Best time to visit
Aim for the cooler months and start at sunrise or late afternoon for the best light and manageable temperatures. This area is popular, so trailhead parking can fill early during peak season. Weekdays and early starts help.
Overview
About Gower Gulch
Gower Gulch is a sculpted desert canyon that anchors the "best-of" hiking loop linking Golden Canyon with the badlands below Zabriskie Point. Think glowing mudstone walls, maze-like badlands, and a finale through a rugged wash where dry waterfalls add a little adventure.
Why stop
- Classic badlands canyon with colorful rock and dryfall scrambles
- Part of the Golden Canyon–Gower Gulch loop with big views
Heads up
- Full sun and heat exposure outside the cool season
- No services or water; completely undeveloped
Map
Where it is
Loading the Death Valley map
Full mapLocal know-how
Tips for visiting Gower Gulch
Hike at sunrise or late afternoon for cooler temps and the best light.
Carry more water than you think you need and strong sun protection.
Grab the NPS Golden Canyon–Gower Gulch–Badlands map before you go.
Expect short scrambles and use the bypass around the largest dryfall.
Start from Zabriskie Point if you want a dramatic sunrise before dropping into the gulch.
Plan your stop
Before you go
Best time to visit
Planning Essentials
3 active Death Valley alerts
- ClosurePark roads closed or hazardousPlan around multiple closed roads and use extra caution on damaged routes. - Paved roads: North Highway and Beatty Cut-off are closed due to flooding and debris from the October 22 storm.Official details
- ClosureSaline Valley Lower Springs closed after wildfireLower Springs at Saline Valley Warm Springs remains closed after the September 15 wildfire; stay out because the fire left safety hazards, including potential hazardous chemicals.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Death Valley Tour Guide
Your drive to Gower Gulch, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Death Valley National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Death Valley audio tourRecorded for this place
Gower Gulch: The Famous Loop's FinaleListen
“This part of the badlands is carved by Gower Gulch, which serves as the grand finale for the popular hiking loop connecting Golden Canyon and Zabriskie Point.”
Plays as you drive up to Gower Gulch in the Parkwolf Death Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Golden Canyon's Famous Hike and Loop Trail
- Desolation Canyon: A Quieter Badlands Hike
- Zabriskie Point: A Famous View and a Trail into the Badlands
- Mushroom Rock: A Hidden Roadside Oddity
- 130 audio storiesacross Death Valley’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Desert Tortoise, Coyote, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 36 trails, 114 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Gower Gulch
What You'll SeeGolden and tan badlands leading to narrows and wide washes.
- Golden and tan badlands leading to narrows and wide washes.
- Two notable dryfalls (upper and lower knickzones), with a bypass around the largest drop near the mouth of the gulch.
- Big-picture views as the canyon opens toward the valley, and photogenic angles of nearby Red Cathedral and Manly Beacon when you include the broader loop.
- Subtle traces of mining-era history in a landscape shaped by classic Death Valley geology, including badlands and colorful formations.
Route and DifficultyMost visitors experience Gower Gulch as part of the Golden Canyon–Gower Gulch loop, typically 4.
Most visitors experience Gower Gulch as part of the Golden Canyon–Gower Gulch loop, typically 4.4–6.5 miles depending on options. Expect mostly gentle grades with sections of loose footing and short, easy scrambles at the dryfalls. The last connector back toward the road can feel exposed and a bit tiresome.
History & GeologyNamed for borax figure Harry P.
Named for borax figure Harry P. Gower, the gulch threads through classic Death Valley formations. The canyon’s "knickzones" (dryfalls) and eroded badlands showcase the park’s geology in a compact package.
WildlifeWildlife is sparse in this harsh environment.
Wildlife is sparse in this harsh environment. You might spot lizards and the occasional bird in the quieter stretches, but this hike is more about geology and views than animal sightings.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Death Valley
71 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
101 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
458 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
28 sightingsFeral BurroMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
30 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
62 sightingsKit FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Death Valley. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
