Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, April 2010

If you play your cards right, you can follow the previous posts from a snowy 11,000 foot peak (Telescope Peak), past some unique structures (the Charcoal Kilns and Eureka Mine), through an ancient canyon with cracked granite blocks (Mosaic Canyon) down to rolling sand dunes (Mesquite Flat) all within a day. That alone should make Death Valley a “must-do” in anyone’s book – I personally can’t think of another place world-wide where you can traverse such a variety of terrain in a day or less. Granted, if you’re going to do all of those things in a day, you’re going to need to get an early start, and move quick, but it is indeed possible.

What I’d personally recommend, however, is that you spread out these things over a couple days – no need to rush these things. The park’s been shaped over several eons, so you’ll definitely be able to see most of these things the next day, or the day after that as well. The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are one of several dune fields within Death Valley, but are the most accessible to the majority of park visitors. If hiking the Kelso Dunes (http://lastadventurer.com/last-adventurers-fieldnotes/2012/1/20/kelso-dunes-mojave-national-preserve.html) is like being an extra in Star Wars, hiking the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is a bit like being in the Sahara – surrounded by tall peaks, and in the path of trading caravans – or tourists. While the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes don’t speak and rumble like the Kelso Dunes do, and are usually full of tourists, they still have a fair amount of magic in their shifting grains of sand.

 Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, June, 2009

Directions: The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are three miles South of Stovepipe Wells, directly off of Highway 190 in Death Valley National Park. As of 2010, there is a nice new NPS parking lot, interpretive panels, bathroom, and signs directing visitors where to park. From the parking lot, it is a short walk into the dunes. Perhaps the most common complaint by hiking purists and other members of the backcountry community is that these dunes are too well-traveled and too busy. While it is more likely than not that you will encounter people within the first quarter mile of the parking area, once you enter into the dunes, the odds of encountering people decreases exponentially. While the dunes are not as remote as say, the Kelso Dunes, or the Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park, plenty of opportunities still exist to enjoy these dunes on your own.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, June 2009

As you can see from my photos above, taken in 2009 and 2010, I was at the dunes by myself. However, as I noted regarding Mosaic Canyon, timing is everything in life. Will the Dunes be busy when you are there? In predicting this, my outcome is hazy, but I say this: forget about whether it’s busy or not. Whether you enjoy it, people or no people, is all in your mind.

Tips: There is no “approved” trail into the dunes or to the top of the tallest dune. From what I’ve heard and experienced, the average person will likely walk two miles around the area. But, that distance is up to you – it could be more, it could be less. If you really want to get away from it all, I’d say you’re probably going to walk more than two miles, especially if you want to explore. What do I like to do in these dunes? I like to head up to the summit of the tallest dune and stare at the alien and varied expanse of Death Valley. If I had a sled, I’d definitely go sledding, much as I do in the Kelso dunes. I also like to head out and around to other dunes, looking for the remnants of old desert lakebeds and other strange things. What I will always do is make sure to have a map; or keep a visual reference on my vehicle, or some other fixed point so that I won’t get lost; and, I always make sure to have plenty of water in the valley of one of the world’s hottest (and in this location, sandiest) deserts. Also, if you're going to take photos of the dunes, the best time is early morning - sunrise, or shortly thereafter.

See you in the sand!

 Mesquite Flat San Dunes, April 2010

More Information: http://www.nps.gov/deva/naturescience/sand-dunes.htm, http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/mesquite-flat-sand-dunes-in-death-valley/, http://www.panamintcity.com/sanddunes/mesquitedunes.html 

Wildrose Peak, Death Valley National Park

Early portions of the Wildrose Peak Trail

Some people climb mountains for the challenge; some people climb mountains because they have a burning desire to be atop high places; some people climb mountains for the physical activity; and some people climb mountains just because they’re there. There’s a million reasons why people climb mountains, and if you run into people on the trail, it’s always interesting to hear why people are there, what they are doing, and if they are lost, help them out by giving them directions and encouragement. One of the most honest reasons I’ve heard for climbing a mountain was on Wildrose Peak by a transplanted Frenchman named Bernard who was living in Los Angeles. Wildrose Peak, incidentally, is the small sister of Rogers, Bennett, and Telescope in the Panamint Range of Death Valley, clocking in at 9,064 feet. On that trip, I had been on a climbing tear – I had powered up Whitney in winter conditions on Saturday, and bagged Telescope, Bennett, and Rogers on Sunday. It was now a Monday, and rather than take it easy – I decided to climb Wildrose Peak.

