Welcome to Travel Tuesday! I went camping in Death Valley last year but haven’t written about it yet, so I’m catching up (as always) now! This was one of the first hikes we did on the Golden Canyon Trail!
Golden Canyon Trail + Gower Gulch Loop via Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park
Distance: 6.4 miles (loop)
Elevation Gain: 1082 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead Address: 36.42079,-116.81007
Parking: Lot available ($30 to enter Death Valley, or $80 for annual interagency pass)
The trail isn’t super difficult but there isn’t much/any shade, so definitely keep that in mind when you’re planning your trip!
It’s a pretty popular trail too, so it’s unlikely you’ll find solitude unless you’re hiking at not-recommended times.
I went with an outdoor group called Ocean to Peak Adventures! (I’ve done a few hikes with them before/after this trip, but hoping to do more trips with them in the future–it was a lot of fun!)
This was our campfire that night! :] Definitely was nice to get to huddle next to the fire at nighttime — the temperatures dropped drastically and the winds were super strong.
My tent setup! The first night, I legit thought someone was shaking my tent because it was moving so much due to the wind.
- Best time to do this hike: ~November-April
- There’s not much shade, so bring/wear sun protection + start early!
- No dogs are allowed on this trail.
- Have you ever been to Death Valley? I briefly contemplated visiting during my cross-country road trip but decided against it because it was August and ~120 degrees (+ the AC in my car was also broken..).
- Where’s the last place you visited?
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Your posts are so inspirational! I have never hiked out west. I am an east coast girl BUT the west coast looks so conducive to my style (love the hike lengths you often post about too, perfect for me!)
The last place I visited was my mom in SC, and unfortunately no hiking in the “flat” land. now to decide where my first west coast hiking adventure will be!! (do you hike alone? With a group? meet up? friends? )
Aww, thank you! :) I try to do a variety of different lengths — some are good for intense days and others are great for chill-but-still-wanna-get-out-there days. :D!
Aww, I went to South Carolina a couple years ago and wanted to visit Congaree National Park but it was a tad too far away, unfortunately — someday, hopefully!
I usually hike with friends, sometimes alone, and sometimes I meet up with an outdoor group that I’m a part of called Ocean to Peak Adventures! They have an east coast branch now too if you ever want company (if you have facebook, you can look em’ up there!). Josh is super nice and organizes a ton of events for free!
Farrah recently posted…Golden Canyon Trail
I’ve been to Death Valley but didn’t get an opportunity to hike. Would love to return and hike the Golden Canyon Trail. So beautiful!
It’s so a gorgeous park! I hope you get to go back sometime! :]
The Golden Canyon Trail looks like an incredible hike! The scenery looks stunning but I imagine the constant sun makes it challenging! I’d love to visit one day, thanks for the great guide!
We went in November, so thankfully the temperatures weren’t too crazy! I definitely would recommend avoiding in the summer, but any other season (+ early in the day) should be fine! :]
Death Valley in on my short list to visit. I’m definitely going to do this hike.
Aww, yay! I hope you have fun when you go! :] I’ll be sharing more spots we checked out in Death Valley in the coming weeks!
Farrah recently posted…Golden Canyon Trail
We have not yet visited Death Valley National Park but it is on the list. The Golden Canyon Trail looks like a good trail to hike. But good to know that it might be busy and not a totally tranquil experience. We would certainly have to check out guided hikes.
Ooo, I hope you get to go sometime! :] I’m working on writing about all the places I went to during my trip over the coming weeks. There’s so much to explore there! :]
Farrah recently posted…Golden Canyon Trail
What an amaaaazing place to go camping! It must have been such a temperature difference between the evening and the following morning when the sun came up!? Golden Canyon Trail looks beautiful with that light!
haha, there definitely was! The group I went with found a spot for dispersed camping and just used that as our base site to get to a bunch of different places in Death Valley. It was so pretty there! :]
Farrah recently posted…Golden Canyon Trail
Literally just added this to my bucket list! So lucky to find this! Thanks for all of the hiking info☺️
Aww, yay! I hope you have fun when you go! :)
Farrah recently posted…Golden Canyon Trail
I haven’t made it yet to Death Valley National Park, but this hike looks like the perfect thing to add to my list for when I do visit! Those views were incredible. It’s definitely a different view than up in Washington State where I am! :) Thanks for sharing!!
It’s definitely super different! I hope you get to go sometime! I would so love to go back to Washington to hike/explore more! *-*
This looks like a great hike. Coming from Wyoming, the difference in terrain is always surprising to me. Some of those inclines look like they’d be slick with shale and dirt!
They definitely would be after a rain! We got lucky with the dry weather though!
I haven’t visited Death Valley as of yet, but this is a hike I’d definitely like to try. It’s great that you found like-minded people to enjoy this experience with!
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Agreed! It was so fun with them. :] We had a reunion camping trip earlier this month — hoping that’ll be a yearly thing! :D
Great article! I have driven through Death Valley many times, but never hiked there because it was always in the summer. It looks like a great adventure!
hehehe, I contemplated hiking it when I was driving by (it was only gonna be an hour “off course” for me!) in 2019 but decided against it because it was summer (+ apparently my AC was broken…).
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