Tag Archives: Hiking

Death Valley NP- Wild Rose Peak and Charcoal Kilns

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Wild Rose Peak located at the west side of the Death Valley National Park. The trail head is about an hour drive from Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
Hiking Distance: 9 miles round trip with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Overall the hike took us 3.5 hours with 2.5 hours spent ascending and 1 hour descending.
Good to know: Wild Rose campground near the trail head is a great campsite for those who are interested in exploring the west side of the Death Valley NP. Situated around rolling hills with a seasonal water source, the campsite feels very different from the rest of Death Valley. At a much higher elevation, we felt it was too cold to camp here in the winter time but would be a great campsite to escape the heat in the summer. The best part about this campsite is it’s free!

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Charcoal kilns at the start of the Wild Rose peak trail

After doing lots of driving the last couple of days, we were happy to leave our car for a longer hike in the park. Since more technical snow gear was needed for the nearby Telescope Peak (the highest peak in the park), we opted for the Wild Rose Peak instead. We stopped by the Charcoal kilns at the start of the trail. These kilns were built in the early 1900s to supply charcoal for silver mining nearby. They were designed by the Swiss and built by the Chinese. Unfortunately, their use was pretty short lived due to the decrease in demand of charcoal. A walk inside these kilns is definitely recommended, the sign at the trailhead indicate these are some of the most well preserved charcoal kilns in North America.  Continue reading →

Death Valley NP- Titus Canyon to Dante’s View

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Death Valley National Park
Itinerary: Rhyolite (ghost town), Titus Road/Titus Canyon, LeadField (ghost town), Zebriski’s Point and Dante’s View  
Hiking Distance: about 5 miles
Driving Distance: 150 miles roundtrip to Texas Springs campground
Good to know: Check the weather before driving into Titus Road, a high clearance vehicle is recommended for driving through Titus Road.

View from the drive on Titus Road

View from the drive on Titus Road

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Death Valley NP – Badwater Basin to Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Death Valley National Park
Itinerary: Badwater Basin, Natural Bridge Canyon, Artist Drive, Red Cathedral and Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes 
Hiking Distance: 10 miles
Driving Distance: 120 miles roundtrip back to Texas Springs campground
Good to know: We thought the food at the 49ers restaurant was low quality and overpriced. It’s a much better idea to prepare your own meal at the campsite.  Continue reading →

Death Valley National Park Overview

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We try to take advantage of the 4-day weekend during Thanksgiving every year by going on a trip. This year, we decided to stay close to home and visit Death Valley National Park. Located in eastern California within a couple hours of drive to Mount Whitney (the highest peak in the lower 48 states), it is also known as the hottest, driest and lowest point in the U.S. This would be our first time visiting the national park. Our plan is to car camp and drive each day to our planned destinations.

Mesquite sand dunes

Mesquite sand dunes, Death Valley National Park

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Oak Glen Preserve, Yucaipa, CA

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I woke up last Sunday realizing it was a gorgeous day in Southern California. After a long hot summer, it finally felt like fall has arrived in Southern California. With temperature dipping below 80 degrees, we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather by visiting the Oak Glen Preserve in Yucaipa, California.

Located 80 miles from Orange County, the drive to Oak Glen Preserve took about an hour and half without any heavy traffic. We arrived at the preserve at 10:30 and the place was  getting crowded. The entrance to the preserve is free but they do encourage donations at the end of the hike.

The main loop of the hike consist of 2-miles of flat walking. The trail started out at Children’s Forest, I was delighted to find tons of California native plants blooming in the area. Next, we stopped by a large area shaded by giant sequoias. Although these sequoias are young compared to their counter parts in the north, it felt a little surreal to be looking up at giant sequoias in San Bernardino County. Nonetheless, it was a great way to experience the sequoias locally without having to travel too far.

Giant sequoia trees

Giant sequoia trees

Next we hopped onto the chaparral loop and decided to extend our hike up the spurs trail. The spurs trail was definitely a good cardio workout, it is 0.9 miles of steep single-track uphill, we were definitely out of breath by the time we got to the top of the hill. The view at the high elevation is definitely worth the hike if you have the time.

view at the top of spurs trail

This was the view at the top of spurs trail. Since it was a clear day, we were able to see the Saddleback Mtns near our house from the high point.

We finished our 5 mile hike around 1:30PM and noticed the picnic areas near the entrance of the preserve was now packed with lots of young families. We initially wanted to stop by the Los Rios Rancho, a shop next door to the preserve, however, seeing how long the lines were for a seasonal pie, we quickly changed our minds.

The Oak Glen preserve is open daily from 8AM to 4:30PM. It’s a great place to take family and friends and spend a day outside. The main loop trail is easy to do for people of all ages and if you are looking for something a little more challenging, the spurs trail is a good one to try. The preserve is also dog friendly, so take your pup with you to enjoy this amazing open space!

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Resources: 
http://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_oakglen.html

Click to access OGP_BotanicGarden_TrailMap_Oct2014.pdf