Introduction:
What? : The impressive
Ubehebe Crater is over 600 feet deep and half a mile wide. The crater was
formed about 2,100 years ago in one short eruption when hot magma interacted
with groundwater. The main crater can be viewed from a parking lot, but I do
recommend investing the time in your visit here, hike and explore the upper
smaller craters and enjoy this “moon” like landscape. A visit here, not include
the long drive, should take you around 1 hour.
Where? : this is around
1 hour drive from Furnace Creek. Take the 190 north for 17 miles to the
intersection with Scotty’s Castle Road. Turn right and continue north for additional
33.4 miles on Scotty’s Castle Road. Turn left on Racetrack Road (the road to
Scotty’s Castle was blocked when I visit here in March 2022). From the close Scotty’s
Castle junction, drive 5.5 miles and follow the signs to the crater parking lot.
Google Map Link
When? : The
recommended time to visit here is late fall, winter and early spring, summer is
just too hot.
This will help you plan your road trip to this area and your Death Valley visit:
- Death Valley
- Death Valley Road Trip
- The Road from Mojave to Lone Pine
- My Eastern Sierra blog directory
- Lone Pine to Death Valley - hwy 190
- Mojave Desert – Highway 127 from Death Valley to Baker
- Beatty Nevada and Rhyolite Ghost Town
- Death Valley – Titus Canyon Drive
- Death Valley – Ibex Dunes and Saratoga Springs
- Death Valley – Striped Butte Valley 4x4 Drive
- Death Valley – Sidewinder Canyon
- Death Valley – Badwater
- Death Valley – Artist's Palette Drive
- Death Valley – Hiking Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch
- Death Valley – Zabriskie Point
- Death Valley – Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
- Death Valley – Racetrack Playa
- Death Valley – Saline Valley, Salt Lake
- Death Valley – Saline Valley, Warm Springs
Due note 1: Take enough
water with you. Do not think this is just getting of the car. If you decide to
hike in this area, it can be 1 hour and it can get hot. It can be 90f degree at
early spring… just think of 120-130f…
Due note 2: Ubehebe Crater
is beautiful place to visit but it relatively remotes location, at the end of
the road does not encourage many to visit here.
Due note 3: There is
minimal to no cell reception in this area of the Death Valley.
Due note 4: There is no
shade anywhere, use Sunscreen even in winter months.
Due note 5: There is a paved
parking lot without toilet.
Due note 6: If you are hiking
this trail during April/May or Sept/Oct, the mid-day highs temperatures can be
90-105’F, so start the hike before 10am.
Due note 7: When visiting
or hiking at the Death Valley use several layers as clothing. You can start
your day with cold temperatures during early morning sunrise to a very hot midday
(even at fall, winter, and spring). At the afternoon it can warm but at sunset
temperature plumage and it can be near freezing.
Due note 8: Plan to be
here at list 1 hours + the long drive from Furnace Creek to this location and
back, overall, 3 hours.
Due note 9: Pets are not
allowed on any trail in Death Valley National Park, even if carried. Do not
leave your animal in your vehicle. You may walk your pet on dirt roads.
Due note 10: many people
come and visit this relatively remote place on their way to see one of the unique
phenomena of the Death Valley; the moving rocks at Racetrack Playa.
My thoughts: I came to this
place without a lot of expectations, a stop on my way to Racetrack Playa but I
was impressed by this unique landscape, I stayed here more than I plan to. The
main Ubehebe Crater is huge and with a perfect inner cone shape, I hiked up to
the other craters and enjoy the view.
The visit:
When driving up
the paved road to the parking lot you do not expect the view in front of you.
Right from the parking lot the impressive main Ubehebe Crater is over 600 feet
deep and half a mile wide.
The crater was
formed about 2,100 years ago and as it looks like all surrounding 15 craters
were formed in one short eruption when hot magma interacted with groundwater, thing
that create one big explosive event.
Interesting to
know that this is the only young volcano in Death Valley National Park, which
was otherwise a volcanically quiet area for the last million years.
The main crater
can be viewed from a parking lot, but I do recommend investing the time, hike
here and explore the upper smaller craters.
Walk up the
trail to your right, a short climb will take you to a nice viewing point, from
here you can look back into the main crater and see a much smaller and shallower
crater covered with small dark gray Cinder volcanics rocks.
Keep walking to
the right and climb the rim to the other side, from here you will see another
crater and the view to the west valley will open-up below you.
You can go back in any time, but you can keep exploring more small craters and even walk all the way to the main crater rim trail can come back from the other side.
www:
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/ubehebe-crater.htm
Pictures:
Comments
Post a Comment