This article describes 5 popular easy to moderate hikes in Death Valley National Park, California.
There are several hikes in the park that are rated easy to moderate and will only take about half a day to complete. These are the 5 most popular.
1. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes Hike
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes hike is a 2 mile (3.2 km) round trip with 185 feet (65 meters) of elevation gain if you go to the top of the tallest dune. There is no marked trail, but it is fairly obvious where the tallest dune is located and how to get there.
2. Natural Bridge Hike
Natural Bridge hike is the shortest canyon hike at 1 mile (1.6 km) out and back with only 86 feet (26 meters) of elevation gain. This canyon is fairly wide, but with lots of loose rock over which to walk.
3. Golden Canyon Hike
Golden Canyon hike is a 3 mile (5 km) out and back with 577 feet (176 meters) of elevation gain if you take it to the Red Cathedral and back. You can make it a much longer hike if you combine it with the Badlands Loop, Zabriskie Point and Gower Gulch, but those hikes are beyond the scope of this article.
4. Mosaic Canyon Hike
Mosaic Canyon hike is a 4 mile (6.4 km) out and back with 1,200 feet (366 meters) of elevation gain. This is the most difficult of the popular canyon hikes listed here due to the distance, elevation gain and slippery rock.
5. Ubehebe Crater Loop Hike
Ubehebe Crater Loop hike is a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) loop with 500 feet (152 meters) of elevation gain and exposed edges along the rim of the now extinct volcanic crater. The park suggests doing the loop in a counter-clockwise direction doing the uphill section first. Going this direction will get you to Little Hebe Crater in about a half mile (0.8 km) and is a common destination if you want to do a shorter out and back hike.
