Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
Post Reply
User avatar
VanMarmot
Posts: 1924
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Contact:

Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by VanMarmot » February 20th, 2017, 10:31 am

PRELUDE

Image Telescope Peak from Badwater

As wave after wave of wet storms swept across Southern Oregon, our spirits (I'm sorry to say) faltered, and we began to yearn for sunnier climes. Eventually it occurred to us that we hadn't been back to Death Valley National Park since 2013. As few places say "sunnier" than Death Valley, we made some arrangements, and were soon heading south. As luck would have it, our five days in the Park coincided with a spell of utterly clear, cool, dry weather wedged in between storms (to even out this good karma, we got to drive home in one of the worst rainstorms to hit California in a decade). For this visit, we decided to do hikes we hadn't done before, rather than reprise old favorites like Darwin Falls. After pouring through Michel Digonnet's excellent guide (Hiking Death Valley, Second Edition, 2016), we settled on four hikes: Willow Canyon, Ashford Canyon, the Golden Canyon~Gower Gulch Loop, and Monarch Canyon. Not necessarily the Park's most spectacular (the whole Park is that) hikes but each unique and interesting in its own way. So below are a few teaser snapshots and links to trip reports with more photos and details.

Willow Canyon TRIP REPORT

Willow Canyon drains remote Gold Valley, high in the Black Mountains. You can come at it from either end, but the lower end of the canyon is more dramatic and easier to visit. At the end of a narrow gorge through metamorphic rock is a 50-foot high waterfall which trickles in all but the driest years (in this wet year it was more than a trickle!). After visiting the waterfall, we did a little cross-country exploration, mainly to get bigger views of the valley.

Image The waterfall in Willow Canyon

Image Death Valley from Willow Canyon

Ashford Canyon TRIP REPORT

We were attracted to Ashford Canyon by its offerings of a narrows, climbable falls, extensive beds of polished conglomerate, Archaen metamosphic basement rocks (the oldest rocks in Death Valley), and a well-preserved mining camp high in the more open upper canyon.

Image The old mining camp high above Ashford Canyon

Image Early wildflowers

Golden Canyon~Gower Gulch Loop TRIP REPORT

Despite the guidebook's warning that this loop was perhaps “the busiest” in the Park, we saw very few people other than at the trailhead and Zabriskie Point. It turned out to be a varied, colorful, and interesting hike, with good views, old mines, and a visit to iconic Zabriskie Point. Our early start on a weekday may have helped a lot but it seems that most people just do the first mile of Golden Canyon as an out-and-back (there’s a Ranger-led hike there every day at 0900 during the winter season) or just drive to Zabriskie Point. The whole loop doesn’t appear to qualify as busy. If you’re up for an early start, we recommend doing it, as it’s particularly pretty in the morning light.

Image Morning light in Golden Canyon

Image Looking west from Red Cathedral

Image Colors from the divide west of Manly Beacon

Monarch Canyon TRIP REPORT

Unlike our first three hikes, all of which are located in the Black Mountains south of Furnace Creek, Monarch Canyon is in the Funeral Mountains to the north. The principal attractions of a hike into its lower canyon is its relative remoteness and the journey it offers through tortured metasedimentary rocks and polished mosasics, capped off by small pools at the base of a 110-foot perennial waterfall.

Image Cross-country to the mouth of the canyon

Image Tortured rocks

Image The waterfall in Monarch Canyon

Image More early wildflowers

As noted, we got to drive home in a powerful rainstorm and now that we're back, the weather is alternating between gloomy and wet :cry: and gloomy and less wet :( , with an occassional sunbreak thrown-in to make us think we could have gone hiking without extra raingear. Ah, but the warm, soft, light-filled breezes of Spring are but a few weeks (we hope :? ) away...

