Death Valley Wandering Part 1

Going to Death Valley for the first time I had done a basic level of research of the best places to stop and see, but when I tell you it feels like we left planet Earth - I mean it. Every few miles of driving we would look around our surroundings and it would feel like a different park, a different state even. This trippy place is incredibly exciting to explore. Just get ready to battle the wind and hold your ground!

My friend and I planned on spending the weekend camping out in Death Valley. We both went in with no expectations and were just ready to explore and hit some of the crazy natural occurring landscapes throughout the park.

The original open campground we were going to stay at was filled by the time we got there so we found a side road that was used for off-roading. We figured it would be safe and how could they not see an orange tent and SUV before running into us, right?

First of all, the wind was crazy. It was blowing the sides of the tent every which way. It took us awhile to fall asleep because of this and it was definitely an experience trying to pack everything up in the morning.

Tip: Keep a tight grip on everything or it will be whisked away into the wind before you know it.

Devil's Golf Course

We started our morning off with stopping at Devil's Golf Course. And yes, the reason for its name is just that - only the devil could play golf on this surface. The ground is covered in these jagged rocks covered in hardened salt crystals. There is not a single empty space for you to go further into the area because of how close all the rocks lie together.

Close up of the rock formation and crystallized salt - Devil's Golf Course

Between the mountains and the jagged ground this is the first stop that felt like we had left planet Earth. I have never been anywhere, where the ground was covered with rocks that looked dangerous and sharp, but are fragile enough you didn't want to walk on them. The long road you drive down is a slow introduction to what you will see. If you stop along the road before the small lot to park in for the golf course you will see small formations of the rocks but scattered about. There is mostly salt that sits on the ground.

We tried walking around on it and getting pictures but as you can see your feet sink right into the ground. The further out you get from the golf course the ground has magically retained moisture and the area is like walking on coarse wet sand dusted in powder sugar.

The dramatic transition left me at a loss for words when trying to walk around. The last thing I expected was to sink into the ground in a place that hardly gets rain.

We continued our day by going on a short hike to see a natural arch formation and to possibly climb up above it - which we were unsuccessful in doing, but had a good laugh trying to find our way there.

Tip: A lot of the hiking areas are mostly loose rock and slipping is bound to happen. Be careful especially in when increasing elevation.

Natural Bridge

This is a short mile hike up to the arch where the trail continues on past the arch if you want to explore but we didn't go much further. We were set on going up this path we saw that might lead to the top of the arch. My spec of a friend in the picture and I tried to make it up, but the rock sliding waterfalls my feet kept creating were too much and we ended up turning around.

Probably one of the most unique and interesting places in Death Valley is the Badwater Basin. This area is below sea level and is covered in a layer of salt. What I found most interesting were the shape formations in the ground. It felt like walking through a sample you were looking at through a microscope.

We noticed a handful of people were taking their shoes off to put their feet in the water or walk on the salted path. That is ultimately your choice, but the salt content is not the best for your skin and I would stick to keeping your shoes on.

Badwater Basin

When you first walk out there it looks like a solid path of salt.

Badwater Basin

And then the further you walk you will start to see the organic shapes in the ground lined with the salt.

Badwater Basin

When you get to the end you'll be completely surrounded by what you see above. We touched the ground and its crazy to feel that it is wet and not completely dry. You will also notice small pools of water in the ground.

Sidewinder Canyon - three slot canyons within the hike

So our next hike does not show up on the park map, but you can go into the visitor center and ask one of the ranger's for a separate map of the place for better guidance. The trailhead begins off to the right of the gravel parking lot. There are three slot canyons you can hike in that will all fall on the right side. Most of them are easy to walk through and require a small amount of climbing over rocks - other slots or sections require climbing up and down small walls and alleys of rocks.

We had a blast hiking through the slots and exploring all the channels it split off into. Definitely bring water with you because it is a good workout.

We came across two men leaving the trail explaining that the last slot canyon has a hole you can climb down into and there is a cave and a continued slot canyon within the hole. The hole is pictured to the left - to get up here you have to climb a very steep incline with loose rock. When we finally saw the hole they were talking about ( you can't see it until you're up high enough) we broke out in laughter. There is no way we were getting in that tiny hole, to possibly get stuck.

Tiny hole near the top if a slot

We turned around before the top because we saw no good way to get up there, knowing that a lot of the rocks in the canyon wall and ground are loose and weren't holding our weight. If you're up for a challenge this is it!

Continue to part 2 of Death Valley Wandering to see what else we encountered along the trip!