Welcome to Travel Tuesday! This was also from my Death Valley camping trip last year — I wouldn’t have expected to find a waterfall in the desert (but we did on the Darwin Falls Trail!)?
Darwin Falls Trail in Death Valley National Park
Distance: 1.9 miles (out + back)
Elevation Gain: 232 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead Address: 36.32769,-117.51477
Parking: Lot available ($30 to enter Death Valley, or $80 for annual interagency pass)
Surface flow from the springs create a gorgeous oasis with a perennial flow of water over at Darwin Falls. It’s a pretty short hike — at just about a mile in, you’ll come across the waterfall!
We started out on this hike in the morning on our last day in the park!
There are areas where you can do some rock scrambling for better views. Unsurprisingly, there are a variety of flowers + wildlife here. :]
(like this dude! or dudette)
The canyon + waterfall were named in honor of Dr. E. Darwin French, an 860s prospector who used this canyon as a base camp.
Climbing above Darwin Falls is not recommended as the terrain is treacherous + physically demanding. Footing can also be very slippery (especially near the falls).
- (This trail is actually closed currently due to storm damage, but hopefully it’ll be open again at some point!)
- It’s a pretty shaded hike, but I’d recommend bringing/wearing sun protection anyway. (After all, you’re in a desert!)
- No camping or campfires are allowed here.
- No dogs/mountain bikes are allowed on this trail.
- Have you ever seen a waterfall in a desert?
- Where’s the last place you visited?
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Wow those views!! Incredible, reminds me of my trip to the Grand Canyon!
It’s beautiful there too! I’d love to hike down to the bottom of that someday!
Farrah recently posted…Ultimate Coffee Date: January 2024
Love it Farrah! (especially the lizard dude!) I am such a fan of mini waterfall hikes like this where you can visit a falls right before a roadtrip (or as a stop-off along the way…) It makes it so much nicer to get some time outside on travel days.
It looks super shady and pleasant when you visited, but I bet it’s be HOT later in the afternoon when the sun is above the canyon!?
Agreed! I don’t know that I would’ve even known to look for this if I hadn’t gone with a group for this trip, so it was an awesome discovery! :]
I went on a November morning, so it thankfully didn’t get too hot! As it gets closer to summertime though, I would recommend only suuuper early morning hikes for pretty much anything in Death Valley, hehe. (I was passing by on a road trip in late August once and am very glad I wasn’t crazy enough to decide to stop by then. It was a solo road trip and apparently my AC was broken. ._. )
The Darwin Falls Trail looks like such a pretty place to hike. I like that the short hike has a terrific payoff not that far into the trail.
Yeah! I love good “bang for your buck” hikes! :D
Farrah recently posted…Ultimate Coffee Date: January 2024
This looks like a fun hike! I’ve not yet been to Death Valley, and I wouldn’t have expected a waterfall either. Is that an iguana? I’ve never seen one in person.
It was a fun/unexpected surprise last-day hike! :D
I’m (sadly) not super well versed in reptiles but it definitely could be!
I like hikes where you are rewarded with a beautiful waterfall. Thanks for sharing this one!
Me too! They’re some of my favorite things to see on hikes! :]
Wow! Looks like you had lots of fun, Farrah! It’s so beautiful, especially the waterfalls! Best way to end every hike!
Agreed! I love waterfall hikes! :]
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