Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch Loop via Zabriskie Point
Hike Review
I had hiked Golden Canyon before, but I had not visited Zabriskie Point. So, this time we tried starting out from there.
The view was gorgeous with the desert hills giving us all the different shades of brown you could think of. There are a ton of accessible paths crisscrossing the canyon, so we had a lot of fun taking more difficult paths for fun. We also found a mini canyoneering adventure that made us want to keep going off-trail.
While the established path is pebbly and easy to walk, most of the off-trail paths were sandy and slippery. It was fun to challenge ourselves though.
Temperature-wise, the first half of the hike was just perfect. However, as the temperature climbed into the 80s, we found ourselves drinking much more water than we had thought we would drink. When we got back to the car, we were hungry, thirsty, and fatigued. As is the case when this happens, I wished that we would have gotten up earlier and started the hike even earlier.
Golden Canyon and the immediate area around Zabriskie Point were busy, but the rest of the hike was relatively empty.
There were two restrooms on this hike (one at the Zabriskie Point Trailhead, one at Golden Canyon Trailhead). There were a few parking spaces in both parking lots with lots of people not staying for long.
What I Learned
While I did the shorter Golden Canyon loop before, I had not explored Zabriskie Point, nor Red Cathedral. It was fun to hike above the main trail, especially at Red Cathedral, where we were able to find a shortcut back to the main trail.
What Happened?
7.3 miles, 4 hrs 44 mins, 1713 ft of ascent
After a couple of great days in Nevada, it was time for us to start heading back home. So, for the final day of fun, we decided to hike around Death Valley, then drive the 7 hrs or so back home.
We parked at Zabriskie Point Trailhead, and hiked up to Zabriskie Point. The canyon below us stretched out in front of us and there seemed to be hundreds upon hundreds of ridges. We hiked down to the Golden Canyon trail and hiked it in a clockwise direction once we crossed it. Especially during the first part of the hike, we were full of energy and went the optional more difficult paths whenever possible. But at around the halfway point, the day started to get warm and we started hiking a more direct path.
However, once we entered Golden Canyon, it got a bit cooler and we started doing more optional hikes, especially up to the Red Cathedral area. But from Red Cathedral to Zabriskie Point was a slog as it was hot, dusty, and we ran out of water on the way back.
When we got back to the car, we immediately rehydrated and made our road-trip-proven bacon sandwiches in the parking lot. After recovering, we drove to do one more short hike before heading back home.
