Golden Canyon is the most popular hike in Death Valley.
Golden Canyon, Red Cathedral and Gower Gulch detail:
Loop
Distance: 5.3 miles
Elevation: 850 feet
Time: 2:45
Ease: moderate
Parking: at start of Golden Canyon
Park at the trailhead for Golden Canyon. It's located on Badwater Road, 2 mile south of Ca190.
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Walk 1 mile to the turn off for Red Cathedral. The Golden Canyon trail is flat and easy.
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The canyons are not as high as Titus Canyon.
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Borax between layers of rock
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View of Manly Beacon
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Beyond Golden Canyon, the Red Cathedral hike is more strenuous than the main canyon. It is 0.5 miles in each direction.
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You'll need to squeeze between rocks and climb over some rocks to reach the base of the Red Cathedral.
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Base of the Red Cathedral.
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You can climb to the top to get a view of the surrounding canyon but the trail is tough. It's not recommended if you have a fear of heights. Hiking poles may be helpful on this portion of the trail.
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After returning from Red Cathedral, turn left.
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It's a steep climb to the base of Manly Beacon.
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View from the base of Manly Beacon.
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When we reached the Badlands Junction, it was getting late so we didn’t go to Zabriskie Point. We turned right at the junction and hiked 0.3 miles to Gower Gulch.
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Gower Gulch is a flat 2.2 miles back to the parking lot.
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In the distance, you can see mine openings.
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2022 01 20
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