From Dunes to Slot Canyons: An Adventure Across Death Valley's Extremes
- Steve
- Oct 27, 2017
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 11
Death Valley National Park (DVNP) holds the title of the largest national park outside of Alaska, covering more than 3.3 million acres. DVNP is characterized by its extreme conditions: towering sand dunes, salt flats below sea level, peaks reaching 11,000 feet, summer temperatures soaring above 120°F/49°C, and annual rainfall of less than 2 inches. Despite these extremes, the park offers a breathtaking environment throughout the year... whether you explore the heights or the depths, you'll encounter stunning views.
Titus Canyon Road
Among the various entrance roads leading to Death Valley, the unpaved route through the narrow Titus Canyon stands out as the most dramatic. This 27-mile, one-way road provides breathtaking scenery, a ghost town, narrow canyons, and numerous other points of interest.
Although not required, we rented a high-clearance 4WD truck for driving through DVNP. We felt safer driving the rocky, rutted, and canyon-hugging roads of Death Valley in a big-ass truck. Starting our adventure on Titus Canyon Road was without a doubt the right decision!
There were incredible views right from the start.
Leadfield Ghost Town
The short-lived town of Leadfield was built on one of the biggest schemes in Death Valley history. In 1926, people swarmed to the area inspired by advertising that greatly exaggerated the potential of ore in the region. The town quickly shut down; all that remains are a few rusty metal buildings.
As we approached the end of the road, we saw several big-horn sheep climbing the hills of the canyon.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
We took a leisurely walk through the sand dune areas. These dunes span over 14 square miles and, while they are the smallest among the five major dunes in DVNP, they are the most accessible. We timed our drive perfectly to sit atop one of the dunes for sunset.
Golden Canyon, Badlands Loop and Gower Gulch Loop via Zabriski Point 6.8 miles
The loop hike is one of the more popular hikes in DVNP. We decided to hike these trails to get familiar with the terrain before venturing into the more remote slot canyons.
Upon entering Golden Canyon, you'll notice the walls are lined with layers of yellow and golden-colored sediment, along with sand and large boulders. These formations were once part of Lake Manly's bed, which disappeared over 10,000 years ago. Over time, pressure and geological forces have solidified these loose materials into solid composites. The trail leads to the vibrant red cliffs of Red Cathedral. Climbing over several rock piles and navigating a narrow ridge offers a fantastic vantage point overlooking Golden Canyon and the surrounding mountains.
The next section of trail passed directly in front of Manly Beacon. The trail traversed along the base of this monolith where it joined the Badlands Loop leading to Zabriski Point.
At the top of Badlands Loop we had a terrific view and could look back at Manly Beacon, the tall peak in the second picture below.
We hiked back into the canyon and ascended 0.3 miles to Zabriski Point. Unfortunately, views from the Point were anticlimactic; hiking through the terrain was a more rewarding experience than the scenery at this overlook. After a short rest at Zabriski Point, we headed back to the Badland Loop until it joined Gower Gulch, a wide, gravel-filled wash that drains into the salt flats. We followed the wash downhill until we returned to starting point of the hike.
Sidewinder Slot Canyon 4.3 miles
Sidewinder was our 'big' hike in DVNP; it's described as both physically and mentally demanding involving climbs up vertical ledges more than 6 ft high and squeezing or crawling through tight spaces just 18 inches wide. Not the typical starting point for one of our hikes. A sign stated, you are entering a designated wilderness zone.
The directions to the trail set the stage for this adventure.... "an unmarked gravel access road is located on Badwater Road between mile markers 31 and 32. Travel on the access road for 0.3 miles until you reach a gravel pit. Park the car. The mouth of the canyon is located 0.5 miles south of the gravel pit". The silver speck in the bottom right corner was our big-ass truck.
Sidewinders Canyon began as a broad wash, but as you ventured further, the canyon walls rose and narrowed as you neared the trail's end.
Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the entrance to the first slot canyon. However, we easily discovered the second slot approximately 1.5 miles into Sidewinder. The walls were primarily composed of conglomerates with boulders embedded in cement-like surfaces. Due to the lighting conditions and the narrow passage, photography was challenging, but we managed to capture a great photo of a boulder stuck between the walls. We spent around 25 minutes exploring the slot, and it was fun! Here is Dave standing at the slot entrance.
Walls covered with conglomerates.
Stopping for a water break and picture since more light filtered into the slot.
Once back in the main canyon, we continued hiking for another 0.25 miles until we reached the entrance of slot 3.
Initially, the slot featured a relatively flat and sandy floor without any obstacles, with sunlight lighting up the path. Gradually, the slot became more 'interesting' as the passageway narrowed and large boulders were wedged above. At certain points, the slot was less than shoulder-width. We had to use our headlamps in several areas where the trail became dark due to the rising walls and the narrowing overhead opening.
Light filtering from 10-15 feet above our heads
As you can see, Dave likes 'action' pics with these rocks!
Our first major challenge involved crawling on our hands and knees for 5-7 feet around the base of a boulder blocking the trail. Earlier online reports mentioned that gravel had filled this crawl space, hindering further access to the slot. We were fortunate!
Another squeeze under a massive boulder and the slot opened wide.
The trail rapidly became narrow once more just before we faced our next challenge: ascending a 10-foot-high dryfall. Luckily, there were excellent hand and foot holds that made it feasible.
The trail continued past the dryfall. We hiked for a short distance then decided it was time to turn around. We had spent over 90 minutes exploring this slot.
Video highlighting a section of slot 3.
Side Trips: Badwater Basin and Artist Palette Drive
Badwater Basin the lowest point in North America - 282 feet below sea level.
The 9-mile Artist Drive winds through canyons and mountains that are vividly colored due to the oxidation of metals and elements present in the soil. The red and pink hues come from the oxidation of iron-rich hematite; the golden and yellow shades result from iron oxidation; decomposing volcanic ash deposits contribute green tones to the mix; and the purple color originates from manganese, which can also produce shades of blue and even a hint of green.
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