Help planning Death Valley backpacking?

Not sure about the distance questions you asked, but I'd say late fall/early winter or late winter/early spring will be your best bet in terms of temperatures. It will get *cold* there at night in the heart of winter. I spent a weekend out there for a wedding in early November (camping) and the temperatures were pretty ideal: highs of mid-70's and lows above freezing.

One other thing I can say is that it is beautiful out there in a very unique way; almost feels like you're on another planet. The stargazing is fantastic as well.

I'd love to go backpacking in that area some time. Have fun!

I have dayhiked the lower part of this loop from the lot outside Cottonwood Canyon's mouth up into Marble Canyon for a couple of narrows, and then back. It might have been 14 miles round trip. I've done this three times, always in March.

April will be late and warm.

–B.G.–

thanks. i'm thinking last weekend in feb. would that be ok? temps should range from 50-80 night to day.

i'm kinda confused about getting to the trailhead. can you take your car all the way or do you have to hike it? what kinda clearance do you need?

Once in a while, Death Valley is still getting winter storms as late as February, so it could get damp and cool, so I would want to prepare for 40 F at night.

You can drive an ordinary car to the marked trailhead parking lot. It is just outside the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon. Beyond that, it gets rough in a hurry. I attempted to drive an ordinary car farther into the wash, but real quickly I had to turn back. If you have a high clearance vehicle, you can go a couple of miles farther up.

–B.G.–

ohhhh. so what is the earliest in march you think would be a safe time to go to avoid that? mid march?

Almost every time that I've had a successful trip to Death Valley, it has been the last half of March. On a warm year, the temperatures get nice and toasty by the end of March, and that is when the wildflowers tend to be out if it has been a wet winter.

Also, you want to learn how to deal with the Death Valley weather. If it is hot, then you have to head toward the higher elevations. If it is cold, you head lower. If it is windy, then you get back into the canyons that run perpendicular to the wind direction. If it is seriously rainy, then you get out of the canyons, because they turn into torrents.

–B.G.–

FWIW I hiked through Marble Canyon on my Desert Trail Hike. I hiked through the Canyon April 2. It was fine that year (2012) but I barely missed some very hot weather a week or so later.

I camped in Death Valley while dealing with logistics in late February and was surprised to get snowed on a bit. I think Bob is likely right, March might well be ideal.

I hiked the Marble Canyon Loop in March 2012.

It was great. I backpacked with my friend who had never been backpacking before and it took us 3 days and 2 nights. We spent the first night at Cottonwood spring. Second night at Dead Horse Canyon.

I have no idea of your backpacking experience, but I would STRONGLY recommend getting 7.5 minute USGS maps and brush up on navigational skills, especially being able to take point bearings because roughly 1/2 the route is off trail.

Another reason I strongly recommend the USGS maps is because backpackers have sometimes gone down the wrong canyon when trying to go from dead horse canyon back onto Marble Canyon. Going down the wrong canyon and making irreversible "dry fall drops" have been known to lead to a 40 foot vertical drop that has often trapped many backpackers.

This group got stuck at the infamous "40 foot drop" and had to fashion a rope out of their clothes:

http://katielambert.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/lost-in-death-valley/

Moral of the story is not to go down the wrong canyon when transferring from Dead Horse Canyon to Marble Canyon.

Another tip I would recommend is to dont be too reliant on the first two smaller springs that come off the main Cottonwood spring. Before leaving the visitor center, the rangers told us that all the Cottonwood springs were running, but my friend and I found all of them dry except the largest one at the end. But I went in mid March, so the water in February should be fine.

In terms of route planning I used Steve Hall's VERY detailed information about Death Valley. Hall's descriptions contain distances and route information.

http://www.panamintcity.com/

Marble Canyon loop information:
http://www.panamintcity.com/exclusives/cmbackpacking.html

But overall, its a wonderful trip! My friend who hasnt event been car camping loved it.

Thanks a lot. I know you can miss that canyon. I've seen pictures that direct you to the low point in the hill range to get into marble canyon. I'm wondering if relying on GPS coordinates would be ideal.