Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2007: Death Valley National Park bikepacking / Day 4: Furnace Creek to West Side Road, and a hike in Golden Canyon 19
I'm going to spend a second night here at Furnace Creek Campground, so I leave my tent set up and go for a day ride down Badwater Road after a hearty corned-beef-hash-and-eggs breakfast at the café in the village.
Because my camera died yesterday, I'm glad to see disposable cameras for sale at the Furnace Creek store. I buy some, ride away, and make a random stop at popular Golden Canyon.
I lock my bike to a sign post, hike a couple of miles to Golden Cathedral, then return to the bike. This is my first day in 90-degree heat, so I take it slow and practice drinking more water than usual.
I ride out to the salt flats near Devil's Golf Course off West Side Road, then return early to my camp site and relax. It would have been interesting to ride further down West Side Road, but my water was running out.
27.4 mostly level bicycle miles
On my way out of the Furnace Creek tourist area toward Badwater Road
Near the "next services" sign is another which indicates the road to the Timbisha Shoshone homeland area
I've risen out of Death Valley just enough to have a view of the Badwater Basin ahead
A little further sits the sign for Badwater Road
Riding down the road toward Badwater
I stop at the parking lot for the Golden Canyon trail
Starting my hike up Golden Canyon
Golden Canyon does turn out to be very scenic
Climbing these weird hills of earth is fun
Hikers walking down below in Golden Canyon
I climb back down to the trail in Golden Canyon
I arrive at a sign
The trail looks like it will end soon
The trail passes through some narrows
Next to Red Cathedral
The end?
Red Cathedral
Close-up of Red Cathedral
After walking back to the trailhead, I go for a short ride down to the salt flats along West Side Road