. Perfect timing for a beer on our balcony. We talked about dinner options and decided to get carry out pizza from the Corkscrew Saloon (review). After removing the trail dust, I walked down and ordered the pizza, then picked up some supplies from the general store and then went back and sat at the bar with a beer (Green Flash Imperial IPA which was pretty good) to wait for my order. $25 for a pizza is on the steep side, but not so bad considering the location. The pizza was outstanding although they did not get the distribution of the toppings correct. The crust and sauce were excellent (and the toppings were close enough) so all was well. Nice night to have dinner on the balcony.
Lynn checked on the horseback ride options. Tomorrow at 6:00 PM is the next available opportunity but there was also an early ride on Monday. Hmmm, she can ride and I could hit the links on our last morning. That has a nice sound to it. I called the main office to see if I could get a little later checkout time on Monday (11:00 AM is the normal time). Noon was the best they would offer, but an hour is better than nothing and would allow us a little extra time for exploring and a more relaxed departure. We discussed our Sunday plans over a Uinta Detour double IPA. We decided to start the morning at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, then hike Mosaic Canyon followed by a drive up to Aguereberry point based on the suggestion of the folks we talked to yesterday in Gower Gulch and finally a stop at the Harmony Borax Works. That will certainly fill the day
While the wind had died down, there was still a lot of dust in the air plus there were some clouds rolling in so not much in the way of stars tonight although there was still some nice peaks into the heavens from the balcony. Good end to a great day.
Day 5 – Sunday, March 27 – Dunes, Rocks and Views. Again up early, well local time anyway, at 0500. I went out on the golf course for a sky check so that Lynn could sleep. Between the waning three-quarters moon and some overcast the stars were not that brilliant, but in the section of sky that was open I was able to get a nice night sky view. I even spotted the space station zooming by (I confirmed that on the phone once I got back to the room). Saturn and Mars were visible in line with the moon, according to Google Sky (great app).
Slower pace this morning but we were still pulling out onto 190 from Furnace Creek by 8:05. The parking lot was still full when we left and there were lots of folks milling about the dining establishments for breakfast, so we were still at the front end of the pack for getting out into the park.
First stop was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. No way we could have made this stop yesterday with all the wind blowing the sand about but this morning is ideal. Bright blue sky, high white wispy clouds, very light breeze and comfortable temperatures, probably around 60 F and climbing. The cirrus cloud cover was actually welcome as full sun out on the open sand might have been a bit on the hot side, plus it provided an interesting backdrop.
This was a full day as we were not back in the room until nearly 5:00 PM. Perfect timing for a beer on our balcony. We talked about dinner options and decided to get carry out pizza from the Corkscrew Saloon (review). After removing the trail dust, I walked down and ordered the pizza, then picked up some supplies from the general store and then went back and sat at the bar with a beer (Green Flash Imperial IPA which was pretty good) to wait for my order. $25 for a pizza is on the steep side, but not so bad considering the location. The pizza was outstanding although they did not get the distribution of the toppings correct. The crust and sauce were excellent (and the toppings were close enough) so all was well. Nice night to have dinner on the balcony.
Lynn checked on the horseback ride options. Tomorrow at 6:00 PM is the next available opportunity but there was also an early ride on Monday. Hmmm, she can ride and I could hit the links on our last morning. That has a nice sound to it. I called the main office to see if I could get a little later checkout time on Monday (11:00 AM is the normal time). Noon was the best they would offer, but an hour is better than nothing and would allow us a little extra time for exploring and a more relaxed departure. We discussed our Sunday plans over a Uinta Detour double IPA. We decided to start the morning at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, then hike Mosaic Canyon followed by a drive up to Aguereberry point based on the suggestion of the folks we talked to yesterday in Gower Gulch and finally a stop at the Harmony Borax Works. That will certainly fill the day
While the wind had died down, there was still a lot of dust in the air plus there were some clouds rolling in so not much in the way of stars tonight although there was still some nice peaks into the heavens from the balcony. Good end to a great day.
Day 5 – Sunday, March 27 – Dunes, Rocks and Views. Again up early, well local time anyway, at 0500. I went out on the golf course for a sky check so that Lynn could sleep. Between the waning three-quarters moon and some overcast the stars were not that brilliant, but in the section of sky that was open I was able to get a nice night sky view. I even spotted the space station zooming by (I confirmed that on the phone once I got back to the room). Saturn and Mars were visible in line with the moon, according to Google Sky (great app).
Slower pace this morning but we were still pulling out onto 190 from Furnace Creek by 8:05. The parking lot was still full when we left and there were lots of folks milling about the dining establishments for breakfast, so we were still at the front end of the pack for getting out into the park.
First stop was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. No way we could have made this stop yesterday with all the wind blowing the sand about but this morning is ideal. Bright blue sky, high white wispy clouds, very light breeze and comfortable temperatures, probably around 60 F and climbing. The cirrus cloud cover was actually welcome as full sun out on the open sand might have been a bit on the hot side, plus it provided an interesting backdrop.
There was a decent sized collection of cars in the parking lot, but still plenty of open spaces. We quickly gathered our gear and headed for the sand. There were already several folks who were coming back from a walk around the dunes; they are easy to spot as they are the ones shaking the sand from their boots. Once out in the dunes we saw all manner of folks and all manner of footgear, from hiking boots to hiking sandals to flip-flops to nothing. I reckon this is one area that bare feet will work just fine (not for me but just fine for others). Lots of photographers in the area, most of them are finishing up as the best light has probably past for the morning. But I’ll take what I can get. There was a little clump of mesquite trees near the parking area with a lot of folks milling about and taking photos. Too many folks there at present so I’ll check that out on the way back to see if there are any interesting views.
We just did a short walk out into the dunes, about 1.6 miles total, just meandering about. And all right at about sea level, give or take a few feet. We did not wander out to the tallest dunes; we’ll save that for the next trip. Lots of critter tracks in the sand; these had to be fresh as the wind yesterday morning should have erased anything from the previous days. We also spotted tracks made by a wheeled suitcase of some sort. I told Lynn that it was probably a photographer dragging his or her equipment through the sand. Sure enough a little while later over by the taller dunes I spotted a lady in what I first though was a white dress and a guy with the camera equipment case. They had obviously been out for an early morning shoot. I used the zoom on the SX50 to get a closer look. Hmmm, not a white dress but rather a white robe. Ahhh, so probably a bikini…or less… shoot.
We just meandered about the sand, sort of aimlessly, but taking in the views, looking at the tracks in the sand, watching the tourists and hoping for any kind of critter sightings. Sadly no critters, but it was still a fun little romp and made for some interesting photos. I think this is an area that I would like to explore more but closer to the golden hour for better light. We did not know it at the time, but this was yet another Star Wars episode IV filming location. Turns out that one of the Tatooine scenes with the droids was filmed here. While the dunes have obviously shifted countless times over the past 40 years since the filming (has it been that long!) the mountains in the distance are still the same and I was able to line up the ridge line from the movie scenes with some of my photos. Pretty cool as that is one of my favorite movies of all time.
We just did a short walk out into the dunes, about 1.6 miles total, just meandering about. And all right at about sea level, give or take a few feet. We did not wander out to the tallest dunes; we’ll save that for the next trip. Lots of critter tracks in the sand; these had to be fresh as the wind yesterday morning should have erased anything from the previous days. We also spotted tracks made by a wheeled suitcase of some sort. I told Lynn that it was probably a photographer dragging his or her equipment through the sand. Sure enough a little while later over by the taller dunes I spotted a lady in what I first though was a white dress and a guy with the camera equipment case. They had obviously been out for an early morning shoot. I used the zoom on the SX50 to get a closer look. Hmmm, not a white dress but rather a white robe. Ahhh, so probably a bikini…or less… shoot.
We just meandered about the sand, sort of aimlessly, but taking in the views, looking at the tracks in the sand, watching the tourists and hoping for any kind of critter sightings. Sadly no critters, but it was still a fun little romp and made for some interesting photos. I think this is an area that I would like to explore more but closer to the golden hour for better light. We did not know it at the time, but this was yet another Star Wars episode IV filming location. Turns out that one of the Tatooine scenes with the droids was filmed here. While the dunes have obviously shifted countless times over the past 40 years since the filming (has it been that long!) the mountains in the distance are still the same and I was able to line up the ridge line from the movie scenes with some of my photos. Pretty cool as that is one of my favorite movies of all time.
We ended up making a lollipop route through the dunes, walking mostly only the high points of the sand. We ended up back where we started near the clump of mesquite trees so I paused to get a photo or two of the twisted trunks against the sandy background. Then it was back to the Santa Fe to shake the sand out of my boots before heading to our next adventure.
Links to the photos from our little walk through the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and to the Ramblr track for this morning’s walk.
Once we were packed up we made the short drive to the access road to Mosaic Canyon. The access road rose noticeably as we turned off route 190, just west of Stovepipe Wells. The trailhead is perched at about 1000 feet above sea level so the drive was uphill over the 2.4 miles along the access road; not steep just up. Another bumpy ride up a dirt road to get to the trailhead. We arrived right about 10:00, so our latest start getting on the trail. The parking lot was packed and the vehicles were rather haphazardly arrayed. But I was able to negotiate around the erratically parked cars and found a spot near the trailhead sign for the Santa Fe. We again donned our hydration packs and wide-brimmed hats and marched to the trailhead.
Links to the photos from our little walk through the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and to the Ramblr track for this morning’s walk.
Once we were packed up we made the short drive to the access road to Mosaic Canyon. The access road rose noticeably as we turned off route 190, just west of Stovepipe Wells. The trailhead is perched at about 1000 feet above sea level so the drive was uphill over the 2.4 miles along the access road; not steep just up. Another bumpy ride up a dirt road to get to the trailhead. We arrived right about 10:00, so our latest start getting on the trail. The parking lot was packed and the vehicles were rather haphazardly arrayed. But I was able to negotiate around the erratically parked cars and found a spot near the trailhead sign for the Santa Fe. We again donned our hydration packs and wide-brimmed hats and marched to the trailhead.
Due to the later start compared with our previous two canyon hikes, we were part of the herd of hikers heading into Mosaic Canyon this morning. I would not say that the trail was jammed, but there were plenty of folks out today including lots of families with kids. I guess this must be a truly family friendly hike. The initial entry on to the trail is through a wide wash so plenty of room to maneuver around the slower groups. Before we knew it we were in the first narrows. No wonder this is such a popular hike, you hardly have to walk at all before you reach this very pretty cut through the rock. It was a bit of a bottleneck here with all the folks but that just gave us more time to study the natural mosaic patterns and the interesting contours in the rocks. The narrows provides a testament to the power of water that carved these twisted narrows and polished the rock face to a fairly smooth surface.
Once through the first narrows, the trail snakes around a little uphill section then opens up into a large amphitheater. There was quite the crowd of folks at this point, not huge masses of people of course, just several small groups scattered about, some relaxing, some studying the rocks, certainly many just hiking through the wash or exploring the numerous social trails that worked along the rock ridge to the west of the main trail. The sight of all these folks just enjoying the day in this one area of the canyon brought to mind the “beach party” scene we had witnessed at the top of Nevada Falls in Yosemite and again below Tokopah Falls in Sequoia. There was a group of 20-somethings up on top of the rocks to our right playing Frisbee. The kids on top of the rock were tossing the disc to their friends down in the wash. The problem was that the kids down below were having trouble returning the toy to their buddies. And that led to our one “stupid people trick” that we witnessed in the park (we usually see a few of these during our visits to the National Parks, often involving close encounters with the mega fauna). Since the one kid could not throw the Frisbee up to the top of the big rock, he decided to try and climb up the steeply sloping face to get closer to his friends. As he tried to go up he caused a few large rocks to tumble down the slope right at the young lady who was trailing behind him. Somehow the cantaloupe-sized boulders missed her otherwise she could have been severely injured from both the impact of the rocks and the likely fall she would have taken. That was a close call.
Once through the first narrows, the trail snakes around a little uphill section then opens up into a large amphitheater. There was quite the crowd of folks at this point, not huge masses of people of course, just several small groups scattered about, some relaxing, some studying the rocks, certainly many just hiking through the wash or exploring the numerous social trails that worked along the rock ridge to the west of the main trail. The sight of all these folks just enjoying the day in this one area of the canyon brought to mind the “beach party” scene we had witnessed at the top of Nevada Falls in Yosemite and again below Tokopah Falls in Sequoia. There was a group of 20-somethings up on top of the rocks to our right playing Frisbee. The kids on top of the rock were tossing the disc to their friends down in the wash. The problem was that the kids down below were having trouble returning the toy to their buddies. And that led to our one “stupid people trick” that we witnessed in the park (we usually see a few of these during our visits to the National Parks, often involving close encounters with the mega fauna). Since the one kid could not throw the Frisbee up to the top of the big rock, he decided to try and climb up the steeply sloping face to get closer to his friends. As he tried to go up he caused a few large rocks to tumble down the slope right at the young lady who was trailing behind him. Somehow the cantaloupe-sized boulders missed her otherwise she could have been severely injured from both the impact of the rocks and the likely fall she would have taken. That was a close call.
After we saw that there was no death and destruction for the Frisbee kids (at least for now) we continued on through the amphitheater. The social trails worked parallel to the main wash but went up into the rocks to high spots (like where the Frisbee kids were hanging out). Lots of traffic on those trails; actually seemed like there were more folks on the social trails than on the main trail in the wash. I guess the lure of the social trails was the view as they ran higher in the canyon wall. Unfortunately for the folks on the social trail that paralleled the wash up the canyon the two trails don’t reconnect. The social trail comes to an abrupt halt about 15 feet above the level of the wash with no way down into the wash. It seemed that backtracking was the only way to get back to the main trail in the wash. This had the potential for additional stupid-people tricks as there were folks at the end of the social trail weighing the options of trying to climb down, but their friends in the wash were providing sound advice that backtracking was the prudent path.
The crowd thinned out a lot as we exited the amphitheater and by the time we reached the first real obstacle in the canyon the tourists had all but disappeared and left the trail to the hikers. There were a series of narrows and falls as we continued up the canyon. Some were minor and were easy to negotiate while others had detours to provide access to the canyon beyond. The description of the trail in Hiking Death Valley was very valuable as it provided the needed clues to get around the bigger falls that had detours an did not require climbing skills. Of course we had to climb back down these same obstacles on the return hike although many of the smaller falls were very easy to get down as they were simply Mother Nature’s polished rock sliding boards. Yep, just sit and slide right down to the next level, just like Digonnet suggested in the book.
So for the third day in a row we have found a very nice canyon to hike through. Like the previous two days, the trail ran uphill through the canyon but the incline was gradual enough to not be an issue. As mentioned, there were more obstacles in Mosaic Canyon but most were easy to climb over or detour around. Like Fall Canyon, our hike ended when we reached a tall fall that did not have an easy work around. Our turnaround point was about 2 miles up the canyon, so this was the shortest of the canyon hikes that we did but it still packed a lot in. Not too much in the way of flowers, but there were a few critters about. Lots of butterflies (mainly the orange Sagebrush Checkerspot) and a few birds including some sort of swifts or swallows flying near the canyon walls (perhaps Cliff Swallows). The rocks were the real stars of the hike through Mosaic Canyon. The namesake mosaic are most notable at the start of the hike around the first narrows. These are truly amazing natural formations. Some of the panels look like they were crafted for the backsplash in a high-end kitchen. Then there are the narrows with the polished rock that is like marble in places. Again, simply beautiful. Of course there are wonderful colors in the rocks throughout the canyon, dominated by the reds and oranges like we saw in Fall Canyon.
The crowd thinned out a lot as we exited the amphitheater and by the time we reached the first real obstacle in the canyon the tourists had all but disappeared and left the trail to the hikers. There were a series of narrows and falls as we continued up the canyon. Some were minor and were easy to negotiate while others had detours to provide access to the canyon beyond. The description of the trail in Hiking Death Valley was very valuable as it provided the needed clues to get around the bigger falls that had detours an did not require climbing skills. Of course we had to climb back down these same obstacles on the return hike although many of the smaller falls were very easy to get down as they were simply Mother Nature’s polished rock sliding boards. Yep, just sit and slide right down to the next level, just like Digonnet suggested in the book.
So for the third day in a row we have found a very nice canyon to hike through. Like the previous two days, the trail ran uphill through the canyon but the incline was gradual enough to not be an issue. As mentioned, there were more obstacles in Mosaic Canyon but most were easy to climb over or detour around. Like Fall Canyon, our hike ended when we reached a tall fall that did not have an easy work around. Our turnaround point was about 2 miles up the canyon, so this was the shortest of the canyon hikes that we did but it still packed a lot in. Not too much in the way of flowers, but there were a few critters about. Lots of butterflies (mainly the orange Sagebrush Checkerspot) and a few birds including some sort of swifts or swallows flying near the canyon walls (perhaps Cliff Swallows). The rocks were the real stars of the hike through Mosaic Canyon. The namesake mosaic are most notable at the start of the hike around the first narrows. These are truly amazing natural formations. Some of the panels look like they were crafted for the backsplash in a high-end kitchen. Then there are the narrows with the polished rock that is like marble in places. Again, simply beautiful. Of course there are wonderful colors in the rocks throughout the canyon, dominated by the reds and oranges like we saw in Fall Canyon.
The return trip down the canyon was fairly quick with the gravity assist. Hey, downhill can be fun! We enjoyed the narrows and the mosaics as we passed through, getting a different perspective from this direction and with the change in the lighting. We were back at the jumble of cars in the parking lot by 12:30. It was tight getting out of the lot as the vehicles were still sort of parked every which way with little concern for an exit plan, but we managed to get the Santa Fe heading back down the dirt and toward sea level again.
That’s three excellent canyon hikes over the course of three day in Death Valley. While there were similarities, each hike and each trail had very distinctive characteristics. Since a goal of this first trip was to get a fairly wide sampling of the areas in the park I would have to say that we were wildly successful in that regard with these three hikes. Here’s the link to the photo gallery from Mosaic Canyon,the Ramblr track for the hike and the review.
We still had plenty of time for another stop or two in the park so we turned west onto route 190 and started toward the Panamints. Since the folks we met in Golden Canyon had made such a positive recommendation we figured we would take in the view from Aguereberry Point. This drive would allow us to continue our general exploration and cover ground that we have not yet seen. After a quick pit stop at the Emigrant picnic area, we turned left off of 190 onto the Emigrant Canyon Road. Paved road, but narrow with no shoulder along many stretches. Too bad as that meant no place to stop and enjoy the wildflowers that were blooming in the area. But the traffic was very light (at most we saw three other cars on the road during our tour), so we were able to slow down and take in the beauty of the bloom. I did snap a couple of quick photos from the car along one long straight stretch of the road so that I knew no one would be driving up behind us. We found it interesting that the flowers seemed to be thickest right along the edge of the road (we had noticed that in other places as well). Maybe they flourish there due to drainage from the road surface?
That’s three excellent canyon hikes over the course of three day in Death Valley. While there were similarities, each hike and each trail had very distinctive characteristics. Since a goal of this first trip was to get a fairly wide sampling of the areas in the park I would have to say that we were wildly successful in that regard with these three hikes. Here’s the link to the photo gallery from Mosaic Canyon,the Ramblr track for the hike and the review.
We still had plenty of time for another stop or two in the park so we turned west onto route 190 and started toward the Panamints. Since the folks we met in Golden Canyon had made such a positive recommendation we figured we would take in the view from Aguereberry Point. This drive would allow us to continue our general exploration and cover ground that we have not yet seen. After a quick pit stop at the Emigrant picnic area, we turned left off of 190 onto the Emigrant Canyon Road. Paved road, but narrow with no shoulder along many stretches. Too bad as that meant no place to stop and enjoy the wildflowers that were blooming in the area. But the traffic was very light (at most we saw three other cars on the road during our tour), so we were able to slow down and take in the beauty of the bloom. I did snap a couple of quick photos from the car along one long straight stretch of the road so that I knew no one would be driving up behind us. We found it interesting that the flowers seemed to be thickest right along the edge of the road (we had noticed that in other places as well). Maybe they flourish there due to drainage from the road surface?
We’re just tooling along the Emigrant Canyon Road, enjoying the views. Completely different landscape here than we’re experienced anywhere else in the park. We’re driving through a wide prairie boarded by small rolling hills with other hills and mounds scattered about. A bit more green here at about 5000 feet above sea level; lots of shrubs and bushes dotted the flat expanse and the hills. While we were enjoying the scenery, I was also watching for the turn toward Aguereberry Point. Finally spotted a sign with the half-mile warning. Hmmmm….that seemed like a very quick half mile as I zipped right past my left turn. I found a little wide spot just up the road and with the complete lack of traffic I quickly executed a u-turn and was heading back to our side road. Due to our overshoot, Lynn was able to spot some old structures off in the distance and a quick glance at the map showed this to be the Eureka Mine site which is right on our way to Aguereberry Point. That seemed worthy of a short stop.
The folks from Gower Gulch were right, the Aguereberry Point Road was in fine shape. There were a few sections of washboard but since there was no one else on the road I invoked dirt road driving rules which as everyone knows means that you get to drive on the smooth side of the road as long as you stay out of the way of oncoming traffic. Well, that’s the way I was taught back in West Virginia anyway. No worries as the road is nice and wide with plenty of visibility out here on the flat; besides we did not pass another vehicle the rest of the time on this dirt road.
We took the short side road leading to the mine. This driveway is a narrow, so hopefully the lack of traffic will continue when we exit as there is really no place for two cars to pass. When we reached the small parking area there were three other vehicles, a pick-up, a Prius and a rental camper van, but no people. Obviously they were out exploring. We parked and headed off toward the historical site to do the same.
The folks from Gower Gulch were right, the Aguereberry Point Road was in fine shape. There were a few sections of washboard but since there was no one else on the road I invoked dirt road driving rules which as everyone knows means that you get to drive on the smooth side of the road as long as you stay out of the way of oncoming traffic. Well, that’s the way I was taught back in West Virginia anyway. No worries as the road is nice and wide with plenty of visibility out here on the flat; besides we did not pass another vehicle the rest of the time on this dirt road.
We took the short side road leading to the mine. This driveway is a narrow, so hopefully the lack of traffic will continue when we exit as there is really no place for two cars to pass. When we reached the small parking area there were three other vehicles, a pick-up, a Prius and a rental camper van, but no people. Obviously they were out exploring. We parked and headed off toward the historical site to do the same.
This was a very interesting stop. The mine site is mostly on a little hill known as Providence Ridge where the Eureka Mine was dug and processing facilities built. There were still a few relics lying about and the remains of a few structures. Trails crisscrossed the area allowing up close access to most of the interesting items. An interpretive sign near the parking lot provided a little history of the mine as well as some information on the more recent inhabitants in the mine, the endangered Townsend Big-eared Bat that live in the mine during the winter months.
The short story of the history is that the Pete Aguereberry established a claim on the site in 1905 and mined gold here until his death in 1945. It is estimated that he extracted $175,000 worth of gold from the mine. I found a brief historical summary about Pete Aguereberry and his Eureka Mine on the NPS website that I’ve included here.
We walked around the mine site including up to the top of Providence Ridge. This took us past the remains of the Cashier Mill which was built in 1909 to extract gold by first pulverizing the ore then putting it through a chemical process using mercury and cyanide. Yikes! Those are not pleasant substances at all. We walked around the mill and up the trails to the top. There were clumps up wildflowers along the way; bright red Indian paintbrush and little lavender blooms that maybe Davy Gilia (not sure of the identification, but they were pretty). The views from the top of the ridge were great in all directions. We could also see Aguereberry’s humble homestead from the ridge; a dilapidated collection of small shacks and out buildings. Lynn spotted two Chuckwallas along the trial. She said that I nearly stepped on one of them! I caught a glimpse of a little bird skipping around in the boulders strewn along the side of the hill. It blended in so well with the color of the rocks that it was hard to spot with the camera, but I finally got a couple decent photos. I think it was a Rock Wren. Once back down the at the base of the hill we walked around to the east end of the ridge past the main entrance of the mine and continued on to the north side of the ridge where there were a couple adits and the abandoned hulk of old car. No idea what the car used to be as any distinguishing marks at long since been stripped away and the poor thing had obviously been the main attraction at the desert shooting gallery for decades as it was riddled with bullet holes. Still it had some photographic interest remaining. We decided not to walk down to Pete’s old camp and instead circled back the way we came and returned to the parking lot. The pickup at moved on and the folks in the rental RV were making lunch, but the Prius seemed to be on its own. We piled in the Santa Fe and headed on to Pete’s “Great View.”
Here are the photos from our short stop at Eureka Mine,the Ramblr track from our meanderings around the site and the TA review.
The short story of the history is that the Pete Aguereberry established a claim on the site in 1905 and mined gold here until his death in 1945. It is estimated that he extracted $175,000 worth of gold from the mine. I found a brief historical summary about Pete Aguereberry and his Eureka Mine on the NPS website that I’ve included here.
