Taking Your Dog to Death Valley
A few weeks ago, a good friend gave me a call and said he and his girlfriend were planning on driving down to Death Valley from Northern California, and invited me to meet up with them. I was skeptical at first, because I only had two days off from work (Death Valley is a little over four hours from where I live), and because the National Parks are not very dog friendly, however, I found a small list of places dogs could explore the park, and figured, fuck it, let's go check out the super bloom! Plus, Koa hadn't been camping yet and I'd been dying to take her!
We had such a great time! The ranger we spoke with to get suggestions on what to check out in the park was super unhelpful and discouraging when we asked about where to go with our dog — instead of giving us suggestions he primarily reminded us of the park rules — dogs can basically go within 100 yards of where cars can go — but you can still have a lot of fun within these parameters. Like I said, we only had two days, so we weren't able to check out everything on this list, but here's some info on the places we did check out!
The park was fairly crowded, due to the super bloom and the awesome weather. When we first arrived, our super unhelpful ranger told us the Sunset campground was probably our only option. The Sunset campground is basically a big gravel lot with no fire pits or picnic tables, so we were a little bummed, however this incredibly friendly maintenance guy told us to to ignore the "Campground Full" sign at the nearby Texan Springs campground, and when we took his advice we found a much better spot with a picnic table and firepit and way nicer views for $14/night (only $2 more than the Sunset campground!). Koa was extremely grateful for the picnic table, as it became her shady den for the small amount of time we spent at the site. Texan Springs also has an awesome water station and flush toilets, so heed the advice of the maintenance guy and ignore full campground signs until you've made your own inspection!
Titus Canyon was one of the more appealing dog-friendly places to check out, so on day one we decided to check it out and hike around, however from our campground we had to take the 190 to Scotty's Castle Road to get to the mouth of the canyon and a sign told us Scotty's Castle Road was closed. To circumvent to road closure, we took Beatty's cut off, which leads you to the other side of the canyon, which you can drive through (one way), however it's several miles before you actually get in the canyon and the road is ROUGH as we learned the hard way. So day one we didn't really make it, in the canyon so much as we explored the hills near the canyon.
The next day, we probed our unhelpful ranger a little more and it turns out the part of Scotty's Castle Road that is closed is way past Titus Canyon. So we were able to drive to the mouth of the canyon, where there is a parking lot and a pit bathroom, and head into the canyon. This is definitely a great way to spend the hottest part of the way, as the narrower parts of the canyon provide lot's of shade. I have no idea how long or far we hiked, but we spent several hours in the canyon and had a great time, bouldering around, photographing the wildflowers and lizards, chasing butterflies, and peeling hitchhiking caterpillars off our legs.
There are a ton of ghost towns in this area! Rhyolite is in Nevada, past the Titus Canyon entrance we took on our first day on Daylight Pass Road, so we went to check it out after our first canyon adventure didn't pan out. There are some pretty neat old structures, some of which are fenced off, and some of which are open to exploration and it was definitely worth poking around. Be very careful if you take your dog, as there are lot's of hazards like broken glass and uneven flooring.
After Titus, it was late afternoon, so we had lunch and then decided to take another short adventure before I had to drive home. TMTCR was on my way out of the park, and promised colorful views of the badlands, so it was perfect, and was a GREAT choice for the early evening and sunset. This is another one way dirt road for cars, but you can easily pull off and hike in for spectacular views. As the sun drooped lower in the sky, we scrambled up one of the big, soft hillsides, balancing along the ridges to an incredible viewpoint of the red and purple mountains beneath the big golden rays of the setting sun. Of course, getting down was another adventure, as we attempted to take a "shortcut" that ended in a steep drop off, and then had to climb back up and retract our steps down again, and Koa had a brief moment of "Oh shit, we're really high up..." but the trip ended on an exhilarating high note for us because of it!
While Titus was fun and beautiful in it's own way, the quiet and secluded adventure of TMTCR was unparalleled — definitely check out this area if you're visiting Death Valley with a dog.
Death Valley is hot. And it's way hotter for your dog. Keep this in mind and bring plenty of water on each hike or excursion you take, even if you don't think you'll be out for long. I like to freeze water bottles, and put them in Koa's backpack to help keep her cool and provide her with some nice cold water as they melt. You can also soak a bandana in water and store it in your cooler to refresh your pup. Any water that Koa doesn't drink out of her bowl gets poured gently over the back of her neck.
It's also a good idea to bring booties. It wasn't that hot this trip, but I did test the ground several times to see if I could hold my hand on it without discomfort. Booties are also a good backup to have in case of any cuts or injuries. Check your dogs paws for cracks, cuts or burrs regularly and make sure to take frequent shady breaks.
We had such a great time! The ranger we spoke with to get suggestions on what to check out in the park was super unhelpful and discouraging when we asked about where to go with our dog — instead of giving us suggestions he primarily reminded us of the park rules — dogs can basically go within 100 yards of where cars can go — but you can still have a lot of fun within these parameters. Like I said, we only had two days, so we weren't able to check out everything on this list, but here's some info on the places we did check out!
Camping
The park was fairly crowded, due to the super bloom and the awesome weather. When we first arrived, our super unhelpful ranger told us the Sunset campground was probably our only option. The Sunset campground is basically a big gravel lot with no fire pits or picnic tables, so we were a little bummed, however this incredibly friendly maintenance guy told us to to ignore the "Campground Full" sign at the nearby Texan Springs campground, and when we took his advice we found a much better spot with a picnic table and firepit and way nicer views for $14/night (only $2 more than the Sunset campground!). Koa was extremely grateful for the picnic table, as it became her shady den for the small amount of time we spent at the site. Texan Springs also has an awesome water station and flush toilets, so heed the advice of the maintenance guy and ignore full campground signs until you've made your own inspection!
Koa did awesome camping for her first time. She hopped right into the tent, chased a moth that followed us in for a while (which was hilarious in our tiny one person tent) and then settled down to chew on her cow ear before bed. Dogs are allowed in the campgrounds on leash, and must be attended at all times. You can get more info on camping at Death Valley here.
Titus Canyon
The next day, we probed our unhelpful ranger a little more and it turns out the part of Scotty's Castle Road that is closed is way past Titus Canyon. So we were able to drive to the mouth of the canyon, where there is a parking lot and a pit bathroom, and head into the canyon. This is definitely a great way to spend the hottest part of the way, as the narrower parts of the canyon provide lot's of shade. I have no idea how long or far we hiked, but we spent several hours in the canyon and had a great time, bouldering around, photographing the wildflowers and lizards, chasing butterflies, and peeling hitchhiking caterpillars off our legs.
Rhyolite Ghost Town
Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road
While Titus was fun and beautiful in it's own way, the quiet and secluded adventure of TMTCR was unparalleled — definitely check out this area if you're visiting Death Valley with a dog.
Keeping Your Dog Cool
It's also a good idea to bring booties. It wasn't that hot this trip, but I did test the ground several times to see if I could hold my hand on it without discomfort. Booties are also a good backup to have in case of any cuts or injuries. Check your dogs paws for cracks, cuts or burrs regularly and make sure to take frequent shady breaks.