Golden Canyon

The panoramic view of Golden Canyon from Zabriskie Point is magnificent, but don’t miss getting right into the canyon itself – only possible by hitting the trail. Sunrise and sunset, when the light is magical and fellow hikers are very few, are particularly good times to hike an excellent interpretive trail through the canyon.

Until the rainy winter of 1976, a road extended into Golden Canyon. A desert deluge washed it away, leaving behind something far better: a footpath into a geologic wonderland. Like so much in Death Valley, destruction by water created a place worth walking into.

The first mile of Golden Canyon Trail is an interpretive route, offering a crash course in earth history. Miocene volcanic activity, Jurassic granitic intrusion, Precambrian erosion – it’s like geologic alphabet soup. Even if you don’t memorize the dates, you’ll still leave with an appreciation of the millions of years that carved this kaleidoscope canyon.

Step onto the trail and you immediately see why it’s called Golden. Depending on the angle of the sun, the walls shimmer yellow, brass, even copper-orange. Tilted, faulted cliffs close in as you hike deeper, their ripple marks a fossilized reminder that this was once the shore of an ancient lake. Look closely and you’ll spot crystalline veins of gypsum – “white gold,” prospectors called it – sparkling in the walls.

Side canyons invite short detours, narrow passages leading off into otherworldly alcoves. But the main prize lies straight ahead: Red Cathedral, a natural amphitheater of iron-oxide-stained cliffs rising above the golden badlands. The contrast – rust-red capping pale yellow – is nothing short of theatrical. It feels like you’ve stepped into the backstage of Earth’s longest-running production, geology as performance art.

And while the geology is front and center, the atmosphere counts too. This is one of Death Valley’s classic hikes: short, dramatic, easy to reach, and unforgettable. The kind of hike that reminds you why you came to Death Valley in the first place – to walk among colors so bold they seem painted on.