We walked around the mine site including up to the top of Providence Ridge. This took us past the remains of the Cashier Mill which was built in 1909 to extract gold by first pulverizing the ore then putting it through a chemical process using mercury and cyanide. Yikes! Those are not pleasant substances at all. We walked around the mill and up the trails to the top. There were clumps up wildflowers along the way; bright red Indian paintbrush and little lavender blooms that maybe Davy Gilia (not sure of the identification, but they were pretty). The views from the top of the ridge were great in all directions. We could also see Aguereberry’s humble homestead from the ridge; a dilapidated collection of small shacks and out buildings. Lynn spotted two Chuckwallas along the trial. She said that I nearly stepped on one of them! I caught a glimpse of a little bird skipping around in the boulders strewn along the side of the hill. It blended in so well with the color of the rocks that it was hard to spot with the camera, but I finally got a couple decent photos. I think it was a Rock Wren. Once back down the at the base of the hill we walked around to the east end of the ridge past the main entrance of the mine and continued on to the north side of the ridge where there were a couple adits and the abandoned hulk of old car. No idea what the car used to be as any distinguishing marks at long since been stripped away and the poor thing had obviously been the main attraction at the desert shooting gallery for decades as it was riddled with bullet holes. Still it had some photographic interest remaining. We decided not to walk down to Pete’s old camp and instead circled back the way we came and returned to the parking lot. The pickup at moved on and the folks in the rental RV were making lunch, but the Prius seemed to be on its own. We piled in the Santa Fe and headed on to Pete’s “Great View.”
Here are the photos from our short stop at Eureka Mine,the Ramblr track from our meanderings around the site and the TA review.
On to Aguereberry Point. The road continued to be in good shape and climbed gradually, for the most part, to the view point. There was only one place where I was glad to have had a little extra ground clearance, which was in the only section that had any significantly tight turns combined with a short and relatively steep climb (nothing serious but noticeably different in character from the rest of the road. For most of the nearly 5 mile drive to the point we were going through the prairie and rolling terrain that we had observed along the Emigrant Canyon Road and around Eureka Mine, but the last short section (a little over a quarter mile) was a steeper, uphill drive along the edge of a steep drop off to starboard. Not Lynn’s favorite situation so I made a point of telling that I have two hands on the wheel and was concentrating on the road, not the view.
About the time we made the turn up the ridge to Aguereberry point we passed a young couple and their pooches hiking in. Wow, that’s quite a haul from wherever they started. We finally figured it out on the return drive as we passed the Eureka Mine site that they were the owners of the Prius. Good move to walk in; while the road was in excellent shape and we had no issues in our little SUV, I’m thinking that their tiny hybrid might have bottomed out in the one tight section.
The only traffic we had seen since we left the mine were the two hikers so I was a little surprised when we reached Aguereberry Point and there was a Jeep parked there. At first I thought it might have been the hiker’s vehicle but an older gentleman climbed out to greet us. Seems that he and his wife had come up here to enjoy the view and were now skyping with their daughter as there was good signal here at the top of the ridge. Ain’t technology grand! We chatted a bit and he pointed out a few key features that we were viewing. Lynn had already wandered off to enjoy the view so the gent suggested that I do likewise. And what a view it was! Great vistas in all directions. We walked from the parking area out along the rocky point. It was cool here at a little over 6400 feet elevation, but sunny and no wind so overall very comfortable. As I was walking just out of site of the parking area I heard the older gent greeting the two young hikers. He congratulated them on making it to the point. It sounded like that must have talked earlier when passing on the road. The young couple then set off with their dogs and set up shop in the rocks. I heard the young lady say that she needed some time here to finish her homework. Now that’s dedication!
About the time we made the turn up the ridge to Aguereberry point we passed a young couple and their pooches hiking in. Wow, that’s quite a haul from wherever they started. We finally figured it out on the return drive as we passed the Eureka Mine site that they were the owners of the Prius. Good move to walk in; while the road was in excellent shape and we had no issues in our little SUV, I’m thinking that their tiny hybrid might have bottomed out in the one tight section.
The only traffic we had seen since we left the mine were the two hikers so I was a little surprised when we reached Aguereberry Point and there was a Jeep parked there. At first I thought it might have been the hiker’s vehicle but an older gentleman climbed out to greet us. Seems that he and his wife had come up here to enjoy the view and were now skyping with their daughter as there was good signal here at the top of the ridge. Ain’t technology grand! We chatted a bit and he pointed out a few key features that we were viewing. Lynn had already wandered off to enjoy the view so the gent suggested that I do likewise. And what a view it was! Great vistas in all directions. We walked from the parking area out along the rocky point. It was cool here at a little over 6400 feet elevation, but sunny and no wind so overall very comfortable. As I was walking just out of site of the parking area I heard the older gent greeting the two young hikers. He congratulated them on making it to the point. It sounded like that must have talked earlier when passing on the road. The young couple then set off with their dogs and set up shop in the rocks. I heard the young lady say that she needed some time here to finish her homework. Now that’s dedication!
The big views from the point were well worth the drive out here. Looking to the south and east was Badwater Basin. The geology of the area is laid out in grand detail from this vantage point, the colors, the contours, the textures and the strata running in all different orientations. The closer views were also interesting particularly of the bright hues of the lichens on the boulders right along the trail; oranges, greens and grays. I spotted a raven or two cruising the skies around the point, but nothing else in terms of critters. The big black birds were soaring over the valley but below us much of the time which was sort of on interesting perspective.
Lynn and I met back up at the parking area and figured this was a good spot for a team photo around the Aguereberry Point sign. The old gent (OK, he was not that old, mid-60s I reckon) offered to take the photo which made life much easier. That ended up being a very nice image with Badwater as a backdrop below us. After the photo shoot we paused for a trailmix break, much to the delight of one of the Ravens who flew in almost immediately after we opened the bag looking for a handout. Sorry, Nevermore, we don’t feed the wildlife. He was persistent but still did not get a treat. Maybe the next set of tourists will oblige.
It was 3:00 by now so after our snack we decided it was time to head back down the mountain. The folks in the Jeep decided it was time to head out as well and we ended up behind them. Once at the bottom end of the steep section leading down from the point the Jeep pulled over. I thought perhaps they were having a mechanical issue but the old guy just wanted us to get in front since he would be driving slow. OK, I appreciate that consideration but no one would be setting any land speed records on this road. But sure enough it did not take long before I could no longer see the Jeep in the rear-view mirror.
Here's the link to the photo gallery from our stop at Aguereberry Point. (review)
Lynn and I met back up at the parking area and figured this was a good spot for a team photo around the Aguereberry Point sign. The old gent (OK, he was not that old, mid-60s I reckon) offered to take the photo which made life much easier. That ended up being a very nice image with Badwater as a backdrop below us. After the photo shoot we paused for a trailmix break, much to the delight of one of the Ravens who flew in almost immediately after we opened the bag looking for a handout. Sorry, Nevermore, we don’t feed the wildlife. He was persistent but still did not get a treat. Maybe the next set of tourists will oblige.
It was 3:00 by now so after our snack we decided it was time to head back down the mountain. The folks in the Jeep decided it was time to head out as well and we ended up behind them. Once at the bottom end of the steep section leading down from the point the Jeep pulled over. I thought perhaps they were having a mechanical issue but the old guy just wanted us to get in front since he would be driving slow. OK, I appreciate that consideration but no one would be setting any land speed records on this road. But sure enough it did not take long before I could no longer see the Jeep in the rear-view mirror.
Here's the link to the photo gallery from our stop at Aguereberry Point. (review)
The trip back down the mountain was uneventful, but provided us with more pleasant views across the high prairie. If I recall correctly we passed one other vehicle on the return trip to the Emigrant Canyon Road, before we reached the mine site and one near the paved road. When we drove by Harrisburg we could see that the rental RV had moved along from the mine site parking area but that the Prius was still there. This is when we had the “ah-ha!” moment that this was probably the hiker kids car. I had inadvertently left the Ramblr app running so I got an interesting track of our drive. Other than the relatively flat section between Harrisburg and the Emigrant Canyon Road the route drops precipitously from Aguereberry point (6400 feet) back down to sea level near Stovepipe Wells then gradually continues to descend as we drove on toward Furnace Creek. Time wise, the drive from Aguereberry Point back down to Harmony Borax Works (so almost to Furnace Creek) took us an hour and fifteen minutes. There was basically no traffic anywhere along the route, which was a little surprising. I guess I was expecting bigger crowds out running around. We used the drive time to makes plans for Monday morning since we had all day to play before having to be back on Las Vegas for our late night flight. Lynn decided that she wanted to try a morning horseback ride. Perfect. I’ll head to the links.
Once back down in the valley, we made a quick stop at the Harmony Borax Works. It was about 4:15 when we pulled into the parking lot and when we climbed out of the car there was a noticeable increase in the temperature since we left Aguereberry Point. So after dropping about 6500 feet in elevation the temperature was pushing the 90 degree mark.
We only needed about 20 minutes to stroll along the less than half-mile interpretative trail through the old mill site. There are two key exhibits in addition to the informational signage, the wagons pulled by the 20-mule teams and the remains of the mill which included the old steam engine boiler. The mill sits above the parking area on a little rise so it affords a nice view of the surrounding area. But this is Death Valley, so it is still about 200 feet below sea level.
