Rain, Heat, and Snow in Death Valley

By Pam Allen

Who’da thunk it?!  Rain in Death Valley in February!  Well, actually February supplies the largest share (0.3") of the two inches of rain that Death Valley receives annually.  But, like much of Southern California, rain has been in short supply this year.  According to one of the Furnace Creek employees, this was the first rain he had seen in the seven months he had been there. 

Over President’s Day weekend, ten hardy souls braved the badlands of Death Valley National Park with cabin accommodations at Furnace Creek Ranch on a trip led by Terry Ginsberg and myself. 

Not only were we privileged to have rain Sunday night and Monday morning, we enjoyed the almost-hottest day on record for Feb 16, the day we arrived. According to the ranger it was 89 degrees, with the all time high for the day being 91 degrees.

Our excursions started with a hike up Mosaic Canyon, the first 0.2 miles through a narrow passageway of polished marble. The canyon then opened into a wide amphitheater of various colored and textured rocks, ending about 3 miles along at a dry waterfall that demanded climbing skills beyond an O rated trip. 

Leaving the Canyon we progressed to the sand dunes where we played Lawrence of Arabia through lunch with two amongst us hiking a distant dune.  Later in the afternoon we hiked through Golden Canyon to Zabriskie Point with spectacular views of Manly Beacon and Red Cathedral. We stopped to enjoy our snack packs on a plateau as we watched the sun drop behind the Panamint Mountains in the west.

Sunday morning we started early into Titus Canyon. The first two miles through the Narrows is like walking in a towering cathedral, at least until the first motorcycles came through.  One may traverse the 26-mile length of this canyon on a one-way dirt road with high clearance vehicles.  The entrance to the road is the east end, in Beatty Nevada.  We were hiking in from the west end, so weren’t bothered for the first hour and a half. 

Mid-afternoon we toured Scotty’s Castle, an amazing edifice that rises from a cool corner of the desert. It abounds with history and lore from the 1930's.  In contrast to the towering rock faces and castle-like building, Ubehebe Crater, a few miles from Scotty’s Castle, dropped us 500 feet in 0.3 miles.  It was a lot of fun running down and much more work coming back up. 

The brewing storm, which brought the rain that night, kept the assent comfortably cool.  We awoke to rain Monday morning and enjoyed Badwater at 280 feet below sea level with puddles at our feet.  Artists Drive, more colorful in full sun, was remarkable even with the overcast day. Color photos somehow seemed fake, the colors are so vivid. 

As many of us left Death Valley heading west on 190, we were treated to the snow capped peaks of the Panamints ‘frosted’ over night and then, beyond, the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.