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Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon in Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park, CA · NV

Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon

Strenuous 7.8-mile loop from Zabriskie Point through Gower Gulch and Golden Canyon

Photo: Flickr
Length
7.8mi
Time
4.5hr
Elev. change
810ft
Difficulty
Challenging
  • Loop
  • No dogs
  • High point 646 ft
  • #13 of 36 in Death Valley
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Zabriskie Point: A Famous View and a Trail into the Badlands

Overview

About Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon

This strenuous 7.8-mile loop links Zabriskie Point, the Badlands, Gower Gulch, Golden Canyon, and Red Cathedral in one of Death Valley's most varied day hikes. The National Park Service describes the complete circuit as a 7.8-mile loop taking about 4.5 hours, with 834 feet of elevation gain. There is no shade or water along the route.

Why go

  • Complete circuit connects Zabriskie Point, Manly Beacon, Golden Canyon, Gower Gulch, and Red Cathedral
  • Exceptional badlands and canyon geology with several of Death Valley's signature viewpoints

Heads up

  • Routefinding is challenging where badlands washes, junctions, and social paths crisscross
  • Fully exposed desert route with no shade or water, and parking can fill at both popular trailheads
  • Steep, loose, rocky sections and short scrambles make the complete circuit strenuous

Map & elevation

The route

Loading the Death Valley map
Full map
Elevation-164–646 ft
TrailheadZabriskie Point36.42007, -116.81223
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

Start at the paved Zabriskie Point parking area on CA-190, 3.5 miles east of Badwater Road, or at the paved Golden Canyon trailhead on Badwater Road, 2 miles south of CA-190. Both lots have vault toilets; the stored route starts at Zabriskie Point.

Best time to go

Cooler months are the practical season for this exposed route, especially late fall through spring. Start early, carry more water than you expect to need, and avoid attempting it during extreme heat. Sunrise and sunset are popular at Zabriskie Point, so parking can fill.

Safety

Extreme heat is the primary hazard; carry ample water, sun protection, and a downloaded map because there is no shade or water on the route. Expect loose gravel, fine sand, steep sections, natural rock steps, short scrambles, and difficult routefinding in the badlands. In Gower Gulch, a 25-foot dryfall is bypassed on its north side and a narrow rocky step leads back toward the Golden Canyon parking area.

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
See all 3 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Death Valley Tour Guide

Your drive to Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon, 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 tour

Recorded for this trailhead

Zabriskie Point: A Famous View and a Trail into the Badlands
Listen
“You're approaching Zabriskie Point, which offers what might be the single most famous view in Death Valley. A short paved path leads to an overlook with a huge panorama of colorful, rippling badlands.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Death Valley Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • A Roller-Coaster Drive Through Twenty Mule Team Canyon
  • Gower Gulch: The Famous Loop's Finale
  • Golden Canyon's Famous Hike and Loop Trail
  • Desolation Canyon: A Quieter Badlands Hike
  • 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
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“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!!!!”
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Trail guide

Hiking Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon

Route and What You'll SeeStart at Zabriskie Point and follow the short paved access path into the Badlands.

Start at Zabriskie Point and follow the short paved access path into the Badlands. Descend through Gower Gulch to the Golden Canyon trailhead, then climb Golden Canyon to the Red Cathedral area. Retrace the Golden Canyon corridor to the upper junction, continue through the badlands past Manly Beacon, and return to Zabriskie Point. The stored line represents this complete loop, including the required Red Cathedral out-and-back section; it does not connect optional side canyons or alternate spurs.

Difficulty and TerrainThe NPS rates the complete circuit strenuous.

The NPS rates the complete circuit strenuous. Expect steep and uneven desert terrain, loose gravel, fine sand, natural rock steps, short scrambles, and confusing junctions in the badlands. Gower Gulch includes rocky runoff terrain and a narrow rocky step where a 25-foot dryfall is bypassed on its north side. A downloaded map or GPS track is important because social paths and washes can make the route difficult to follow.

LogisticsThe loop can start at either the Zabriskie Point parking area on CA-190 or the Golden Canyon…

The loop can start at either the Zabriskie Point parking area on CA-190 or the Golden Canyon trailhead on Badwater Road. Both lots are paved and have vault toilets. This record starts and ends at Zabriskie Point. No permit is required for this day hike, and pets are not allowed on the route.

strenuousloopiconic viewsbadlandscanyonsRed CathedralManly Beacongeologysun exposedno shadescrambleroute findingpopular

Wildlife

Wildlife in Death Valley

All Death Valley wildlife maps
Bighorn Sheep71 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapDesert Tortoise101 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapCoyote458 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapFeral Burro28 sightingsFeral BurroMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapMule Deer30 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapKit Fox62 sightingsKit FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Death Valley. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon

See it all on the map

Trails that start nearby

ModerateBadlands Loop (Zabriskie Point)2.7 mi · 1.8 hr · At the trailheadA 2.7-mile moderate loop through colorful badlands below Zabriskie Point.EasyZabriskie Point Overlook Trail0.3 mi · 8 min · 0.1 mi awayA short paved out-and-back from the Zabriskie Point parking area to Death Valley's iconic badlands overlook.ModerateGolden Canyon to Red Cathedral3 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.9 mi awayA 3-mile Golden Canyon out-and-back to the red walls of Red Cathedral.ModerateGolden Canyon and Gower Gulch Loop4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayModerate badlands loop linking Golden Canyon and Gower GulchModerateDesolation Canyon Trail3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayColor-drenched badlands and a quiet canyon with easy scramblesEasyArtist's Palette Wash0.4 mi · 48 min · 3.9 mi awayExplore a short, unmaintained loop through Death Valley's rainbow badlands.EasyMustard Canyon Loop1.3 mi · 30 min · 5.4 mi awayOne-way drive through mustard-colored badlands from Harmony Borax Works to CA-190EasyHarmony Borax Works Interpretive Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 5.4 mi awayA short paved loop through the ruins and stories of Death Valley’s Harmony Borax Works.

Places near the trailhead

Sight · At the trailheadZabriskie PointSignature badlands vista that lights up at sunriseSight · 0.8 mi awayManly BeaconA sharp badlands spire near Zabriskie Point’s trailsSight · 1.1 mi awayRed CathedralFluted crimson walls capping Golden Canyon with a fun scrambleSight · 1.2 mi awayTwenty Mule Team CanyonShort, roller-coaster dirt drive through yellow badlandsSight · 1.7 mi awayEcho CanyonRugged canyon drive to arches and the photogenic Inyo Mine ruinsSight · 1.7 mi awayGower GulchBadlands canyon with dryfalls, color, and a classic loop finishSight · 1.9 mi awayGolden CanyonGolden badlands to Red Cathedral with a classic loop optionSight · 2.1 mi awayDesolation CanyonColorful, quiet badlands hike with late-afternoon glow and big views

Parkwolf’s Death Valley ranking

Top-rated trails in Death Valley

All 36 trails
  1. 1Badwater Basin Salt FlatsEasy · 1.9 mi
  2. 2Zabriskie Point Overlook TrailEasy · 0.3 mi
  3. 3Mesquite Flat Sand DunesEasy · 2 mi
  4. 4Telescope PeakChallenging · 12.5 mi
  5. 5Titus Canyon NarrowsEasy · 3 mi
  6. 6Mosaic CanyonModerate · 4 mi

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