Death Valley National Park Day Hikes

Death Valley is home to incredibly varied and beautiful landscapes. In our last post we wrote about its most famous viewpoints and easily accessible spots. In this post, we share day hikes, some of which are in less-visited areas of the park.

Natural Bridge Canyon is a short hike featuring a large natural bridge. It’s an easy way to experience one of Death Valley’s many canyons, which provide endless nooks and crannies to explore.

Anna walks under the natural bridge.
Once past the bridge, the number of hikers quickly drops off, and you have the canyon almost completely to yourself. There’s a boulder to squeeze under and a small pouroff to scramble up before you reach the larger dryfall that ends the trail.

Ubehebe Crater is a volcanic spectacle half a mile wide and 700 feet deep. You can walk the rim of the crater, then follow the trail over to Little Hebe.

Ubehebe Crater
Walking around the rim of the crater
Little Hebe Crater as viewed from Ubehebe

Mosaic Canyon provides a winding tour of unusual geology. The entire trail is 4 miles, but you don’t have to hike the whole thing to enjoy plenty of beautiful rock.

Classic Death Valley National Park Views

When you think of Death Valley National Park, you are probably envisioning Badwater Basin. It’s extremely dry and one of the hottest places in the world.

So that’s why we decided to visit in January! We experienced highs in the 70s, well below the 110+ degree heat you can expect in the summer months. The record temperature in Death Valley is a blistering 134 degrees!

We attended an excellent ranger talk at Badwater. Check out this program or any ranger talk at your next national park. They are consistently fun, informative, and great for all ages.

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America
Badwater got its name from a traveler literally writing “bad water” on a map. The water here is too salty to drink.
Salt flats at Badwater Basin

There is so much more to the park than Badwater though.

Our Biggest Pacific Crest Trail Book Sale!

Happy holidays! We’re offering our biggest sale ever: 35% off our book Pacific Crest Trail: A Journey in Photographs. Click the “Buy Now” button to order directly from us.

The book is also available from Amazon.

35% Off Our Pacific Crest Trail Book

To create this spectacular coffee table book, we hiked the entire 2660-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Living in the wilderness for over five months, Chris photographed the starkly beautiful deserts of southern California, the deep blue alpine lakes and snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the volcanoes and lush forests of Oregon and Washington. The journey was challenging, inspiring, and visually stunning.

Chris’s landscape photographs portray the essence of each section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Every image is powerful. Viewed in sequence, these photographs take you on a journey through some of the most beautiful and compelling landscapes in the world. You can learn more on our book page. The book is a great gift for you or a friend.

Wishing you a fantastic holiday season with family, friends, and time in the great outdoors. Here’s to awesome adventures in 2017!