Parking
Golden Canyon Trailhead on Badwater Road, 2 miles south of CA-190; paved parking for buses and RVs with a vault toilet, but no water.
Overview
About Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch Loop
This moderate 4.3-mile loop starts at the Golden Canyon Trailhead and links Golden Canyon with Gower Gulch through Death Valley's colorful badlands. The route gains about 850 feet according to the National Park Service and takes about 2.5 hours for most hikers. The optional Red Cathedral spur is an additional 1 mile round trip and is not part of this stored loop.
Why go
- Combines Golden Canyon walls with the quieter, more open Gower Gulch wash
- A varied half-day loop with colorful badlands, geology, and desert views
Heads up
- Full sun and no water make heat management essential
- Short ledges, sandy footing, and a dryfall bypass require careful scrambling
Yes. This loop combines Golden Canyon's close walls with the quieter, more open scenery of Gower Gulch in a manageable half-day route, while leaving the longer Red Cathedral and Zabriskie Point extensions optional.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs It Worth It?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Death Valley map
Full mapElevation-184–466 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
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 Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch Loop, 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 trailhead
Golden Canyon's Famous Hike and Loop TrailListen
“Up ahead is the parking area for Golden Canyon, one of the park’s most popular hikes. The trail winds up through a narrow canyon with towering golden walls on both sides.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Death Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Gower Gulch: The Famous Loop's Finale
- Desolation Canyon: A Quieter Badlands Hike
- Zabriskie Point: A Famous View and a Trail into the Badlands
- The Historic Inn at Death Valley
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch Loop
Route HighlightsFrom the Golden Canyon parking area, the trail climbs gradually through a rocky corridor of…
From the Golden Canyon parking area, the trail climbs gradually through a rocky corridor of narrow, golden walls. At the upper junction, the loop crosses colorful badlands and joins the Gower Gulch route, then returns through the wider wash and tighter canyon narrows near the mouth. The return includes a north-side bypass around a 25-foot dryfall and several short ledges. Small signs mark the major intersections; carry a map or GPS track because the badlands junctions can be confusing.
Difficulty and Trail FeelThis is a moderate desert loop.
This is a moderate desert loop. Sandy footing, full sun, and minor scrambling over or around short ledges add effort. The route is exposed and has no water. The optional Red Cathedral out-and-back and the longer Zabriskie Point complete circuit are separate extensions, not part of this 4.3-mile loop.
Geology to NoticeGolden Canyon's banded walls and Gower Gulch's broad wash show the colorful lakebed sediments…
Golden Canyon's banded walls and Gower Gulch's broad wash show the colorful lakebed sediments and flash-flood erosion that shape Death Valley's badlands. The canyon narrows, dryfalls, and changing reds and golds make the loop especially scenic.
Logistics and TipsStart at the Golden Canyon Trailhead, 2 miles south of CA-190 on Badwater Road.
Start at the Golden Canyon Trailhead, 2 miles south of CA-190 on Badwater Road. The paved lot accommodates buses and RVs and has a vault toilet, but no water. Carry all water needed for the hike, protect yourself from intense sun, and wear shoes with good traction for sandy sections and short scrambles. The park entry fee applies; no separate trail permit is required for this day hike.
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.
