R2-D2 rolled through this Death Valley canyon in the first Star Wars, and fall is when hiking it stops being a bad idea
Most people meet Golden Canyon from a car window or a crowded overlook. That’s a mistake, because this is one of the few places in Death Valley where you can walk straight into the color, and for most of the year it’s simply too hot to try.
Fall changes that. The canyon that once played a corner of Tatooine is back on the table, and it’s an easy one to pull off in a morning.
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A galaxy far, far away (two miles off Highway 190)
Death Valley stood in for the desert planet Tatooine in the original Star Wars, and Golden Canyon got a role. It’s where R2-D2 trundles through a rocky canyon while Jawas lurk in the crevices and peek out from behind boulders.
Walk in and you’ll get why the filmmakers picked it. The walls glow a warm, buttery gold, the badlands around them come from an ancient lakebed, and nothing about the place looks like it belongs on Earth.
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Why you wait for fall
Here’s the honest part: summer in this canyon is brutal. The National Park Service doesn’t recommend hiking at low elevations after 10 a.m. in summer, and Golden Canyon sits right down on the valley floor.
I learned that the hard way. My first time through was on a scorching day, and I don’t recommend repeating it. Fall through spring is the window, and even then, an early start is your best friend.
The hike: Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral
The classic route runs 3 miles round trip with 577 feet of elevation gain, and the Park Service rates it moderate. Plan on an hour and a half to two hours.
You’ll start between tall golden walls, then the canyon narrows and you’ll do a little light scrambling over ledges around 4 feet high. The payoff at the end is Red Cathedral, a wall of deep red, fluted rock that looks like someone poured it down the mountain.
Want the full Death Valley rundown? Our guide to the best hikes in Death Valley covers 15 more trails.
My pick: turn it into a loop
If you’ve got the legs, skip the out-and-back and do the Gower Gulch Loop. It’s 4.3 miles with 850 feet of climbing, and adding the Red Cathedral spur tacks on another mile round trip.
The loop swings up through the golden badlands before dropping back down Gower Gulch, where the trail skirts a 25-foot dry fall on its north side. You see twice the scenery for not much more effort, and that’s a trade I’ll take every time.
Going all in? The Complete Circuit links Zabriskie Point, Golden Canyon, Red Cathedral and Gower Gulch into one 7.8-mile, 834-foot loop that the Park Service rates strenuous. Prefer to start up top? The 2.7-mile Badlands Loop begins right at Zabriskie Point.
Getting there
The Golden Canyon trailhead sits 2 miles south of Highway 190 on Badwater Road, with a paved lot and vault toilets. Death Valley charges a per-vehicle entrance fee, and an America the Beautiful pass covers it.
Even in fall, bring more water than you think you need, and check the park’s current road and trail conditions before you drive out. Flash floods have reshaped roads here more than once, so a quick look is worth it.
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
So, quick out-and-back to Red Cathedral, or are you doing the whole loop? Tell us your plan in the comments!
Rules and fees change, so always confirm current requirements before you go.
