Distance: 4.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 518' (High point on loop)
Elevation Gain: 811'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.6
Round trip time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee (one car for one week)
Difficulty: Easy
Leisa and I drove up to Death Valley for a long weekend. We camped at Furnace Creek and after setting up camp, headed out for a short hike in Golden Canyon. The trailhead is not far from the campground. We chose to head through Golden Canyon and come back through Gower Gulch, completing a loop. There was a lot of people that started up the canyon, but after a half mile, all had turned back. We met a couple of parties that were doing the loop the other direction, but most visitors to Death Valley seem to stick to drive up attraactions. The most interesting feature along this loop (to me) was Manly Beacon, a clay spire with a class 3 ridge. It was not on the menu today, but was the trail went next to it.
After a couple of miles, we reached the junction with Gower Gulch. The Gulch was wide and sandy. At one point, we thought we had taken a wrong turn because it didn't appear to continue, but it dropped left down a short dry fall. We followed the trail back to the truck. It was a nice warm up for Corkscrew Peak the next day.
Nice tent! How was the campground at Furnace Creek?
ReplyDeleteFine campground, but a little crowded. Every spot was taken, but I guess it was prime season. Water and restrooms were nice. It has a small number of hookups for RVs. It's in a central spot, but everything is so spread out in DV that it's a drive to do anything.
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