Overview

This picturesque and geologically interesting, but moderately strenuous, 2.9-mile hike starts at Golden Canyon and climbs over mudhill badlands, passes Manly Beacon, and drops into Gower Gulch before climbing out to Zabriskie Point.

This one-way hike requires a vehicle shuttle or other arrangement. Consider hiking back using the Gower Gulch Trail.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this hike is pretty safe, but stay out of the canyons (and off the mudhills) if rain threatens because of flash flood dangers.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and please try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this hike is fairly long, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located along Highway 160 in Death Valley National Park, about 2-1/2 hours northwest of Las Vegas. From town, drive out to Death Valley, pay the entrance fee, and then drive to the Golden Canyon Trailhead. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the Golden Canyon Trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint 01), the route runs up Golden canyon for about a mile to Trail Marker #10 (Wpt. 02), which also marks at trail junction. For details on this part of the hike, see Golden Canyon Trail.

From Trail Marker #10 (Wpt. 02), the route forks to the right and ascends, sometimes steeply, a side canyon into the mudhills. Crossing below Manley Beacon, the trail climbs to a highpoint (Wpt. 04) before descending towards Gower Gulch. Past the highpoint, Zabriskie Point is visible to the east. For details on this part of the hike, see Gower Gulch Loop.

At a signed trail junction (Wpt. 05), the route to Zabriskie Point turns left and climbs over another ridge, eventually dropping into Gower Gulch at another signed trail junction (Wpt. 12). Arriving at this point, Zabriskie Point is visible above to the east. For details on this part of the hike, see Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon.

From this trail junction, hikers can follow a use-trail that climbs more-or-less directly to Zabriskie Point, or they can follow the main trail, which circles around behind Zabriskie Point and approaches the point from the other side.

Following the main trail, hikers turn left to go north and start up a tributary canyon to Gower Gulch. In the near distance, a sign post indicates the way, but by then it becomes apparent that the trail follows an old road. Winding up the old road, the road runs through a gap in a ridge and shortly arrives at the Zabriskie Point parking area (Wpt. 10) and the base of the paved trail up onto the point (Wpt. 11). For details on this part of the hike, see Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon.