Yesterday, 12:29 PM
Hello
It took me a couple of years but I finally made it out to the Owlshead Mountains in Death Valley.
On Feb 14-17 I took a 4 day walk around the area. The itinerary was simple:
Day 1, park along Harry Wade Rd and hike via Through Canyon to reach Owl Lake.
Day 2, hike South-West crossing Owl Lake and hike through “Burro Wash” which would take me towards Lost Lake
Day 3, from Lost Lake hike back and head north on the valley between the ridge of Owlhead Benchmark and the inner mountains of the Owl Lake Basin “Owlhead Alley”
Day 4, hike out the Owl Lake Basin via Granite Canyon
Photo gallery
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC3ret
Through Canyon, Granite Canyon, Owl Lake and Lost Lake are of course well known and well reported and explored. The other areas not so much. I called them “Burro Wash” and “Owlhead Alley” (suggestions are certainly welcomed and needed)
Overall the hike was great. The weather was nice and the highest temperature I experienced was 75F, the lowest temperature was 30F. I did take a hiking umbrella with me and that was certainly a good call, it made a big difference to keep cooler and reduce water consumption to some extent.
Interesting findings were the old NPS Boundary marker and the crashed dart. They are marked on the map. I also got a chance to see the head of Contact canyon. I was thinking that it would be possible to loop Contact and Through Canyon for an overnight trip. After seeing the terrain up close, I do not think it would work. The volcanic rock that makes the upper portion of Contact canyon looks passable but I am not sure it is worth the effort and risk.
Overall it was a fun walk. Lots of things that look "passable and doable" in Google Earth are not so much in real life, I was happy to get that insight about the Owlshead.
Cheers
It took me a couple of years but I finally made it out to the Owlshead Mountains in Death Valley.
On Feb 14-17 I took a 4 day walk around the area. The itinerary was simple:
Day 1, park along Harry Wade Rd and hike via Through Canyon to reach Owl Lake.
Day 2, hike South-West crossing Owl Lake and hike through “Burro Wash” which would take me towards Lost Lake
Day 3, from Lost Lake hike back and head north on the valley between the ridge of Owlhead Benchmark and the inner mountains of the Owl Lake Basin “Owlhead Alley”
Day 4, hike out the Owl Lake Basin via Granite Canyon
Photo gallery
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC3ret
Through Canyon, Granite Canyon, Owl Lake and Lost Lake are of course well known and well reported and explored. The other areas not so much. I called them “Burro Wash” and “Owlhead Alley” (suggestions are certainly welcomed and needed)
Overall the hike was great. The weather was nice and the highest temperature I experienced was 75F, the lowest temperature was 30F. I did take a hiking umbrella with me and that was certainly a good call, it made a big difference to keep cooler and reduce water consumption to some extent.
Interesting findings were the old NPS Boundary marker and the crashed dart. They are marked on the map. I also got a chance to see the head of Contact canyon. I was thinking that it would be possible to loop Contact and Through Canyon for an overnight trip. After seeing the terrain up close, I do not think it would work. The volcanic rock that makes the upper portion of Contact canyon looks passable but I am not sure it is worth the effort and risk.
Overall it was a fun walk. Lots of things that look "passable and doable" in Google Earth are not so much in real life, I was happy to get that insight about the Owlshead.
Cheers