Death Valley Day Two: Fall Canyon Hike & Stovepipe Wells

We woke up early the next morning to prepare for our hike. My father had proposed two possible hiking routes for us. One was what he deemed “technical,” which, after further questioning, we learned meant “lowering Mom into a dry fall.” Apparently my parents had done this hike previously and the completion of it necessitated a rope, a long dry fall, and the endless bravery of my mother. Hike option number two was the one we eventually selected: Fall Canyon.

We drove to the entrance to the hiking area and began packing our lunches. Mom and Dad had done an excellent job of packing a variety of lunches and snacks for us to pack on our hikes. They had a bunch of banker boxes filled with canned tuna and chicken, salami, tortillas, bread, mayo and relish, peanut butter, jelly, protein bars, granola bars, dried fruit, an assortment of peanuts and roasted almonds, and a bunch of spices. We spread everything out near the car and packed our lunches for the day.

From Furnace Creek Ranch, you can reach the start of the Fall Canyon hike via CA-190 W for about 18 miles. You will then turn right onto Scotty’s Castle Road and follow that for about 15 miles before turning right onto Titus Canyon Road for about 3 miles. 

What made Fall Canyon so beautiful and unique was that the trail had essentially been created by flash floods that had ripped through the canyon during one of Death Valley’s heavy rainy seasons. The canyon boasted beautiful colors and hues that shined even brighter when the sun hit it.

Heading towards the canyon

Into the canyon

Don and Donna found a crevice

Don, atop a rock

We hiked for a few miles before reaching the dry fall. Even as a kid I liked dry falls in the desert – they were like phantom waterfalls, as if water was going to come pouring down them at any moment.

Don and Donna looking up

Looking down the falls from the top

As you can see from the pictures, the fall was steep and impossible to climb up. There was a small trail to the side up above the fall but involved some scrambling to get up to it. Fortunately, Dad thought ahead and brought a rope. We all climbed up as high as we could and used the rope to hoist our packs up. The way up was a bit of a scramble but once we made it to the top the trail was visible and easy to find.

Dad surveying the scene

Andy heading up

Getting our packs up

Once we made it up we hiked a bit beyond the falls and found a shady spot to have some lunch. Don went off exploring and had a run in with a cactus.

Uh oh, Don

But, I saved him!

We continued hiking along for a couple more miles. Mom and I finally found a shady spot to rest and Andy and Dad went on for a bit more. They hiked until the canyon opened back up and then came back to meet us. Before heading back, Andy and I got the famous butterscotch candy from Dad. When my sister and I were little and got tired of hiking, insisting we couldn’t go any farther, Dad would pull out the magic butterscotch candies and we would each get one. When we were little we thought they had secret energy in them. We could always go one extra mile with a butterscotch.

Andy’s butterscotch

The butterscotch energy started flowing immediately. Our hike back to the car collided perfectly with the setting sun. The colors were beautiful!

We made it back to the car just before it began to get dark. We all piled in and drove to Stovepipe Wells for dinner.

Stovepipe Wells is technically a small way-station about 25 miles northwest of Furnace Creek. It started as a temporary settlement in 1906 when a road was constructed between Rhyolite and Skidoo to aid the mine at Skidoo. Numerous tents were set up to provide travelers and miners with food, water, drinks, lodging, and other supplies. The Stovepipe Wells Hotel was constructed in 1925 by Bob Eichmann, turning Stovepipe Wells from a mining community to a tourist destination.

We ate dinner that evening at the Tollroad Restaurant. The food was probably just okay, but it tasted awesome to us after the long hike. The restaurant decor was really fun; everything was a westernized/cowboy theme. Beautiful western-style lamps hung from the ceilings, and in the corner was a large brick oven. The walls had stone patterns across them and old movie posters hanging on them from movies shot in Death Valley and other California deserts. There was a long hallway (that was designed to look like mine shaft) that ran from the Tollroad Restaurant to the Saloon next door.

Don and Donna on the fountain outside the restaurant

Dad drove us back to the campground in one piece. We were all so exhausted we fell asleep as soon as we climbed in the sleeping bags. Tomorrow we were headed to the lowest point in the United States, Badwater Basin!