Gower Gulch Loop

This loop is Death Valley's geology classroom, and you don't need a degree to appreciate the lesson. You'll start in Golden Canyon, where the walls close in around you in layers of mustard, rust, and cream — sediment stacked like a tilted layer cake. The route climbs steadily through narrows before spitting you out at Red Cathedral, a towering amphitheater of iron-stained cliffs that glow like embers in morning light. From there, the trail crests a ridge with sweeping views of the Badwater Basin before dropping into Gower Gulch, a wide wash that feels like walking on another planet. The elevation gain is steady but never punishing — think sustained effort, not scramble. This loop rewards hikers who love reading landscapes and don't mind fully exposed terrain in exchange for some of the most surreal desert scenery in the Lower 48.