Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Death Valley → Darwin Falls

Location: Panamint Springs Area, Death Valley

Time Required: 40 minutes – 1 hour

Distance: 2 miles roundtrip

Elevation Gain/Loss: 275 feet

Red Tape/Notes: Access to Death Valley is $25/vehicle for a 7 day pass. Additional information on the route, including directions to the trailhead, can be found here.

What’s Nearby?: Darwin Falls Canyon, China Garden Spring, Charcoal Kilns, Mesquite Flat Dunes

This is a nice little hike for a change of scenery. If you’re sick of sand and rock, a one hour detour in the Panamint Springs area will you bring you into a little desert oasis. The hike starts out boring enough, over a sandy wash, but a little trickling stream soon emerges and as the canyon narrows, the temperature drops and vegetation abounds. After some minor stream crossings (it’s always entertaining to hop on sticks and rocks), and a little clamoring up boulders/rock slabs you’ll arrive at the falls. This is a favorite area for adorable little toads and frogs, so it’s fun to look for them. We also saw some cute juvenile chuckwallas on the trail.

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Death Valley → Darwin Falls