Image
Last edited by VanMarmot on February 27th, 2017, 4:47 pm, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
Don Nelsen
Posts: 4377
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by Don Nelsen » February 20th, 2017, 10:59 am

Thank you for this uplifting TR and wonderful photos! I've been thinking of doing the same thing myself and your report moves my thoughts all the closer to doing it. Thanks, Don
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

justpeachy
Posts: 3066
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by justpeachy » February 20th, 2017, 11:21 am

As wave after wave of wet storms swept across Southern Oregon, our spirits (I'm sorry to say) faltered, and we began to yearn for sunnier climes.
I hear ya. This has been a brutal winter. Started raining the first week of October and it's been four and a half months of gray, wet, snowy weather ever since. We might have the second-rainiest February on record, according to KGW.

Great trip report and photos! Looks like a fun area to explore.

arieshiker
Posts: 194
Joined: December 3rd, 2009, 3:19 pm
Location: Goldendale

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by arieshiker » February 21st, 2017, 3:07 pm

Superb Report VM.....anyone who hasn't done Death Valley or Joshua Tree should do so when they get an opening in their lives. I was fortunate enough to work/live in the Bay area for six years, so the national parks (some were monuments at the time) were always on my long weekend/extra long work trips itinerary. I spent four days hiking on Panamint Ridge (Telescope Peak with not quite that much snow) with no one around but the ranger, who stopped by every AM for coffee on his way down to report in. He let me ride along one day as he checked his turf, so I got to see parts of the park not always available. Maybe the most fascinating of all the national parks in our system. You guys really look like you went the extra mile to go beyond the tourist areas. Always worth doing down there. Over in the east gorge, I couldn't even get out of my garage to go to The Dalles. Too much ice.
Last edited by arieshiker on February 21st, 2017, 3:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14398
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by retired jerry » February 21st, 2017, 3:47 pm

yeah, I second that, Death Valley you should go to at least once

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by drm » February 21st, 2017, 4:53 pm

And I bet not one single tree fell across any of your trails. No ice storm damage. Gotta go!

User avatar
VanMarmot
Posts: 1924
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Contact:

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by VanMarmot » February 21st, 2017, 6:22 pm

drm wrote:And I bet not one single tree fell across any of your trails. No ice storm damage. Gotta go!
No trees, no ice. Just blessed sunshine! You do gotta go.

User avatar
miah66
Posts: 2039
Joined: July 6th, 2009, 8:00 pm

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by miah66 » February 27th, 2017, 9:57 am

Awesome! I too was in DVNP in 2013, at almost this time of year, on Presidents Day Week (Feb 14-18). We did a medley of hikes/camps too.

Panamint Valley to Panamint City

Image

Image[/url]

Hiked the Panamint Dunes

Image

Took a tour of Scotty's Castle

Image

Hiked up Fall Canyon, camped above the dry falls

Image

Took a trip to the Racetrack

Image

Wow was it great fun. I loved it, and marveled at how big and spread out the park is. You don't want to have car trouble out there! Literally a hundred miles from services at some points. Thanks for the report! I want to climb Telescope peak someday.
"The top...is not the top" - Mile...Mile & a Half

Instagram @pdxstrider

User avatar
VanMarmot
Posts: 1924
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Contact:

Re: Death Valley National Park 12/16-Feb-2017

Post by VanMarmot » February 27th, 2017, 4:54 pm

miah66 wrote:Awesome! I too was in DVNP in 2013, at almost this time of year, on Presidents Day Week (Feb 14-18). We did a medley of hikes/camps too. ... Wow was it great fun. I loved it, and marveled at how big and spread out the park is. You don't want to have car trouble out there! Literally a hundred miles from services at some points. Thanks for the report! I want to climb Telescope peak someday.
Great photos! Just shows how many different places there are to visit there.

Sadly, Scotty's Castle will be closed until 2018 because a flash flood washed out the road. And it looks like the Keene Wonder Mine may never reopen to hiking? :(

Climbed Telescope in late November back in the day and camped just below the summit. A stunningly cold night followed by a staggeringly beautiful (and very welcome) sunrise. An overnight up there in July could be just as scenic and a lot less chilling! :)

Post Reply