The markers arrayed along the trail through the mill provided details on the history of the borax industry in Death Valley. Surprisingly, the Harmony Borax Works and the 20-mule team wagon operation used to transport the minerals were only in operation for about five years. This was a very short time considering how enduring a part of the American west the Borax mining operations and the huge mule-drawn wagon have become.
Once back down in the valley, we made a quick stop at the Harmony Borax Works. It was about 4:15 when we pulled into the parking lot and when we climbed out of the car there was a noticeable increase in the temperature since we left Aguereberry Point. So after dropping about 6500 feet in elevation the temperature was pushing the 90 degree mark.
We only needed about 20 minutes to stroll along the less than half-mile interpretative trail through the old mill site. There are two key exhibits in addition to the informational signage, the wagons pulled by the 20-mule teams and the remains of the mill which included the old steam engine boiler. The mill sits above the parking area on a little rise so it affords a nice view of the surrounding area. But this is Death Valley, so it is still about 200 feet below sea level.
The markers arrayed along the trail through the mill provided details on the history of the borax industry in Death Valley. Surprisingly, the Harmony Borax Works and the 20-mule team wagon operation used to transport the minerals were only in operation for about five years. This was a very short time considering how enduring a part of the American west the Borax mining operations and the huge mule-drawn wagon have become.
William Coleman built the Harmony plant in late 1883 about two years after the discovery of Borax near Greenland (the original name of Furnace Creek). At full capacity, the plant produced three tons of borax daily and employed 40 men. However the plant was shutdown during the summer months as the temperatures were so high that the processing water would cool sufficiently to allow the suspended borax to crystallize so the operation was moved to the Amargosa Borax Plant.
The Harmony operations was also famous for its method of moving the processed borax to market, the giant ore wagons and water tank pulled by the 20-mule teams. The wagons were huge with the rear wheels being 7 feet in diameter. But they were only on business until 1888 when Coleman’s financial empire collapsed and the Harmony works were shutdown for good. Still an interesting snapshot of history and some interesting images for the camera. There are a few additional images from Harmony in the “around Furnace Creek” gallery. (Ramblr track)
We were back at the Ranch a little after 4:30. After we had dumped our gear in the room we walked over to the horse stable so that Lynn could reserve her morning ride and then made a quick walk through the Borax Mining Museum. There are some very interesting artifacts and photographs in the museum and these exhibits provide a very good overview of the history of the mining industry and culture in Death Valley. There were a couple signs that I found particularly of interest, both concerning the 20-mule team wagons. Rather than trying to remember the details, I simply took photos of the signs which are included below.
The Harmony operations was also famous for its method of moving the processed borax to market, the giant ore wagons and water tank pulled by the 20-mule teams. The wagons were huge with the rear wheels being 7 feet in diameter. But they were only on business until 1888 when Coleman’s financial empire collapsed and the Harmony works were shutdown for good. Still an interesting snapshot of history and some interesting images for the camera. There are a few additional images from Harmony in the “around Furnace Creek” gallery. (Ramblr track)
We were back at the Ranch a little after 4:30. After we had dumped our gear in the room we walked over to the horse stable so that Lynn could reserve her morning ride and then made a quick walk through the Borax Mining Museum. There are some very interesting artifacts and photographs in the museum and these exhibits provide a very good overview of the history of the mining industry and culture in Death Valley. There were a couple signs that I found particularly of interest, both concerning the 20-mule team wagons. Rather than trying to remember the details, I simply took photos of the signs which are included below.
I spotted some interesting blackbirds in the lawn around the museum; they were very distinctive due to their white eyes. I later figured out that that were Brewer’s Blackbirds. We made a quick pass through of the general store to get something to accompany our dinner; I had spotted cut carrots and celery during my beer run the other day, so that seemed like a good side dish. Then it was back to the room for dinner on the balcony. We were kicked back in our rockers about 5:00 with a cold Detour Double IPA as well as cold pizza, veggies and dip, cheese and crackers…basically all of our remaining provisions which worked out just about perfectly for our final dinner in Death Valley for this trip. I think that the only thing we had left other than trailmix and a few granola bars was the veggie dip (unfortunately all the general store offered was a larger container). We started getting our gear packed as tomorrow is our travel day, but we still have most of Monday to play. We cleaned up for the evening then finished up the last of the beer on the balcony, ending with a Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. A nice finish to the day. We spent the evening on the balcony, watching the stars fill in the dark sky as the twilight faded to night. This was the best night of the week for star gazing, even considering we were sitting in the middle of Furnace Creek. Next trip we need to get away from Furnace Creek for better viewing.
Day 6 – Monday, March 28 – Catching up on the things we missed. We’re going to divide and conquer this morning as Lynn will be going out on a trail ride at 0800 and I will be going over to the golf course as soon as it opens to get in an early morning round on the links. We were up before 0500 in part because we crashed early last night. This gave us some time to continue packing and have a leisurely breakfast. I left for the golf course about 6:25. It is walking distance from the lodge to the clubhouse; that’s one of the nice things about the complex here at the Ranch at Furnace Creek, everything is conveniently located and just a short walk away.
I was the only golfer at the clubhouse at this time of morning and by 6:46 I was taking a practice swing on the first tee. Total cost was $90 to walk 18 with a handcart, rental clubs, two sleeves of cheap Pinnacles (I like to have a lot of ammo) and tees. This was an odd set of rental clubs. Driver, 3, 4, 5 woods then SW, PW, 9, 8 and 7 irons plus a putter. A longer iron would have been nice to have. The 4W and 5W were a bit clunky. But beggars can’t be choosers and I was really out here more for the novelty of playing the course with the lowest elevation. The sign near the first tee indicated 214 feet below sea level.
It was a lovely morning for golf. Not a cloud in the bright, blue sky. No wind to speak of, at least not yet, just a very light breeze and the temperature was already about 70 F, so I was very comfortable in shorts and a golf shirt. Oddly enough, I think this is the first time that I’ve worn shorts while in Death Valley. The course is actually very nice and has an interesting layout. Not a lot of trouble on the course, although there are a couple of water hazards and one or two tight tee shots but otherwise the course is fairly open. There were a couple spots that the routing of the holes was a little convoluted so I had to look for the markers along the cart path to find the next tee box but the course was generally well marked. But there were a couple confusing points, such as after hitting a nice tee-shot down the left side of the fairway on number 17, I was not sure which green that I should be approaching. The trees screening 17 green made it appear to belong to another hole while number 1 green was sitting right out in the open. With no other golfers around there were no clues as to who was playing which hole, but I was eventually able to discern that I needed to hit over the trees to get to the appropriate green, which I did quite nicely and walked away with a par on that short par 4.
Day 6 – Monday, March 28 – Catching up on the things we missed. We’re going to divide and conquer this morning as Lynn will be going out on a trail ride at 0800 and I will be going over to the golf course as soon as it opens to get in an early morning round on the links. We were up before 0500 in part because we crashed early last night. This gave us some time to continue packing and have a leisurely breakfast. I left for the golf course about 6:25. It is walking distance from the lodge to the clubhouse; that’s one of the nice things about the complex here at the Ranch at Furnace Creek, everything is conveniently located and just a short walk away.
I was the only golfer at the clubhouse at this time of morning and by 6:46 I was taking a practice swing on the first tee. Total cost was $90 to walk 18 with a handcart, rental clubs, two sleeves of cheap Pinnacles (I like to have a lot of ammo) and tees. This was an odd set of rental clubs. Driver, 3, 4, 5 woods then SW, PW, 9, 8 and 7 irons plus a putter. A longer iron would have been nice to have. The 4W and 5W were a bit clunky. But beggars can’t be choosers and I was really out here more for the novelty of playing the course with the lowest elevation. The sign near the first tee indicated 214 feet below sea level.
It was a lovely morning for golf. Not a cloud in the bright, blue sky. No wind to speak of, at least not yet, just a very light breeze and the temperature was already about 70 F, so I was very comfortable in shorts and a golf shirt. Oddly enough, I think this is the first time that I’ve worn shorts while in Death Valley. The course is actually very nice and has an interesting layout. Not a lot of trouble on the course, although there are a couple of water hazards and one or two tight tee shots but otherwise the course is fairly open. There were a couple spots that the routing of the holes was a little convoluted so I had to look for the markers along the cart path to find the next tee box but the course was generally well marked. But there were a couple confusing points, such as after hitting a nice tee-shot down the left side of the fairway on number 17, I was not sure which green that I should be approaching. The trees screening 17 green made it appear to belong to another hole while number 1 green was sitting right out in the open. With no other golfers around there were no clues as to who was playing which hole, but I was eventually able to discern that I needed to hit over the trees to get to the appropriate green, which I did quite nicely and walked away with a par on that short par 4.
I always enjoy being the first player out on the course in the morning as I can set a nice pace. I’m not a fast player but I like to just keep trundling along. Today was particularly grand and there was no one behind me for the entire round. I did not see another golfer until I was nearly through with the round. So I was able to play at a good clip, but still had time to replay a shot or two, enjoy the scenery (the course is in a pretty setting, very lush and green and affords beautiful views of the Panamint Range to the west) and look for critters especially around the water hazards. All the animal sightings this morning were birds and mostly waterfowl, the most interesting of which were Rudy Ducks that I spotted at two of the ponds. Overall the course was in pretty good shape except for the greens which were atrocious and varied wildly in condition and speed. There were a couple that were smooth and rolled very nice, but most were just pitiful with lots of bare areas and very bumpy. I had a few nice runs at birdie but nothing was dropping on these ragged greens. I basically just invoked the “2-putt rule” as the greens were such a mess.
All things considered I played pretty well and was done in fairly short order in just over two-and-a-half hours. Not bad as that included taking some photos, looking for birds and replaying a couple shots. The swing tips that Kirk provided during the recent Arizona golf trip really paid off as I was making good contact with my irons and hit several nice approach shots and generally drove the ball well all day. I got into a good groove on the second hole, a par three that was playing about 140 yards. From the tee it looked there was water in play. I would have liked to have hit a 6 iron since the ball does not carry as far at this low elevation, but I did not have one, so I pulled the seven and made a smooth swing resulting in crisp contact. Felt great. The ball was flying right at the pin and ended up just on the front edge of the green about 12 feet for birdie. I walked off with par and was quite pleased. That was the start of a nice round. I carded a 79 based on the better ball and the 2-putt rule, but worst case my score would have been about 85, so I was happy with my play. A net under par round regardless for a bogey-golfer.
All things considered I played pretty well and was done in fairly short order in just over two-and-a-half hours. Not bad as that included taking some photos, looking for birds and replaying a couple shots. The swing tips that Kirk provided during the recent Arizona golf trip really paid off as I was making good contact with my irons and hit several nice approach shots and generally drove the ball well all day. I got into a good groove on the second hole, a par three that was playing about 140 yards. From the tee it looked there was water in play. I would have liked to have hit a 6 iron since the ball does not carry as far at this low elevation, but I did not have one, so I pulled the seven and made a smooth swing resulting in crisp contact. Felt great. The ball was flying right at the pin and ended up just on the front edge of the green about 12 feet for birdie. I walked off with par and was quite pleased. That was the start of a nice round. I carded a 79 based on the better ball and the 2-putt rule, but worst case my score would have been about 85, so I was happy with my play. A net under par round regardless for a bogey-golfer.
I finished my round just in time as the wind really kicked up as I walked onto number 18 tee. It was like someone flipped on a light switch as there was only a light breeze while I was playing up 17 but the conditions changed such that I was hitting into a 2-club wind in the long par 4 finishing hole. I hit driver, 3 wood, wedge to get to the green so walking off the course with a bogey on the last hole was not a bad thing at all. As the cliché goes, I had just shot the lowest round of my career, 214 feet below sea level! (review) I also tracked my morning walk on the course (Ramblr).
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After returning my clubs to the proshop, I quickly browsed the racks but did not see a shirt that spoke to me, so I snapped a few quick photos around the first tee now that the light was better (the signs were all in shadow when I teed-off). Caught an Anna’s Hummingbird flitting around the tall yellow flowers in the manicured beds around the course sign but he was moving too quickly to get a sharp image. Then I noted the time and realized that if I hustled back to the room I could grab a quick showed and still be at the stable before Lynn returned from her ride. That plan worked out perfectly as I was at the corral by 9:50 but as it happens I need not have rushed as the ride was delayed. So I just hung out and chatted a bit with the wranglers and watched them get ready for the next ride.
Lynn’s group waltzed in at about 10:20. Small group, just one wrangler, Alison, and five riders including Lynn (two moms each with a youngster). Lynn was riding a stocky palomino looking horse named Chester. Lynn said he was a good boy which is exactly what I would expect of a trail-ride pony. She told me later that the ride was delayed due to kids being kids, but that was OK. They just rode up into the hill to the east side of route 190 across from Furnace Creek. Very pretty area and she enjoyed the ride. The wind kicked up toward the end of the ride, just like at the end of my round of golf. Lynn said that at one point she was riding with one hand holding the reins and the other on top of her head to hold her hat in place. It did not take her long to conclude that this was a silly post and since she was wearing her soft hiking hat it was easy enough to simply scrunch it up and stuff it into the saddle bag for the remainder of the ride. Shortly thereafter Alison, who was at the front of the line looked back at Lynn, who was bringing up the rear, and gave here the “where’s your hat?” look. Lynn just pointed at her saddle bag and got a nod of understanding from the wrangler. I guess horse folks have their own kind of language.
Back in the room we finished packing, discussed the plans for the rest of the day and Lynn got cleaned up and ready to roll. We were out of the room at 11:15 so we really did not need the delayed checkout but it was nice to not have to scurry around this morning. Check out was quick and easy but the wind was now blowing even harder picking up dust and sand even though the sky above was still a brilliant blue. (review of the Ranch)
We made a final stop at the Visitor Center. The temperature was up to 84 F and it was very windy, had to be pushing 40 mph and there were huge clouds of sand to the north in the valley. Lynn had noticed that there was a movie or slideshow on Scotty’s Castle but that was unfortunately not running this morning. I was going to see if I could get the 2016 hiking sticker since we had amassed more than enough points from our on-foot explorations. However the lines at the information desk were quite long. I opted to just skip getting the official sticker and settle for an image from the website. We walked through the little museum and scanned the displays on the geology and history of the park and then jumped in the Santa Fe and bid Furnace Creek farewell for now. Here’s the link to the gallery for the miscellaneous images that we collected around Furnace Creek and a couple other spots in the park.
We made a couple detours as we drove along route 190 toward the park exit. First we cruised along the very smooth dirt road through 20 Mule Team Canyon. Even though I had read about some hiking opportunities in the area, we just treated this as a driving tour and enjoyed the views from the comfort of the car. No traffic to speak of this morning. There were a few folks climbing around on the bare hills near the entrance of the canyon road but after that I think we only saw one or two other vehicles. Very pretty drive with an interesting perspective as we were down in little hills that were similar to the Badlands area that we hiked through a few days ago. The colors in the rocks were subtle, mostly pale yellow with some brown and grey thrown in, but there were patches of reds, purple and green. Combined with the deep blue sky and we had quite the palette to work with. The older couple that we met at the end of Gower Gulch said that the road was in great shape, and it was; very smooth. Most of the drive was level but there were a couple of winding stretches with some quick elevation changes toward the outlet of the canyon. Nothing serious, mostly just enough to make it a fun change of pace. We did not take a lot of photos along scenic dirt road, but the few images that we did capture are in the 20 Mule Team Canyon gallery.
Back in the room we finished packing, discussed the plans for the rest of the day and Lynn got cleaned up and ready to roll. We were out of the room at 11:15 so we really did not need the delayed checkout but it was nice to not have to scurry around this morning. Check out was quick and easy but the wind was now blowing even harder picking up dust and sand even though the sky above was still a brilliant blue. (review of the Ranch)
We made a final stop at the Visitor Center. The temperature was up to 84 F and it was very windy, had to be pushing 40 mph and there were huge clouds of sand to the north in the valley. Lynn had noticed that there was a movie or slideshow on Scotty’s Castle but that was unfortunately not running this morning. I was going to see if I could get the 2016 hiking sticker since we had amassed more than enough points from our on-foot explorations. However the lines at the information desk were quite long. I opted to just skip getting the official sticker and settle for an image from the website. We walked through the little museum and scanned the displays on the geology and history of the park and then jumped in the Santa Fe and bid Furnace Creek farewell for now. Here’s the link to the gallery for the miscellaneous images that we collected around Furnace Creek and a couple other spots in the park.
We made a couple detours as we drove along route 190 toward the park exit. First we cruised along the very smooth dirt road through 20 Mule Team Canyon. Even though I had read about some hiking opportunities in the area, we just treated this as a driving tour and enjoyed the views from the comfort of the car. No traffic to speak of this morning. There were a few folks climbing around on the bare hills near the entrance of the canyon road but after that I think we only saw one or two other vehicles. Very pretty drive with an interesting perspective as we were down in little hills that were similar to the Badlands area that we hiked through a few days ago. The colors in the rocks were subtle, mostly pale yellow with some brown and grey thrown in, but there were patches of reds, purple and green. Combined with the deep blue sky and we had quite the palette to work with. The older couple that we met at the end of Gower Gulch said that the road was in great shape, and it was; very smooth. Most of the drive was level but there were a couple of winding stretches with some quick elevation changes toward the outlet of the canyon. Nothing serious, mostly just enough to make it a fun change of pace. We did not take a lot of photos along scenic dirt road, but the few images that we did capture are in the 20 Mule Team Canyon gallery.