I hadn’t had time to talk to anyone on Whitney, except for a few words to climbers at the Portal – too much snow, too little daylight; and there hadn’t been anyone for me to talk to on the Telescope trifecta. After a couple hours alone on the Wildrose Peak trail, I felt like I was going to not talk to anyone for at least another day. Then, there on the summit was Bernard. We talked for a minute or two; and then he laid his reason for climbing Wildrose Peak at my feet. He said, “I come here every year to get away from my wife.” Now, I’ve been climbing for a long long long time. That’s probably the funniest – and most honest answer I’ve ever heard anyone give regarding why they were climbing a summit. So – Wildrose – good for getting away from spouses – and a good hike.

 Looking up at the Wildrose Peak Summit from the trail

Directions: If you’re headed to Wildrose Peak, you’re going to want to start from the Charcoal Kilns parking area. Directions to that parking area can be found here: http://lastadventurer.com/last-adventurers-fieldnotes/2012/2/21/charcoal-kilns-death-valley-national-park.html. From the parking area, the trail is clearly signed and starts from behind the kilns. The trail starts out gradually, and provides gentle elevation gain for the first mile. At around the first mile, you will start to notice one of the unique things about the trail, namely that it used to be used for logging before Death Valley was a national park. A little bit after one mile of distance has elapsed, you will pass a former USGS gauging station in a wash; however, there isn’t much to see there anymore, but it is yet another curiosity. The trail, for the most part to this point, is gradual uphill; and in most places, covered with shade from the pinyon pines and other trees.

Summit view to the Northeast from Wildrose Peak

However, once you have gone about two miles, the uphill section of the trail becomes much steeper, and this again raises the question of whether this is a “strenuous” hike. Again, like Telescope, you are gaining a fair amount of elevation – just over two thousand (2,000) feet from the charcoal kilns. But, again like Telescope, you have some distance to gain that elevation – 4.2 miles one way. The first time I climbed Wildrose – when I met Bernard, my legs were a little tired from the two days prior, and in between miles two and three of the ascent, I remember thinking that this was the hardest peak in the Panamint Range.

But, when I went back on other occasions, while I found the hike steep at times, it didn’t seem like anything difficult at all. Again; judge your skill level accordingly, and that of your group.

Summit, Wildrose Peak

In my opinion, however, the steepest section of the trail comes after a preliminary set of switchbacks leaves you on a saddle just below the summit of the peak. At this point, you will have hiked 3.1 miles; however, you will have to gain ~900 feet of elevation in the last 1.1 miles to reach the summit. For most of this ascent, you will think that you are going to be on the summit when you reach the visible top. Not so! This is a false summit that is close to the actual summit. Once you are on the false summit, however, you are a mere stroll from the actual summit. The actual summit is a broad, flat expanse, which is a large contrast to the summit of Telescope, which is narrow and cramped. The views, again, are stunning from the summit, and there is still a three hundred and sixty degree panorama of the surrounding terrain. When you are ready to return; you will head back down the way you came.

Tips: Even though the temperatures at Wildrose will not be in the hundreds during summer, it still can get quite hot on the mountain, even with the patches of shade, so do bring plenty of water. As I noted above, there’s a couple of interesting items to be seen on the trail as well. I’d say this is a great hike for anyone to attempt, whether they are experienced or not; and whether they are looking to get away from anyone or not. And, as discussed before – if you are going in winter, do bring the proper gear!

