| |
Darwin Falls - Death Valley
National Park
| Summary: |
A short hike to a very scenic
waterfall and grotto in the middle of the driest
place in North America. The falls is located
just west of Panamint Springs. |
| Directions: |
From Panamint Springs, drive
west on CA 190 for about a mile. Turn left
(south) on the signed dirt road for Darwin Falls
and drive 2.5 miles to the parking area and
steel gate on the right. |
| Road Conditions: |
Passenger Car |
| Navigation: |
Moderate |
| Length: |
3 miles |
| Date Hiked: |
November 2004 |
| Weather Conditions: |
Sunny and cool |
|
Required Skills: |
None |
| Hike Description: |
From the parking area, walk
past the steel gate into the dry wash and begin
hiking up canyon next to an ugly PVC pipe which
has been jury rigged to the right side of the
canyon with rope, rocks and other lengths of
pipe. After about 5 minutes of walking you'll
reach another steel fence and a sign for 'Darwin
Falls - Area of Critical Environmental Concern'.
Water soon begins to flow in the canyon bottom
and you'll have to jump the stream a few times
in order to keep your feet dry (careful, the mud
is slippery). Before long you'll enter a lush,
verdant canyon and the first falls, which is a
complete let down. Have no fear. Route find
around the first falls along a well used path on
the left (facing up canyon), then back down into
the drainage on the upper side of the falls. A
100 yards later, after passing through an
overgrown stretch of trail, you'll reach a
scenic grotto with 3 sets of falls (though
you'll only be able to see the lower two). To
reach the upper falls, and the best part of the
canyon, climb a scree slope on the right (facing
up canyon) and look for a path which leads left
to the top of the second falls. With some
careful climbing on the right you can reach the
upper falls, which cascade down a lovely 50 foot
chute into a fern lined pool. It is possible to
continue up the scree slope to explore further
up canyon, but I did not find anything of
interest past these falls. When ready, return
the way you came. |
| Rating (1-5 stars): |
The author and his wife
explored up to the falls and beyond and back in
2.5 hours. |
|
Maps: |
Trails Illustrated - Death
Valley National Park |
| Photos: |
Click picture for larger view, click your browser's 'Back' button to return to this page. |
|
|
