Travels of The Mercury: Death Valley, February 3rd, 2014 – Golden Canyon/Gower Canyon Loop to Zabriskie Point.

Gower Canyon, the purer basic elements of a painting.

Hiking the badlands is like walking into a three dimensional painting. The three most basic elements of painting are here; color, shape and value. These three things define how we perceive the badlands and how they draw us into them in wonderment. There’s no vegetation or other elements to distract from the purity of these weathered hills. They are the most beautiful and enchanting aspect of Death Valley.

Hiking up Gower Canyon.

Delicious landscapes.

The Golden Canyon/Gower Canyon Loop is four miles with an additional two-mile, out-and-back climb to Zabriskie Point for a total of six miles. We hiked another half mile to the Red Cathedral. We began by hiking up Gower Canyon because everyone goes up Golden Canyon first and not many hike the loop so we were likely to see the fewest people at the start. It’s a popular place so the parking lot is packed but we had lots of solitude as we hiked up Gower.

The view from Zabriskie Point overlook.

Gower Canyon offered a great variety of formations and the hike up the gravel bottom is easy. Each twist in the canyon opens on a new view and another twist. Side canyons too numerous to count slide past, each inviting exploration. We pass between cream colored hills capped by dark rock. Jim mentions that they look like angel food cake with chocolate sauce. What a delicious landscape.

We take the side trail to Zabriskie Point, climbing steeply near the top to the overlook. If you enter the Valley from the east on highway 190 this is your first view with all the drama of a curtain rising on the stage of a long anticipated performance.

Chocolate and vanilla swirled hills.

To complete the loop we hike down into Golden Canyon through banded chocolate and vanilla swirled hills. The trail descends steeply in places until we get into the winding sandy bottom. Palisades and eroded formations line the way.

The hike to Red Cathedral climbs up a sandy wash to the base of the red palisades. It’s another dessert to top off the hike and guaranteed to put you soundly to sleep at the end of the day.

More delicious landscapes.

The last stretch of the hike is easy as we drift down through the golden hills to the parking lot and the short four mile drive back to Texas Spring Campground.

I want to mention that the Park Service has a wonderful visitor center with great exhibits and info. They do an outstanding job as always.