Badlands Loop

The Badlands Loop drops you into a landscape that looks like it belongs on Mars — deeply eroded mudstone hills striped in shades of ochre, rust, and ash gray, with barely a plant in sight. You'll start from the Golden Canyon parking area and wind through narrow washes before climbing onto ridgelines that give you sweeping views across the badlands formations toward the Panamint Range. The terrain is loose and gravelly underfoot, entirely exposed, with no shade whatsoever. The loop connects into the Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch trail system, so you can extend your route if you're feeling ambitious. At under three miles, it's a quick hit of otherworldly geology — the kind of place where every angle looks like a desktop wallpaper. Best suited for hikers who love raw, sculptural desert landscapes and don't mind feeling like the last person on Earth.