12/6 Death Valley Ubehebe Crater

Ubehebe Crater is the remains of a volcano that erupted here about 2,000 years ago, which is relatively recent in geologic times.  The ranger at the visitor center said the valley was formed by the mountain ranges on each side sliding past each other and at the same time pulling apart.  Today, I headed off 50 miles north of Furnace Creek to see the Ubehebe Crater.  I had been here several years ago, but it was so cold and windy that day, I could hardly stand around to take photos.  Nice drive, anyway.

I just love driving here.  You hardly see any other cars.  However, today I saw a group of cyclists!  I think I prefer something with a motor.  Look how loaded down their bikes are.

Another wonderfully empty road!  

The valley is relatively young, but it is full of sand and gravel that have washed out of the nearby mountains, creating these "aprons."

The terrain gets a little rougher in the north end of the valley. 

Nice arial map!

The main crater is about a half-mile across.  The hiking trail goes around the top edge of the crater and is about 1.5 miles long.  Since it is very slippery pea gravel, I decided it was not safe for me to walk on that far. 

It is possible to walk down to the bottom, but the path is pretty steep, so I bypassed that as well.  Wish I were younger and in better shape. 

This shows the path down to the bottom. 

I did walk partway up the trail.  In the distance is road to the famous "Racetrack" where the rocks move, but it is more than 20 miles away down a dirt road, so not appropriate for either me or my motorhome.

Can you believe that parts of this valley are up to 9,000 feet deep with sand and gravel washed down from the mountains.  It would be a very impressive valley if we could see all of it. 

This shows the path around the northern part of the crater wall. 

Headed down the slightly scary and narrow road back off the crater. 

Last winter, there was a flash flood down the canyon where Scotty's Castle is located. It washed out the road, so it will take more than a year to repair.  


The white concrete roadway beyond the "dip" sign is where the main road was also washed out by the flood.  It has been repaired, obviously.

Looking up the washed out canyon.  Even though this area gets only 2" of rain a year, when it rains, it tends to collect in canyons and result in big floods. 

 Some dust devils in the distance on the way back home.

I stopped right in the middle of the road to take photos of these flowers in the desert. 

And some sand dunes in the distance, near Stovepipe Wells.  Did not stop because I wanted to get back home before dark.  The sun sets behind the mountains around 4:00 pm so days are very short. 

I think I passed maybe 4-5 vehicles on the entire 56 miles trip back to Furnace Creek. 

Tomorrow, I relax and get some work done.