Bach on route 190 we continued generally eastward enjoying the trip out of the park and looking for our final detour, the road up to Dante’s View. I knew it was the wrong time of day in terms of lighting (shoot we were going to be there about 12:30 so maybe the worst time of day in terms of light) but we wanted to see the view anyway. Paved road all the way up to the parking area at Dante’s View and the road for the most part is very tame. Only the last mile or so is steep at all and has a couple of big sweeping curves. The flowers were in bloom along this stretch of road, but the wind was making them dance. We were also watching the temperature drop as we climbed toward the view point. Once we reached the end of the road we were greeted by a new set of weather conditions. The 85 F at Furnace Creek was replaced by a blustery 57 F here at Dante’s View plus the winds had increased. I bet they were blowing a steady 50 mph with gusts of 60 or more. There were times that you could hear a gust coming as the wind was picking up and dragging the dirt and dust; that at least provided a second or two to cover lens before the sand blasting began. You could see the parked cars rocking due to the wind. Honestly, it was not safe to be near the edge of the parking area and we opted not to take the trail to the brink of the overlook. Besides, the views from around the parking area were wonderful in all directions. Lynn quickly took it all on and returned to the shelter of the car. I enjoyed the view a little longer and took a few more photos of the valley to the west as well as the rolling, wild flower covered terrain to the east before retreating to the Santa Fe. The bonus to this stop was another Star Wars connection, and I did not realize this until we returned home, but this is where we are introduced to Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine in Episode IV. Check out the photo below.
We made one final stop in the park as we were coming back down from Dante’s View, almost back to route 190. There was a view along this stretch of road that captured a fair amount of color and variety of strata in the ridges off to the north and east. I’m guessing that we must have been right along the edge of the park boundary where I pulled off to get a photo as we were adjacent to a mining operation just a little way east of the road. This view along with the vistas from Dante’s View are collected in this gallery.
That was our final stop in Death Valley National Park. What a great few days. It was only about 1:00 so we had the rest of the afternoon to get back to Las Vegas for our overnight flight home. We had plans to make a couple of stops and detours, first to enjoy the yellow wildflowers that were blanketing the hillsides outside the park near Ash Meadows and later a drive through of Red Canyon State Park once we were closer to Las Vegas. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and the high winds that we encountered at Furnace Creek and Dante’s View were playing havoc along the road between Death Valley and Las Vegas. Huge clouds of dust and sand were draped all along our route. The worst of it was on the stretch Bell Vista Road a few miles east of Death Valley Junction where we ran right into the sand storm. Visibility was measured by the yard. Good that this was a straight stretch of road and fortunately we were out of the cloud in just few minutes. But that ended the idea of stopping to enjoy the wildflowers in the area, if there were any left.
We hoped that maybe the winds would subside by the time we got closer to Las Vegas but no such luck, so we scratched Red Rock Canyon for this trip and just headed to the airport. That meant that we would have to kill more time in the airport but being out in the wind just looked like no fun at all. No issues at all with the car return, check-in at McCarren or getting through security, so b 4:15 we were looking for someplace in the terminal for a beer and some food. Surprisingly there are not a lot of “sit down” eateries but we eventually found Sammy’s for pizza and a Goose Island IPA. Very good pizza. I’ll have to remember this place for future reference. This was the perfect opportunity to use our United Club passes as we checked in there a little after 5:00, found a couple comfy chairs and made ourselves to home. The only issue I have with the United Club is that the free beer sucks, so I had to pay a couple bucks for a better beer. Still it is a good deal so no worries. All we had to do now was wait for the flight. We already had our first class seats confirmed. Frequent flyer miles well spent as we had more room to stretch out so it was easier to get a little sleep on the flight home.
Day 7 - Tuesday, March 29 - Home. I fell asleep shortly after take-off from Las Vegas and woke up during final approach to Cleveland Hopkins. Not really rested, but 3 hours of sleep is better than nothing. We must have had a tail wind as we made good time resulting in an early arrival. Man, the airport is dead at this time of morning (of course, since CLE is no longer a United hub, it is dead here most of the time). But the lack of crowds meant that we cruised through the terminal. Very short wait at the baggage claim; much longer wait for the shuttle to the off-site parking. It was more than a little chilly standing outside waiting for the bus. But we're soon reunited with my bright red, but frost covered Edge and heading…to work! Yeah, part of the deal was that we'd get a few hours in this morning before heading home as Lynn had some milestones to meet. This might be the first time I have arrived at work at 0540 (I've left this early many mornings following a long night of testing). She got on a roll and we a ended up putting in full day anyway. Not exactly how I wanted to end vacation by going back to work early!
Once back home we unloaded the luggage and started the unpacking. I started downloading photos to the laptop and promptly feel asleep. That's the way to wind up a vacation, with a nap! When dinner time rolled around we just drove down to Lagerheads for a burger and a beer. As we sat there discussing the trip and the wonderful adventures we had in Death Valley, I realized that we had come full circle as it was here, maybe in this same booth, that the idea for the trip we had just completed was first discussed at the end of last summer.
Reflections and Summary As I mentioned about 39 pages ago, we were not exactly sure what to expect when we arrived in Death Valley. Even with the additional time to research the park’s history, geology and activities, there was still some amount of uncertainty about what we were going to find and if Death Valley would appeal to us like many of the other parks do. However, it did not take very long for use to understand that Death Valley is a place of great beauty and has some much to offer besides being the “lowest, hottest, driest” spot in the United States. I think the hook was set while I was hiking along the trail connecting Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch when I could look out over the stark, rocky landscape that was just full of color and contours and texture. It was amazing. Whatever our expectations were coming into the park, they had all be surpassed by the time we left.
We had a couple goals for this trip. Of course the first was to add another National Park to our list and spend time exploring as much of Death Valley as we could. But our second objective was to find some time to relax, to chill and enjoy some down time. I think we did well on both goals. We were out the door fairly early each day but on our balcony by mid to late afternoon to enjoy the view and a cold beer.
I had a pretty good line-up of activities for our starting schedule, and in general we stuck to it. But we did make several substitutions along the way, such as hiking Fall Canyon instead of driving through Titus Canyon. We did not hit everything on the starting list, like Ubehebe Crater, but we’ll just keep those places on the list for our next visit. But we also added some sites based on real-time advice given while in the park; Aguereberry Point was a very nice add-on and also allowed us to see the Eureka Mine site. I’ve already got a good starting list for things to see and do for the next trip. Hopefully the damage to Scotty’s Castle can be repaired as that is something that Lynn and I would like to see.
The Ranch at Furnace Creek provided an ideal location from which to start our daily explorations as well as I nice place to relax each evening. While the food was average the restaurants provided a good variety and very good service and the General Store had just enough stuff to fill in any gaps…and a decent beer selections, something the parks are doing pretty well at these days. Overall it was convenient, clean and a pretty good value.
Day 7 - Tuesday, March 29 - Home. I fell asleep shortly after take-off from Las Vegas and woke up during final approach to Cleveland Hopkins. Not really rested, but 3 hours of sleep is better than nothing. We must have had a tail wind as we made good time resulting in an early arrival. Man, the airport is dead at this time of morning (of course, since CLE is no longer a United hub, it is dead here most of the time). But the lack of crowds meant that we cruised through the terminal. Very short wait at the baggage claim; much longer wait for the shuttle to the off-site parking. It was more than a little chilly standing outside waiting for the bus. But we're soon reunited with my bright red, but frost covered Edge and heading…to work! Yeah, part of the deal was that we'd get a few hours in this morning before heading home as Lynn had some milestones to meet. This might be the first time I have arrived at work at 0540 (I've left this early many mornings following a long night of testing). She got on a roll and we a ended up putting in full day anyway. Not exactly how I wanted to end vacation by going back to work early!
Once back home we unloaded the luggage and started the unpacking. I started downloading photos to the laptop and promptly feel asleep. That's the way to wind up a vacation, with a nap! When dinner time rolled around we just drove down to Lagerheads for a burger and a beer. As we sat there discussing the trip and the wonderful adventures we had in Death Valley, I realized that we had come full circle as it was here, maybe in this same booth, that the idea for the trip we had just completed was first discussed at the end of last summer.
