The Death Valley Four Springs Loop is an entirely off-trail route that connects four springs in the southern portion of the national park. A GPS track, good navigation skills, and desert hiking experience are highly recommended on this backpacking adventure.
Region: Pacific West (Death Valley National Park, California)
Distance: 30 miles (2-3 days)
Physical Difficulty: Difficult
- Dry and exposed terrain
- Difficult to navigate through the terrain and across numerous game trails
- Water is very sparse and difficult to find; little info on current water conditions
Logistical Difficulty: Moderate
- No resupplies to worry about
- Defined water stops
- Few alternates to make wrong turns within the canyons
Season: Winter
Elevation Gain: 7,200 feet
Max Elevation: 3,691 feet
This is the rough route for the loop, but with the difficulty, we want to encourage you to further plan and note where each water source is, the logistics of reaching it, and become familiar with the turns and nuances of the terrain that can all be seen on a topographic map.
Other important GPS points:
- Lost Spring (35.91106, -116.91013)
- Pass (35.90603, -116.93892)
- Squaw Spring (35.91077, -117.01041)
- Anvil Spring Canyon (35.92177, -117.04358)
- Willow Spring (35.90945, -117.05794)
- Mesquite Spring (35.94222, -116.91194)
Hiking the Death Valley Four Springs Loop
The Death Valley Four Springs Loop is one of the most difficult routes on our website. Don’t be fooled by the shorter distance and the wide-open terrain. There is no defined trail, and only a series of large canyons to hike through connecting four springs in the foothills of Death Valley. This route is in the southern and more rugged section of the national park, where it is rare to see even another car on the road.
The water on the route is the most tedious, difficult, and unknown aspect. The springs are often little more than seeps and trampled through by the wildlife. During my time in Death Valley, I saw wild horses, jackrabbits, burros (donkeys), and goats. On this route, I saw 20 wild burros.
As the name would suggest, the Four Springs Loop links four springs. While knowing their reliability completely depends on the conditions, I was able to scoop water out of each of them in February. In the clockwise direction, the springs are in the following order: Lost Spring, Squaw Spring, Willow Spring, and Mesquite Spring. These springs are the backbone of the route. Squaw Spring proved to only be a muddy pit, but the other three had enough water to easily scoop out with a bottle.
The route starts off on Warm Springs Canyon Road at a small, rugged intersection with ample room to park (location here). It initially follows an old road and drops down into the start of Lost Spring Canyon. There is a junction where two canyons split and this is where the loop completes itself. So the choice is either to hike clockwise or counterclockwise. Since I traveled the loop clockwise, that is the direction this will follow. The canyon on the left is Lost Spring Canyon and it is fairly simple to navigate through the soft dirt. The footing isn’t great and there are a couple of places where the walls narrow, but as long as you stay within the canyon, it should lead up to Lost Spring.
Beyond Lost Spring the canyon narrows further and becomes more difficult to climb through with a backpack. But there are plenty of burro trails to follow to avoid the thick brush. As the route continues to climb, it becomes exceedingly easy to take a wrong turn, especially as you approach the pass. Over the pass, the route drops into Anvil Spring Canyon and follows it all the way up to Squaw Spring. The spring is on the side of a large hill with lots of vegetation, but I did not find the spring to be flowing very well.
From Squaw Spring there are defined burro trails that lead north and slowly swing more to the west. There are signs of use as the route nears Willow Spring. A spur off Warm Springs Canyon Road leads to Willow Spring and a firepit can be found at the spot. At this point in the route, the trip can be extended further west to Anvil Spring, and even up to Striped Butte. But if this is as far as you are hiking, head back through Anvil Spring Canyon toward Squaw Spring, but instead of heading south to the spring, veer north into another larger and flatter wash.
The wash will slowly grow more narrow until the walls are quite steep. Shortly after you will reach Mesquite Spring. Steep canyon walls continue all the way through until it opens back up again at the junction that previously took you farther south at the beginning of the route. Retrace the steps through the wide canyon and back to the old road and to your parked car.
How to Get to the Death Valley Four Springs Loop
Nearest City: Las Vegas, Nevada (131 miles)
The trail begins off Warm Springs Canyon Road in Death Valley National Park. This is where I parked my car to do the loop (link here). It is a long drive from any established cities or even gas stations, so be prepared to be remote. But, while you are in the remote corner of the park, it is worth checking out Warm Springs Camp.
Instead of driving up and through Death Valley Junction and the more developed portions of the park, it is much faster to drive into the park through Shoshone and into the southeast corner of the national park. At Ashford, Junction follows Warm Springs Road leading off to your left and then to the GPS coordinate. There is little to no cell service in the area, so bear in mind that all directions should be downloaded before entering Death Valley National Park.
When to Hike the Death Valley Four Springs Loop
Water is the main constraint in Death Valley. It is one of the driest places and the water that is in the desert is often saline and undrinkable. The little amount of water combined with the heat makes this a perfect winter backpacking trip. The temperatures remain cooler and the chances of still-flowing springs are much higher.
Death Valley National Park Four Springs Loop Terrain
The terrain is very dry and rugged. The washes are uneven, loose, soft, and taxing to navigate through. The miles in Death Valley National Park are much more difficult than trail miles simply because of the continual attention required and the taxing terrain.
Logistics: Direction, Land Management, Water
Loop Direction: I traveled this loop in a clockwise direction and it seemed to work well with the reliability of the springs and camping. It did take a scoop in order to use Squaw Spring, but in a clockwise direction, the first half of the trail is more difficult than the second half. But the route can be done successfully in either direction.
Land Management: Death Valley National Park manages the entire area. To backpack, users should issue themselves a free voluntary permit either online or at one of the two ranger stations.
Know Before You Go
Water Capacity: One of the biggest causes for concern on this loop is water, water capacity, and successfully treating the water that is out there. With water so sparse in most of Death Valley, the water sources are very busy with wildlife and often are not clean. This route is designed to link a series of water sources throughout the canyons in the foothills of the national park, and many burros were standing right in the middle of the sources as I came upon them. I carried three liters for doing the loop as an overnight, but if you are planning to be out there longer, I would recommend carrying more capacity.
Remoteness: The route is far from any major visitors centers and has no cell service. It is important to be prepared and consider taking a personal locator, GPS unit, or some type of messenger with the challenges that this route presents.
