Death Valley National Park - Mosaic Canyon Trail

Mosaic Canyon is another popular hiking destination in Death Valley National Park. To get to the trailhead, drive ¼ mile west of Stovepipe Wells Village on California 190. Turn left (south) at the sign onto the 2.4 mile gravel road heading up the alluvial fan toward Tucki Mountain. The road is well maintained and climbs about 1000 feet before ending at a parking area at an elevation of about 950'. I hiked 1.5 miles up the canyon with an elevation gain of about 650 feet or an 8% grade. It is possible to hike further up the canyon with a bit of rock scrambling, but the afternoon sun was starting to fade.

Mosaic Canyon is a geological laboratory. Most of the rock is either limestone that has been metamorphosed into marble or a conglomerate called Mosaic Breccia that is similar to concrete. Each rain event re-sculpts the terrain by either eroding, filling or both.

This is one of the few canyons in the park aligned in a north-south direction. There are often shaded areas along the trail, but carrying and drinking plenty of water is still a necessity. A wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen are also recommended. I hiked the canyon during our February 2015 visit to Death Valley National Park.

Topographic map with GPS hiking route

Entering the canyon

A river of gravel

Breccia layered above polished marble

The smooth marble makes climbing a bit more difficult than it looks

Looking back down the canyon

Another giant step

As expected, the outer wall of a curve is more polished

More climbing on polished marble

A packed gravel surface makes for easy walking

The marble has been chipped into serrations

Sedimentary layers of Tucki Mountain are slowly revealed

Some of the sedimentary layers have been folded to a vertical plane

After ¼ mile, the canyon opens up

A side canyon

Fellow hikers provide a sense of the vast scale of the open section of the canyon

A single-track along the packed gravel above the canyon floor

Looking back across the open section of the canyon toward the Grapevine Mountains

The canyon narrows again

Life literally hangs on

Breccia is like a natural form of concrete

The river of gravel thins out

A rockfall appears to have blocked the way

A rock scramble pointed out by fellow hikers provides a way around

Along the back side of the rockfall

Back on the canyon floor

Another bit of scrambling is required here

The path keeps winding and climbing

There is a way around this dryfall, but I decided to head back down

Late afternoon light on the open portion of the canyon

Winding back down the canyon

Looking back at the remains of a ladder from when the canyon floor was higher

Mesquite Flat and the Grapevine Mountains beyond

An entrance fee of $20 admits all the passengers of a single vehicle for seven days. Other options include an annual Death Valley National Park Pass for $40, an Interagency Annual Pass providing access to most national park, national forest and BLM fee areas for $80 and a lifetime Interagency Senior Pass for those age 62 and older for $10.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm.