This tour will take
you outside the borders of Death Valley National Park proper for a brief
visit to one of the largest boomtowns in the region, Rhyolite, NV, and
to the trail head of one of the most spectacular canyon trips Death Valley
has to offer. Stops on this tour include:
The town of
Rhyolite, Nevada grew up around a spectacular gold strike made at
the turn of the century. The bullfrog mining district was established
and town of Rhyolite sprang from the desert as miners and fortune-seekers
from across the country flocked to the area.
Today, few
buildings still stand (among them are the famous Bottle House, and
the Rhyolite Deport) but the site is literally riddled with artifacts
and diggings.
From the Furnace
Creek area, travel north on Hwy 190 for approximately 15 miles.
At the Beatty cutoff, turn right and take the road to Beatty. On
your way eastward, out of Death Valley, you will pass the turn off
to the Keane Wonder Mine site, travel through Hells Gate (where
the Beatty cutoff road merges with the main road) and travel over
Daylight Pass.
Continue through
the pass, and down the eastern flank of the Funeral and Grapevine
mountains into the Amargosa Valley. As you descend into the Amargosa,
you can clearly see the modern workings of the Bullfrog mine (built
on the outskirts of Rhyolite).
Continue east
toward Beatty and into Nevada. Shortly after passing into Nevada,
you will notice the turn off to Titus Canyon on your left.
Just before
you get to the Bullfrog mine works you will see the turn off to
the town of Rhyolite, and the town will be clearly visible from
the main road.
Turn left onto
the Rhyolite town road and follow it to the ghost town of Rhyolite.
Be sure to walk around to explore the remains of the bank building,
the bottle house, and the depot at the top of the hill.
Distance:
Approx. 40 mi.
Travel time:
Approx. 1 hour.
2.
Titus Canyon
From the town
site of Rhyolite, retun to the main road and turn right, heading
back toward Death Valley. Just before you reach the California state
line, you will see the turn off to Titus Canyon on your right (the
turn off is about 5 miles from Rhyolite). Take this turn off and
head up the well-graded dirt road toward the canyon trail head.
After about 1 or 2 miels, the road becomes one-way only.
Follow Titus
Canyon Road up the eastern flanks of the Grapevine mountains, over
Red Pass (you'll see why, and you'll know it when you see it!) and
down into the upper reaches of Titus Canyon. If you time your travels
correctly, you can bring a picnick lunch with you, and eat at the
ghost town of Leadfield. Be sure not to miss exploring the Leadfield
town site, and the petroglyphs just west of Leadfield.
As you approach
the mouth of Titus Canyon you may encounter increasing foot traffic
(and even some on-coming vehicular traffic, though it is agains
NPS regulations) in the extremely impressive canyon narrows. Use
caution in this part of the canyon.
Distance:
Approx. 5 mi.
Distance through Canyon:
Approx. 22
Travel Time:
Approx. 5 min.
Travel Time Thru Cyn.:
Approx. 3-4 hours.
3.
Salt Creek
The headwaters
of Salt Creek emerge from the desert floor south of Stovepipe Wells
and feed into the lush, marshy wash of Salt Creek. One of the very
few accessible habitats of the Death Valley Pup Fish. There is a
mile-or-so long boardwalk with interpretive materials for visitors.
When you exit
Titus Canyon and return to the main road (Scotty's Castle Road)
turn left heading south on Scotty's Castle Road toward Furnace Creek.
When you meet
the junction of Hwy 190, turn left toward Furnace Creek.
Approximately
5 miles south on Hwy 190 you will see the turn off to Salt Creek.
Turn right on to this well-graded dirt road.
Follow the
Salt Creek Road approximately 2 miles to the parking area for Salt
Creek. This is also a nice location to have lunch, depending upon
how your travel plans and times work out.
Distance:
Approx. 20 mi.
Travel Time:
Approx. 30 min.
Please note Titus
Canyon is one-way between the trail head (near the California-Nevada border)
to the trail head located 2 miles east of Scotty's Castle Road.
Titus Canyon, though
well-travelled, is a true back-country trail. While high-clearance vehicles
are generally recommended, the road is typically well-graded and passable
by nearly any type of substantial vehicle. I regularly see Ford Taurus
cars, as well as all manner of compact sedans successfully traveling the
Titus Canyon Road. Perhaps the most difficult parts of the trip would
be the descent from Red Pass into the upper reaches of Titus Canyon, and
the loose gravels that are frequently encountered near the canyon narrows
near the mouth of Titus Canyon. Slow and easy does the trick coming down
from Red Pass, and keeping up gentle momentum should see most vehicles
successfully though the gravelly spots of the canyon floor.
As always, use good
judgement, and always check with the ranger station/Visitor's Center for
current road conditions and advice.
Day
Trip Guide - Only have a day or two to visit the largest National
Park in these 48 contiguous states? These quick trip suggestions
might help you make the most out of your brief glimpse of Death
Valley.
Death
Valley Safety - Don't lose your cool or your life when visiting
Death Valley. Here are some safety tips and reminders to help you
plan a safe visit to Death Valley National Park.
