Hiking/trail running recommendations: Death Valley (east)

purplefizzy

Hoping some dirt-digging trail folk will have ideas/resources for me.

Headed to Death Valley for some December day-hiking.
Will be posted up in Beatty, Nevada (east of the park by ~40 mins.)

My group is:
-in a non-4x4 vehicle, so need ‘car friendly’ access roads
-experienced athletes, less experienced with navigation (but have/can obtain maps, gps)

Looking for some day-hikes, with decent mileage (8-20 miles)

Any recommendations or resources for trailheads/decent length hikes?

I’m running into a few challenges finding options of decent length, sedan access, and reasonable drive time (hoping to keep it around an hour) from Beatty - any thoughts welcome.

Thanks!

BrianSharpe

Can't make any specific recommendations but check out an app called Alltrails, it has information about trails around the world.

robertw486

Second the above. Any of the good trail sites will have the best information.


https://alltrails.com/explore/us/nevada/amargosa-valley?ar[]=10106797

https://wildlandtrekking.com/hiking-trails/category/parks/death-valley-national-park/

I was hoping to remember some of the trails I've hit over the years, but half of them probably weren't named back when I was out there!


But some general advice from someone that hasn't been out there in 30 some years but has probably spent a combined couple weeks in the Death Valley National Park....


There are plenty of trails that you can easily reach with a regular car, and many more that you can hike in an extra mile or two from a car friendly road to get to the trailhead.

Navigation is a big concern in those areas. The desert can be very disorientating at times, with distances hard to judge. Combine canyons with that and it can get tricky. Most popular trails are easily followed, but if you go off the beaten path much have good navigation tools. I'd suggest one of the handheld GPS models made for hunting/hiking that allows frequent waypoints. Without the ability to backtrack accurately, there are often places where all the canyons tighten up and it's like navigating a maze. Those type GPS units also usually get better signal in the tight areas.

Weather - even in the cooler months temps can swing 30-40 degrees in hours. In December heat shouldn't be a real issue, but don't think you can't freeze your butt off in the desert. Been there, done that. If you do any earlier or later in the day hikes, and/or tight canyon hikes, be prepared for the swings.

I think most of the trails I've been on that were close to that side were easy to moderate for any athletic types, but you might be able to find some more challenging ones close to your starting points. But even if you are all experienced athletic types, I'd recommend to take some time for the easy hikes as well. There are trails that are family and kid friendly that are really cool, especially some of the tight canyon hikes.

It's a really cool place for a day trip or extended stay. I'd also recommend that if any of your group are inclined, spend a night camping in a remote area. The night sky is amazing, and I think the desert is the quietest place I've ever been at night... at least until the coyotes start howling.

Azdak

All I can add is that I’m very jealous.

And this reminds me that I need to do more trip planning now that I am retired. Have a great time.

ookoolady

Be ready for cold weather! When I was there, the daytime high was supposed to be 65 degrees. It may have reached that temp for 5 minutes at 2:00 pm but the rest of the time it was around 45 degrees and windy. Bring warm jackets, food, water, emergency shelter, first aid kit, and always keep all members of your group within eyesight of each other.

purplefizzy

Thanks all!! Some great starting points for me to deep dive here.

Really appreciate it!!