Reflections and Summary As I mentioned about 39 pages ago, we were not exactly sure what to expect when we arrived in Death Valley. Even with the additional time to research the park’s history, geology and activities, there was still some amount of uncertainty about what we were going to find and if Death Valley would appeal to us like many of the other parks do. However, it did not take very long for use to understand that Death Valley is a place of great beauty and has some much to offer besides being the “lowest, hottest, driest” spot in the United States. I think the hook was set while I was hiking along the trail connecting Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch when I could look out over the stark, rocky landscape that was just full of color and contours and texture. It was amazing. Whatever our expectations were coming into the park, they had all be surpassed by the time we left.
We had a couple goals for this trip. Of course the first was to add another National Park to our list and spend time exploring as much of Death Valley as we could. But our second objective was to find some time to relax, to chill and enjoy some down time. I think we did well on both goals. We were out the door fairly early each day but on our balcony by mid to late afternoon to enjoy the view and a cold beer.
I had a pretty good line-up of activities for our starting schedule, and in general we stuck to it. But we did make several substitutions along the way, such as hiking Fall Canyon instead of driving through Titus Canyon. We did not hit everything on the starting list, like Ubehebe Crater, but we’ll just keep those places on the list for our next visit. But we also added some sites based on real-time advice given while in the park; Aguereberry Point was a very nice add-on and also allowed us to see the Eureka Mine site. I’ve already got a good starting list for things to see and do for the next trip. Hopefully the damage to Scotty’s Castle can be repaired as that is something that Lynn and I would like to see.
The Ranch at Furnace Creek provided an ideal location from which to start our daily explorations as well as I nice place to relax each evening. While the food was average the restaurants provided a good variety and very good service and the General Store had just enough stuff to fill in any gaps…and a decent beer selections, something the parks are doing pretty well at these days. Overall it was convenient, clean and a pretty good value.
The bonus for this trip was obviously the wildflowers. The bloom was truly spectacular. We were a little past prime for the fields of yellow blanketing the lowest elevations but the flowers were still wonderful here and got even better as we moved to higher ground. The yellow flowers certainly provided the biggest part of the show but there were plenty of splashes of red, orange, pink, purple and white. I made my best guess at identifying as many as I could (I'm sure that some are misidentified). I collected the images of the various flowers that we spotted into one gallery (Wildflowers).
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Another little bonus was learning about the Star Wars filming sites within Death Valley. If we had known more about this before the visit we might have tried to find more of the locations (well, I would have suggested it and Lynn would have probably used her wifely veto). As it turned out we were in the general vicinity of several of the filming sites and ended up with photos that were very close to three of the specific sites used (five points to Gryffindor…for pure dumb luck. Oh wait, wrong movie): Jawa Canyon (Golden Canyon), R2D2 heading across the sand dunes of Tatooine (Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes) and the Mos Eisley Overlooks (Donte’s View).
When we travel we’re always on the lookout for animals, any animals. I think that Lynn likes the big furry ones the best. While I do not consider myself a birder by any stretch of the imagination I do keep an eye out for our feathered friends and keep track of which ones we’ve seen (well, I keep an list for all the critters, but the bird list is the longest). I was not expecting to see much in the way of animals on this trip, particularly the mega fauna, but we actually did pretty well in terms of the little critters, particularly birds. We added three new ones to our list for good measure. The list of what we saw and could identify (with reasonable certainty) is below and the gallery is linked here: Critters.
Birds
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Butterflies
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Our favorite mode of transportation when exploring the National Parks (or anywhere for that matter) is our hiking boots. We walk or hike as much as we can when traveling and this trip was no exception. I usually track our hikes using the Ramblr app on my phone or with the GPS unit (was not needed this trip). Including all the little nature trails and boardwalks we covered 25 miles, but the mileage for “serious” hiking was about 22. Hey, throw in the 18 holes I walked on the golf course and that is almost 30 miles. Not bad for a relaxing trip to the desert.
Ash Meadows
Total: 29.7 miles without golf: 24.8 miles "Serious" hiking: 21.7 miles |
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Here's the link to the collections of hiking, walking and golfing tracks on Ramblr in Ash Meadows and Death Valley. Plus the SmugMug galleries of all the photos from the trip.
While I like to track the numbers and know how far we went on each trail, hiking is not really about “how far” but “where” we went and what we saw. The three main hikes that we did were all up into canyons in the mountains surrounding Death Valley. I was a little concerned that the hikes might be too similar and start to feel redundant. But the more that I read about the various canyon trials the more intrigued I become. Halfway through the Golden Canyon-Badlands-Gower Gulch loop I was declaring to Lynn that this was one of the best day hikes that we had taken in the National Parks and could crack my all-time top ten list (of course now I need to create and all-time, top-ten National Parks day hike list). The hike was just that good in terms of beautiful vistas and the variety of landscapes. By the time we had completed the third canyon hike I knew that these hikes were all unique and offered very different experiences. Then add in the novelty of walking through the sand dunes at Mesquite Flat the salt flats in Badwater Basin and we had a grand set of hikes of various lengths with different challenges and all very different from each other. I’m looking forward to wearing off a bit more of the soles of my hiking boots in Death Valley.
Speaking of that next opportunity, I've already got a short list of things to see and do. Hopefully Scotty's castle is repairable (shortly after we returned from the trip I read that it could be 2019 before it is reopened) as that was of great interest for Lynn. Ubehebe Crater is also near the top of the list. There were also several other canyons to hike (Desolation Canyon sounded interesting). Maybe we'll rent a Jeep for Titus Canyon. I'm not sure that I'll be able to talk Lynn into the Racetrack; that is a lot of time to bounce around on back-country roads but we'll see. I like the sound of the hike up Telescope Peak, but that would be a summer time excursion. We really did not take advantage of sunrise and sunset opportunities nor really the dark night sky so I'll want to incorporate all of that into the next visit. Plenty to see and do. We've already got our trips planned out for the next few years (returning to Glacier in 2017, back to Yellowstone and Grand Teton in 2018, Alaska probably in 2019, with the UTAH meet-up thrown in each fall), but we will get back to Death Valley. It is to fascinating for a just one visit!
So while this was a relatively short trip I think we accomplished a lot. Spending the better part of four days in Death Valley gave us the opportunity to get a great sampling of what this amazing park as to offer. We did not see or do everything that we wanted to do, but we left with no regrets about the things that we missed this trip as we’re pretty darn sure that we’ll be returning to unique park in the not so distant future.
While I like to track the numbers and know how far we went on each trail, hiking is not really about “how far” but “where” we went and what we saw. The three main hikes that we did were all up into canyons in the mountains surrounding Death Valley. I was a little concerned that the hikes might be too similar and start to feel redundant. But the more that I read about the various canyon trials the more intrigued I become. Halfway through the Golden Canyon-Badlands-Gower Gulch loop I was declaring to Lynn that this was one of the best day hikes that we had taken in the National Parks and could crack my all-time top ten list (of course now I need to create and all-time, top-ten National Parks day hike list). The hike was just that good in terms of beautiful vistas and the variety of landscapes. By the time we had completed the third canyon hike I knew that these hikes were all unique and offered very different experiences. Then add in the novelty of walking through the sand dunes at Mesquite Flat the salt flats in Badwater Basin and we had a grand set of hikes of various lengths with different challenges and all very different from each other. I’m looking forward to wearing off a bit more of the soles of my hiking boots in Death Valley.
Speaking of that next opportunity, I've already got a short list of things to see and do. Hopefully Scotty's castle is repairable (shortly after we returned from the trip I read that it could be 2019 before it is reopened) as that was of great interest for Lynn. Ubehebe Crater is also near the top of the list. There were also several other canyons to hike (Desolation Canyon sounded interesting). Maybe we'll rent a Jeep for Titus Canyon. I'm not sure that I'll be able to talk Lynn into the Racetrack; that is a lot of time to bounce around on back-country roads but we'll see. I like the sound of the hike up Telescope Peak, but that would be a summer time excursion. We really did not take advantage of sunrise and sunset opportunities nor really the dark night sky so I'll want to incorporate all of that into the next visit. Plenty to see and do. We've already got our trips planned out for the next few years (returning to Glacier in 2017, back to Yellowstone and Grand Teton in 2018, Alaska probably in 2019, with the UTAH meet-up thrown in each fall), but we will get back to Death Valley. It is to fascinating for a just one visit!
So while this was a relatively short trip I think we accomplished a lot. Spending the better part of four days in Death Valley gave us the opportunity to get a great sampling of what this amazing park as to offer. We did not see or do everything that we wanted to do, but we left with no regrets about the things that we missed this trip as we’re pretty darn sure that we’ll be returning to unique park in the not so distant future.