More Information: http://www.panamintcity.com/panamint/wildrosepeak.html, http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/wildrose-peak-death-valley/, http://www.summitpost.org/wildrose-peak/152443, http://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/DEVA/Wildrose_Pk/_Wildrose.htm

Charcoal Kilns, Death Valley National Park

The Charcoal Kilns Interpretive Panel

Back in the near-distant past, after dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I decided that I wanted to climb Telescope Peak. At that point, I didn’t know much about Death Valley other than what I had read and researched. I know that this was truly a long time ago, perhaps during part of the dark ages, because I had gleaned most of my information from actual books and paper maps. I left after work for the desert, and by the time I reached Emigrant Canyon Road within the park, it was very late. As my car glided over the curvy pavement like a giant bat, my eyes drooped slightly. Suddenly, my high beams caught a glimpse of something grey, brown and large on the road. Automatically, my foot hit the brake before I could say “Blue Moon”. My SUV skidded on its antilock brakes for a split-second before coming to rest.

Astonished, I stared at the herd of wild burros that were crossing the road in an utterly nonchalant manner. After that, I was awake. A couple of miles later, my breathing had slowed to a normal pace when my high beams again caught a glimpse of something off the road. I slowed and stared. It looked like there were…stone structures? I immediately rubbed my eyes. I knew that I was over twenty miles away from any sort of civilization. But yet, there were buildings there. I pulled off the dirt road, in case any burros needed to pass me at one in the morning, and stared. There were ten identical buildings, all made from stone, standing tall and silent in the night. Each stone dome had one door at ground level.

Since I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I stopped the car, and crossed over the gravel to the nearest structure. Once inside, there was the distinctive faint odor of long burned fire, and a far window that let in the starlight.

The Charcoal Kilns in winter (2012)

After I stood there for a moment in the black silence, my mind started to wander to plotlines from every B-grade horror movie I had ever seen: strange structures in the desert; no one around; and an unwary lone wanderer potentially meeting a dire fate. I shuddered against the pre-dawn cold and my imagination and wandered back to my car, but not before giving the structures one last wary look. And that was the first time I went to the infamous Charcoal Kilns of Death Valley.

Today, if I’m in Death Valley, I always try and stop by the kilns, because even though they may not have any role in a B-grade horror movie, they are interesting buildings from a lost world. Per the National Park Service, the kilns were constructed “…by the Modock Consolidated Mining Company in 1877 to provide a source of fuel suitable for use in two smelters adjacent to their group of lead-silver mines in the Argus Range west of Panamint Valley, about 25 miles distant from the kilns.” (http://www.nps.gov/deva/historyculture/charcoalkilns.htm).

Charcoal Kilns in summer.

I find it fascinating that these structures are still standing; and I also am amazed by the amount of work it must have taken to build and operate them in a location that is basically in the middle of nowhere. So, if you’re in Death Valley to climb some peaks, view the desert, or for any other reason, I highly recommend that you stop by the Charcoal Kilns, and write your own story involving them.

Directions: Follow Emigrant Canyon Road for twenty four miles; after twenty one miles, the road is also known as Wildrose Canyon Road. At mile marker twenty four, the road becomes unpaved, and is mostly graded gravel. Follow this road for four more miles, and you will be at the kilns. There is no way to miss these structures from the road.

Back of the Charcoal Kilns

Tips: In wintertime, as pictured above, the last four miles of the road can become choked with varying amounts of snow and or ice, as well as runoff. Judge the conditions accordingly to determine if your vehicle can traverse the terrain without getting stuck.

More Information: http://digital-desert.com/death-valley-history/wildrose-kilns.html, http://www.hikespeak.com/ca-desert/dv/charcoal-kilns-death-valley/, http://www.yelp.com/biz/charcoal-kilns-death-valley, (if you come in from Trona, you might have this reaction here, that I had: http://lastadventurer.com/last-adventurers-fieldnotes/2010/5/18/the-unexpected-lurks-everywhere-in-the-desert-from-factories.html)

 Charcoal Kilns, Winter 2012