Death Valley

“I'm heading to Death Valley for a weekend in February. My "Hiking in Death Valley" book came and there are so many hikes in the book that it's hard to decide what I want to do. Does anyone have any suggestions for day hiking or overnight backpacking in Death Valley?”

“I've always been quite partial to the Striped Butte area in the Panamints Mtns. A few cabins back in the valley along with solitude. May need 4-wheel drive but I did it in a van a few times. Charlie Manson and his family even got a school bus back there some how.

The hike up to Chloride City and back is a nice strenuous dayhike. Goes right by the Keene Wonder Mine. You may find find golf ball sized garnets with a good eye.”

“So Pantscandy, is that near ghost town of Ballarat? I've been there and the general store guy made it sound like the Manson stuff was in the Panamints immediately above there.”

“Make sure you take at a MINIMUM a two-wheel drive truck/SUV/Jeep with great ground clearance and burley tires. A couple of friends and I spent 10 days last year all over Death Valley and the Mojave. But we went in April when it is a bit drier and did it in a rented Ford Ranger XLT. We got stuck in a few spots but were able to get ourselves out. If you are going in Feb., I would say 4 wheel drive is a must as many of the drainages will most likely be sloppy. Most of the roads there are dirt/rock/sand. We went up a number of canyons and they are waaaaayyy back there in the middle of friggin nowhere. Lot's of cool formations, petroglyphs, etc. Zebrinksi Point is cool and so is the Artist's Pallet.”

“Oh yeah. And if you want to check out ghost towns, take a trip to Bodie. It's considered the premiere ghost town in the West.”

“Last mo. Backpacker mag featured Death Valley in their "Weekend Wilderness" geataways. They list some longer hikes, day-hikes, etc. Top of their list was Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop in Panamint range (26 miles).”

“Wing, yeah, Ballarat is near the western entrance/exit to the area. I've always entered via Warm Spring Road in the southern Death Valley area. I tried once to get thru Goler Wash to Ballarat but my 2-wheel truck had no chance of making it. I've even heard that serious 4-wheel drive enthusiasts get hung up going through Goler Wash. Unfortunately, I haven't been back since the Park System took over so I don't know if driving back there is permissible any longer.

Down by the Kelso Dunes is Sheep Creek Cyn which also has a cool little cabin. It's used by UCSB for studies. Someone built a a shallow cement pond and planted banana trees adjacent to the spring. A large talc mine is nearby for exploration and bighorns traverse the canyon. Pretty cool place!”

“I could get into this one... February, you say? A Weekend? I could do a few days here... put me on the list/email/post here...

Update me, Bubba...”

“That's when I'm planning on going. Company would be nice.

Thanks for the info everyone - keep it coming.

Has anyone hike up Last Chance Mountain or Sentinal Peak in Death Valley?”

“Here's a link with some general info, all the nps.gov sites are down indefinately.

http://www.death.valley.national-park.com

My favorite dayhike would probably be Mosaic Canyon or Golden Canyon/Gower Gultch.

I have yet to overnite it in Death Valley but would like to backpack Fall Canyon and possibly some of the east facing canyons of the Panamints.

The one thing that makes hiking in DV difficult is the rocky soil. The loose gravel in the washes makes travel slow and tiring with a heavy pack.

4WD transportation is a must for any serious exploring. Feb/March is the time of year when the washes are most likely to have water in them, so plan for wet crossings and bring a tow rope!Also, it's not unusual for snow to fall down to 4000' in the mountains around DV, so bring chains or snow tires.

In response to the Backpacker article on Cottonwood/Marble, there's a reson that part of the park is isolated. The road to Cottonwood/Marble is horrible. Make sure your vehicle is in top performance before you point your tires up that road. The first few miles are a soft sand/silt mixture of dust and if you stop in the wrong place you might get stuck. The next hour, two, or more (depending on how far up either canyon you want to go) will be spent driving up a wash, listening to the sound of rocks hitting the skid plate and praying that you don't blow more than one tire.

I've hiked Marble canyon and it's narrow canyon walls are not all that impressive when compare to other canyons I've hiked in Death Valley.

The sand dunes are one of the most magical places on earth to be at sunset.”

“I've gone up both cottonwood and marble canyons as far as you can drive in as the walls of the canyon become too tight to allow vehicles past. You can really get in there but best to keep a VERY watchful eye on the weather as there is very little high ground and as you'll be able to see from the accumulation of debris and smooth contours of the walls, the water really rips through in a hurry. My suggestion is to rent an SUV/truck with 4 wheel drive. Don't tell them exactly where you are going or if you will be going off road. However, I sure was happy that it wasn't my car we were using :)”

“I spent a week out there (xmas '94), my friend drove his 4wd (some places were slow moving). We rescued a 2wd truck stuck in the snow on the way to Saline Valley. Hiked Eureka Sand Dunes (photo on home page - my Nike moment), visited Ubehebe Crater, Panamints, the Moving Rocks (forgot name of the lake), Warm Springs and the petroglyphs in that area, two hikes by Saline (talc mines and another one with waterfalls) and other places. Its on my photopoint account(unavailable, sorry).”

“Saline Valley”