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ACTIVITIES
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National Parks for Biking
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| By
Sheila Resari
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Death Valley National Park
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 | California |
While the number of bike-friendly trails in some national parks leaves you hungry for more, Death Valley's 3.3 million acres offer a vast smorgasbord of backcountry roads. Besides being a great place to ride, this California park offers an amazing environment of extremes.
"Yea though I [bike] through the valley of death,
I will fear no evil"
Within Death Valley you'll find the nation's lowest point and highest recorded temperature—282 feet below sea level and 134 degrees Fahrenheit. At the same time, the park hits a geologic high of 11,049 feet, and the chill of night can sink down near zero. Death Valley is surrounded by nine mountain ranges and marked by ghost towns and narrow canyons. You can't possibly explore everything on one trip, so start small, stay hydrated, and enjoy the ride.
On the Road
To take in Death Valley's highs and lows, take on the steeps of Dante's View Road. This 27-mile out-and-back road ride makes a serious climb to the top of the Black Mountains, the eastern boundary of the park. Be sure to layer for this ride—you'll work up a good sweat as you ascend, and at 5,475 feet, the top's a lot colder than the valley floor. Dante's View looks down on Badwater, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, and up toward Telescope Mountain (11,049 feet), the park's western boundary and highest point. Before you coast down, take a seat and take in the High Sierras.
Note: Riding between October and April is best to beat the heat. Get an early start to avoid motor traffic.
Hit the Trail
Ready to challenge your fat-tire skills on steep climbs and technical difficulties in the desert heat? Titus Canyon Road offers scenic attractions worthy of the effort. The 26-mile point-to-point ride requires a shuttle, so park the cars on either end of Titus Canyon Road—one at the intersection with CA 190 and one at NV 374.
From a cooler start in the mountains, the road (dirt and loose gravel) continues down to the hot valley floor—get an early start to put the sun on your back. After winding past the ghost town of Leadfield, the route enters Titus Canyon itself. Check out the Indian petroglyphs near Klare Spring, and note how the canyon's layers have been twisted nearly upside down in some places by metamorphic forces. Feel like these 500,000-million-year-old Paleozoic limestone walls are closing in on you? By the time you reach the"Narrows" (mile 23), they're only 18 feet apart. When you emerge from Titus Canyon and look back at the Grapevine Mountains, the narrow slot seems to have disappeared like one more desert mirage.
We suggest: Don't visit in winter—the road is often closed due to heavy rains.
Death Valley National Park
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