Death Valley Conclusion

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Having now moved to our fourth campsite in Death Valley, all within a quarter mile radius of one another, we have 3 more nights to spend before we finally head out. What was originally a 4 night stay has expanded to a total of 9 nights. There is probably even more to see here but we feel we have definitely hit the highlights. It may be worth a second visit after the northern portion of the park reopens from the flood damage. Having driven past the trailhead for Golden Canyon, we decide it’s time to join the crowds and check it out ourselves.

There are a few trail options from the parking area off of Badwater Road. The 4.2 mile loop that goes up Golden Canyon and comes back down Gower Gulch sounded okay but we thought the Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral sounded better. This one is just under a 3 mile out and back with nearly 600 feet of elevation gain. As anticipated, the parking area was quite crowded since this is ranked as Death Valley’s most popular trail. This hike doesn’t require much of a hike in a wash to get to the canyon. You’re in the canyon in the first hundred feet. The sign at the trailhead mentions there used to be a paved road up the canyon which seemed improbable but sure enough not far into the hike, we spotted the remnants of old asphalt that hasn’t been washed away yet.

Starting Up Golden Canyon

Asphalt Remnants Still Visible

The canyon is fairly wide for the first mile, so even though there are many people out for a hike, it doesn’t feel too congested. The canyon walls are quite pretty and more interesting than those in Desolation Canyon but not quite as good as Mosaic Canyon.

Canyon Walls Matches Canyon Name

Red Cathedral in Distance?

There were lots of really neat features and patterns in the rocks. The thin white stripes in some of the red rock ran in all directions as opposed to lining up with one another. I also noticed some of the gaps between the rocks had strange white columns. It sort of looked like a miniature cave.

Rock Art

Miniature Salt Pillars?

As we progressed up the canyon, there is a trail intersection. A right hand turn would head over to Gower Gulch or even Zabriskie Point if you’re really energetic. We continue straight toward the Red Cathedral.

Heading Toward Red Cathedral

Trail to Gower Gulch

In another third mile or so, the canyon starts to narrow down dramatically and get much more rocky and challenging. By now, most of the crowds have either headed toward Gower Gulch or have turned back, so we weren’t really coming across other hikers. There was one tight section where it took some contortions to get through the opening but once past this it was fairly manageable.

Canyon Narrows Down

Tricky Spot to Go Through

View Near End

By now we were at the base of a very steep cliff. Chris was eyeing one particular rock that seemed to be precariously perched 40 feet over our heads convinced it was about to fall on us. There was a clear footpath that continued along the cliff and up a rather steep climb. I felt obligated to check it out. That last few hundred feet was definitely a challenge but the view from the place it led me to was worth the effort. I yelled down to Chris to see if she could make it and she started the climb herself.

My Shadow Watches Over Chris

By now a few other people had caught up with us and were looking to see how I had gotten up to where I was standing above them. Chris made it much of the way up before realizing she would need to go back down anything she climbed and decided she had reached her limit. I got out of the way to let others up before I made my way back down.

View from End of Golden Canyon

We made it back through the narrow section as a couple more groups of people were heading our way. We timed this pretty well having the end of the trail to ourselves before the crowds arrived. We made our way back down the canyon and back to the car without incident. Being late afternoon we just headed back to camp.

View on Way Out of Golden Canyon

There seems to be a near endless supply of canyon hikes in Death Valley. We head 33 miles south of camp on Badwater Road for our next destination. The Sidewinder Canyon trailhead is about 15 miles beyond the parking area for Badwater Basin and we discover there really isn’t much traffic in this part of the park. There were a couple cars at the trailhead though so we weren’t the only people here this morning. Listed as a nearly 4 mile out and back hike with over 1000 feet of elevation gain, it should be a good workout.

View Along Badwater Road

View at Sidewinder Canyon Parking

The first 1/3 mile is up a very broad and rocky wash. There were a couple of arrows formed from rocks lined up to get us heading in the correct direction. The occasional rock cairn also helps with the navigation but given the terrain, we pick our own path once we see the mouth of the canyon up ahead. The canyon starts out a few hundred feet wide but at least we are now on the correct path.

Rock Cairn Marks Way Up Wide Wash

Entering Sidewinder Canyon

There are a few narrow side canyons along the way but we opt to save them for the return trip if we have the energy. The main canyon does narrow down in a few spots but never down to what we would consider a slot canyon. It was fairly pretty and we had a couple of rock scrambles to negotiate but nothing too severe.

Canyon Narrows Down

Dry Waterfalls to Climb

View Back Down Canyon

The canyon opens up again and takes a right hand turn which narrows back down dramatically. As we approached the narrow slot, I saw a jumble of boulders that were not going to be easy to get past. We decided this should be our turn around point and found a spot in the sun to eat lunch.

Our Turn Around Point

Lunch View

We start back down the trail and look for the first side canyon to explore. There was a rock cairn to signify where it is. This was a really fun part of the hike. This slot canyon was narrow enough to be able to touch both sides and was 30 feet tall at points. There were lots of rock obstacles to climb over but we made it pretty far before hitting our limit.

A Rock Cairn Marks Side Canyon

Heading Up

Cool Erosion

Turning Point

Once out of this one, we look for the next side canyon. This one was even more fun with plenty of things to crawl over. Some of the canyon was so deep and narrow that we needed to use the lights on our phones to survey the obstacles before attempting the climb. We ran into one family of 4 along the way that was heading back out. I’ll admit I was jealous the young kids getting to play in an area like this. If only I was that small, energetic and fearless! We worked our way back to another dry waterfall that wasn’t going to be easy to get beyond. We know our limits and turn around. We came upon another group of 4 working their way up the canyon. It took some doing but we managed to position ourselves to allow all of us to pass one another in the narrow canyon.

