Several people have asked about places to go hiking during the cold months.
Our state's vast desert parklands provide great weather and spectacular landscapes for hiking in the cold season. All four of them -- Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park -- are well-worth exploring.
Death Valley is my favorite because of the incredible variety of its landscapes and its accessibility. You can explore much of the park from a passenger car, but it also has many fairly easy hikes to interesting locations.
Death Valley was named by a group of emigrants who were stranded there in 1849. They barely made it out alive. Cars and modern roads have made the park far less treacherous, at least in the winter months. Daytime high temperatures in the lower elevations average 65-76 degrees from November through February.
The area that now makes up the park has been inhabited by Native Americans, prospectors, pioneer settlers, tourists and eccentrics of various kinds. It is famous for being the hottest, driest and lowest place in North America. Though inhospitable summer temperatures often top 120 degrees, it is comfortable in the winter months. If you camp, be prepared for occasionally cold nights. In the spring the days can be hot, but the wildflower displays are stunning.
Pick a few sights that you want to see and don't try to experience the whole park in one trip. A good place to start is the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, which has excellent interpretive displays. All of the stopping points along the main roads are worth checking out. Some of my favorites include: Ubehebe Crater, Zabriske Point, the Devil's Golf Course, Artist Drive, Dante's View and Badwater. At 280 feet below sea level, Badwater is the lowest place in North America.
My favorite hike is Mosaic Canyon. This 2 ½ mile route takes you through a deep and narrow canyon that was sculpted by seasonal streams over the course of many thousands of years. In some places, it is only a few feet wide. The twisted walls are polished smooth in many places. Even children can enjoy this hike. There's a lot to see without exerting yourself too much. The trailhead is clearly marked on Highway 190, just east of Stovepipe Wells.
Visitors of all ages can also enjoy climbing the majestic sand dunes in the heart of the park. Even better are the Eureka Sand Dunes, some of the highest in North America. They are reached via a long gravel road into the northern part of the park. The trip takes a day, but primitive camping is available and I've never seen more than a dozen people there at one time.
The park also has hundreds of miles of dirt roads for those who want to really get away from things. One of the best destinations for those with 4-wheel drive is The Racetrack, a dry lakebed with rocks that move on the surface in icy weather. If you set out into the backcountry, make sure you are well-prepared for emergencies and check road conditions with the ranger station before you go. Whether you travel by foot or wheel, carry plenty of water.
Rangers in period costume lead tours of Scotty's Castle, a Mediterranean-style mansion built by a Chicago millionaire in the 1920s. Another notable site of human habitation in the area is the ghost town of Rhyolite, just outside the park's eastern boundary on Nevada highway 374.
A variety of accommodations are available in the park, from campgrounds to the stately Furnace Creek Inn.
My words just can't do justice to the desolate yet stunningly beautiful desert regions of our state. If you've been there, you know what I mean. If you haven't, you will have to experience it for yourself to truly appreciate and enjoy it.
Adam Blauert is an avid outdoorsman and local historian who enjoys fishing, backpacking and exploring the western states. He can be reached at adamblauert@yahoo.com
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