Death Valley National Park — Part 2
So ready for more adventure….then ride along with me to uncover some more !!
Ubehebe Crater –
This is a geologist’s dream come true. I am talking about the unique Ubehebe crater, located at the north end of this park near the Scott’s castle. It is a maars volcano that was created by a phreatic eruption two to seven thousand years ago. Hot magma converted groundwater into steam, which created an intense pressure and an intense explosion. The result was a half-mile wide crater surrounded by a large cinder field.
One can experience the vastness of this crater not just looking at it but by getting close to it via hiking. Some options for hikes are as follows-
Option 1: “Down the crater”
This trail leads off with a quick easy descent to the crater floor, but the steep 600-foot climb back to the rim does not look as enjoyable.
Option 2: “Little Hebe Trail”
This one-mile out-and-back follows the western rim to a much smaller adjacent crater, Little Hebe. Along the way, hikers get a good view of the fault of yellow and orange stone, which divides the eastern wall of the crater. Beyond the crater, one can see an expansive cinder field darkening the desert floor.
We decided to take the Option 1 and our experience was exactly as mentioned above. Going to the bottom of crater took us just 10–15mins but coming back up it took us around 45 mins with few stops and emptied almost two bottles of water. It will work your each and every muscle and tests your endurance, but this was one of most amazing, breathtaking experience. I would recommend going early in morning to visit this crater, so the sun is not that harsh in case you decide to do the hike as we did.
Mesquite Flat Dunes-
While driving through the park you cannot miss the sand dunes where you can nab some pictures and walk among the 90-foot/27-meter-high Mesquite Flat Dunes. There’s no marked trail because of the continually shifting desert sands, so you must improvise: Make a beeline from the parking lot to the silky, rippled ridgeline. You’ll see tracks made by creatures during the night, the tiny footprints of birds and rodents. How far you wander is completely up to you — bring water and snacks so you can make the most of the morning’s soft pink light and long shadows. We spent around 1hr in the evening and couldn’t put our phone down (which we used to take pictures during our whole trip).
Isn’t this amazing? We had so much fun. I know you are overwhelmed at this point but its still not over. There is one more part, I promise its the last one but very interesting. Do not miss it. Will post soon….. Part 3 :)
