Death Valley
Golden Canyon/Gower Gulch loop
 
 
Directions: The trail into Golden Canyon starts at the parking area about 2 miles south of Hwy 190 on Badwater Road. Start time: around noon Finish: around 3 PM Total time: about 3 hrs, including time stopped Distance: 4 miles Elevation change: ? Temperatures: low 70’s, some overcast, very comfortable for this hike. Water consumed: just under 3 liters. Difficulty: 6 (for me for my poor fitness at the time of the hike) Beauty: For me a ten. I love the desert! Wildlife seen: none. On March 17, 2006, I took my first hike of the year at Death Valley National Park. I hiked into Golden Canyon and then took the Gower Gulch loop off the trail into Golden Canyon. The Death Valley “Day Hikes” flyer I picked up at the Visitor Center describes the Golden Canyon Trail as an easy 1 mile long trail (one way). The Gower Gulch loop off the Golden Canyon Trail is a little tougher. When I did this hike I was not really in shape for a vigorous hike and indeed, I found this part of the hike pleasant and easy to do. The temperatures in Golden Canyon were warm but comfortable, perhaps about 80F. Temperatures were cooler in the Valley though. On the day I did this hike, I was also suffering from some leftover bronchitis from a recent bad cold and the exertion made me cough almost continuously. Talking was almost impossible. When I started the hike there were quite a few cars in the parking area but during my hike I only ran into scattered groups of hikers. Most of the time I did not see people. I guess they were pretty well scattered on the trail. Part way into the Canyon I did see one family sitting in the shade if a rock. I said hello to them and they told me they were waiting while the dad was hiking further into the canyon and then I continued on. A little further into the hike into Golden Canyon I came upon a man sitting in the shade of another rock. He was sitting there shaking and trembling and at first I thought he might be in trouble. I asked him if he was alright and he told me he had Parkinson’s Disease and that he was trying to take a picture of the Red Cathedral rock formation with his camera but that he was shaking so bad he couldn’t do it. He asked me if I would take it for him and I gladly did. Through my bronchitis and coughing I asked him if he would like me to take a picture of him and he said sure and struggled up to his feet and stood there as I took a couple of pictures of him. He was such a nice and sweet old man that I almost wanted to hug him and doing him the little favor of taking a picture for him made my day. I know they say to be careful of some of the people you may run into on the trail but I have met some of the nicest, sweetest people out hiking! As it was a little warm in the canyon I asked him if he had enough water or needed anything else. He assured me he was fine and so I continued on. From there I hiked pretty much to the end of Golden Canyon and came to a spot where it looked like it would be very difficult to proceed any further if you could. As I recall it looked like you could skinny your way up through a hole or opening past an overhang but I was carrying two cameras, digital and film, and they would have banged on rocks if I tried so I turned around and headed back. A short distance back from where I turned around, I came to the trail heading off for the Gower Gulch loop at marker #10. The Death Valley Day Hikes guide describes this as a 4 mile round trip hike that loops back around to the parking area. I think that distance includes the hike into Golden Canyon to reach the Gower Gulch Loop trail. The guide also describes the hike as moderate as there is a pretty steep portion of trail to hike up and then there is a rock scramble to descend further down the gulch. I have done a fair amount of hiking since I did this hike including ridding my bike over 800 miles this past summer and I think if I did the this hike again I would find it easy, but at the time, I had to huff and puff and take rest stops to get over the steeper part of the trail. it about wore me out! I was also carrying 3 litters of water with me in a camelback pack and it came in handy for this hike! The pictures above show the steeper part of the trail and entering into Gower Gulch. The hike in the gulch is purely one of hiking through a dry river bed. Gower Gulch has some interesting and colorful rock formations and caves that I gather are from old borax mines. Unfortunately, I did not think to take pictures of the rock scramble. Descending it with two cameras was a chore as they wanted to bang together or on rock. I got down by holding a camera in each hand and jumping down several feet at the best spot. It was a little dicy. The pictures above show the exit from the gulch and the hike back to the parking area. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable hike that took me perhaps 2-3 hours to do. I will do this again!