Another Side Canyon Entrance

Manageable Obstacle

Another Turning Point

We made it back to the main trail and decided we were rather beat so even though there was one more slot canyon along the way, we skipped it. In hindsight, since these side slot canyons were the most enjoyable part of the hike, we should have done them on the way up while we still had energy and simply not go so far up the main canyon - lesson learned. It did seem like it took forever to walk down and out of the canyon and then down the rocky wash to the car. This was another fun hike in Death Valley.

Heading Back to the Jeep

With just one full day left in our stay, we picked out a location that had been closed from the August flooding but was recently opened for traffic to the trailhead. The Keane Wonder Mine was in full operation by 1907 but by 1942, the mine was not profitable enough and was closed. Now that it is within the national park, the old structures that are still present are maintained so that we can enjoy the view of the past. In fact, from 2008 to 2017 this whole area was closed to help stay the structures and close off the many mine shafts in the area. The nearly 3 mile dirt road to the mine from Daylight Pass Cutoff Road was in relatively good condition. There is even a small parking area at the base of the mine. We get out to explore some of the lower structures that are still standing before we head out on our hike. It was clear some of the Timbers were newer looking and were likely replaced during the restoration project.

Keane Wonder Mine

Better View of Lower Structure

One of the more interesting artifacts from the old mine operations were the multiple tramway towers used to haul large buckets of ore from the mine to the processing area at the base of the mountain. The mile long aerial tramway still has the thick steel cable strung out and even has some of the ore buckets hanging from it.

Four of the Tramway Towers

We weren’t the only people out here. We saw people from several other cars arrive, look over the lower remains and then head out. Our goal was to get to the far end of the tramway. It wouldn’t be an easy hike. It’s only a 1.3 mile hike to get there but does gain over 1400 feet - for an average grade of 20% We start up the trail and find it very slow going. The early portion of the trail follows some iron pipe that heads up the mountain. Every now and then, there is a 4 foot “U” shape in the pipe probably to deal with expansion and contraction. We also go right next to some of the tramway towers.

View of Tower and Valley Below

Follow that Pipe

Nice View Partway Up Trail

About 2/3 of a mile out, we come upon our first mine shaft carved into the side of the hill. An old wooden door is at the entrance but it’s possible to step into the first part of the shaft. A heavy metal gate prevents visitors from going in too far.

Gate Blocking Mine Entrance

A View Inside

Just a bit beyond the mine entrance, the trail follows a narrow ledge on the side of the hill. It’s probably a good 300 feet down if you happen to make a misstep. As we work our way slowly along the trail, we come upon a washed out portion of the trail. Only five feet or so of the trail was missing but the drop off was nearly the same amount. I managed to make it across, but Chris saw how loose the soil was and decided she had gone far enough.

Chris Bails at Washed Out Trail Section

As I continued on, I came around a corner of the hill at roughly the 1 mile mark and could see the obvious destination. The upper tramway building looks to be precariously sitting on the side of the hill. There are many wooden timbers on the ground below which have likely fallen off of the building over the years. The last 1/4 mile wasn’t too difficult and it was neat to walk around the area seeing all the old history laying on the ground. It looks like the trail continues up the hill beyond the structure but I decide I shouldn’t spend too much time exploring since Chris was waiting for me to return. There is another old mine shaft which is also sealed off from human entry but which can entered far enough to get a good sense of how small and claustrophobic the mine would have been to work in.

Mine Building Remnants in Distance

A Closer View

Old Ore Cart Tracks

View From Other Side

Another Gated Mine Entrance

View Inside Mine Shaft

I even managed to get a text thru to Chris to let her know I made it safely and was returning shortly. I got back across the washed out trail and we made the steep descent to the car. A volunteer was coming up as we were heading down. He wanted to check up on the trail and structures. We warned him about the washed out section but he didn’t seem to be too concerned. This was a unique hike that had great views, historic mining structures and a real hiking challenge.

Nice View From Near Top of Hike

On the drive back to camp, we stopped at the Harmony Borax Works. We had visited this after dark for a night sky ranger talk, but hadn’t seen it in the light of day. There is a half mile walking path loop that passes by several displays and interpretive displays that describes the importance of borax to the history of Death Valley prior to becoming a national monument and park. A few old stone buildings remain standing and there is an original 20-mule team wagon front and center. This site sits at the beginning of a 1.5 mile one way drive thru Mustard Canyon. A few other old buildings are along the start of the drive and then there are some colorful rock formations on the rest of the drive.

Old Buildings at Harmony Borax Mine

Mine Carts

Nice View from Old Mine Stop

After nine nights in Death Valley National Park, we are ready to move on. We now only have ten more nights before our next reservation in Lake Havasu City on New Years Day. The drive there is around 270 miles from Furnace Creek so we need to find some camping options along the route to spend that time. We decide to head to the Elks Lodge in Pahrump Nevada. It's only about 90 miles from Death Valley but will allow us to break the drive up. We arrived and parked in one of the eight sites they have with water and electric plus a dump station. There doesn't seem to be much to do in the general area so we decide to just stay one night. I wake up the following morning and spot a hot air balloon floating over town with the morning sunlight hitting it and the nearby mountains.

Pahrump Elks Lodge

Hot Air Balloon Over Pahrump