"...I decided to visit California for a year or two to see its wonderful flora and the famous Yosemite Valley. All the world was before me and every day was a holiday, so it did not seem important to which one of the world's wildernesses I first should wander."
--John Muir (1868)
This all-day outing was one of our favorite parts of our stay in Death Valley. You can drive out of the park to the east into Nevada, then turn west on a one-way dirt road that travels 26 miles over the Red Pass and through Titus Canyon back into the valley below. That 26 miles takes about 3 hours to drive! It is a unique opportunity to travel the length of a Death Valley canyon from end to end in a car (or more likely, a 4WD truck like we did). The road was awful, and there were times going over the pass that one wished it had guardrails!
Looking back from Red Pass at part of the road we have traveled
Typical terrain around Red Pass
Approaching Titus Canyon
After navigating the pass, the road narrows and the canyon walls start to get higher and closer. For the last 6 miles or so, the road snakes between sheer walls of amazing color and variety.
Here is a short video of part of the drive through Titus Canyon:
Finally, the canyon opens up into the floor of Death Valley
No comments:
Post a Comment