The Death Valley Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop is a 31-mile winter backpacking route connecting two canyons in Death Valley National Park. If you plan water carefully and stay vigilant with your GPS track, this is a very reasonable route for most people, and can be hiked in 2-3 days.
Region: Pacific West (Death Valley National Park, California)
Length: 31 miles (2-3 days)
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
- Route gains nearly 7,000 feet, either gradually (clockwise) or more steeply (counterclockwise)
- Miles of moderate trail interspersed with unmaintained sections
- High sun exposure and tricky footing through some sections
Logistical Difficulty: Moderate
- Loop hike with easily accessible parking lot
- Camping allowed anywhere along route
- Middle of route not clearly marked, easy to miss turns
- Water is likely available, but check flow and plan for long carries
Season: Winter
Elevation (Average): ~2,000 feet
Total Elevation Gain: ~6,900 feet
Hiking the Death Valley Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop
Death Valley is an incredible winter backpacking destination, but you won’t find well-marked backpacking trails or handy maps at the trailheads. Most of Death Valley’s well-known, established trails are day hikes located near Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells. These are worth hiking, but you’ll search a little more and work a little harder for the backpacking loops. The Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop is a beautiful 31-mile loop that takes you through multiple canyons, across rocky, sandy washes, and onto a ridgeline for views of the valley below. Much of the route is very gradual, with a few steeper sections.
We started hiking at the 2WD parking area, about 15 minutes down a dirt (sand) road from Stovepipe Wells. This will take you two miles along a more rugged section of road until you reach another parking area for 4WD vehicles. Most higher clearance cars and trucks will be fine driving the last two miles to the 4WD parking area, but we didn’t want to risk it. From here, we continued straight into Cottonwood Canyon and began a long section, hiking what seemed to be a very rugged, likely impassable 4WD road up the wash between canyon walls. This isn’t a buff trail—expect rough gravel, rocks, and lots of sharp things.
Once you reach the wilderness designation sign, the route turns into more of a trail, alternating between easy desert hiking and overgrown thorns, fallen trees, and loose side hill. Like much desert hiking, this is a choose-your-own adventure route. Our GPX track will keep you going in the right direction, but picking your way around some parts will be up to you.
After the first seasonal spring around 12 miles, there were several tough miles through dense, thorny undergrowth alternating with traversing the loose sides of the canyon. We filled up on water at the 15-mile Cottonwood Canyon Spring, but there was much better camping 1/4 mile farther where the views opened up. This is also where we ran into a family of wild horses!
From this choked-up section (and our campsite) was miles of open wash, picking your way around shrubs and terrain changes through the wash. The route turns into one of the similar-looking canyons, where it narrows until you bank a hard right to gain the ridgeline and drop into Deadhorse Canyon. This was the most challenging section to navigate, and I recommend staying on top of your GPS / map / whatever navigation you use.
Once you climb the short, steep ridge to the high point, you’ll descend steeply down… another choose your own adventure. The footing is loose and you’ll be picking your way around desert vegetation and boulders. The narrows section is the best part of the route, and well worth the effort to get here. From the narrows, the route opens back up to the wash, past the second parking area, and finishes with the two-mile lollipop segment back to the car.
How to Get to the Death Valley Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop
Closest Major City: Las Vegas (151 miles)
Stovepipe Wells / Cottonwood Canyon Road
Cottonwood Canyon Road Trailhead
The main road through Death Valley is US 190, accessed by US-95 from Vegas. You can take this all the way to Beatty, Nevada, to get to Stovepipe Wells faster, but I recommend heading south to Pahrump, grabbing food and snacks, then driving 190 into the park and checking out the sites around the Furnace Creek area.
This route takes off from a large parking area about 8 miles down a dirt / sand road from the Stovepipe Wells location in Death Valley. We’ve linked it above, but just start driving down the road past the Stovepipe Wells Campground (same side of the road as the gas station) and you won’t be able to miss the 2WD parking area on your right.
Death Valley Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop Season / Direction
Season: This route was perfect in the winter. We did it in early February, and temperatures were in the high 60s to mid 70s during the day, dropping to the high 20s at night. We camped above 4,000 feet, which meant the evening and morning was much colder than it would have been at the floor of the valley. This route is also doable in early spring or late fall—you get a little more leeway with the famous Death Valley heat since you wind up a few thousand feet above sea level.
Direction: You can hike this route clockwise or counterclockwise. We stayed straight and headed into Cottonwood Canyon (clockwise) after the second parking area, but you can veer right toward Deadhorse Canyon. We saw a few groups of hikers do both.
Hiking this route clockwise is a much milder gain to the high point, though you’ll be gradually climbing for longer. Our direction gained about 200 feet per mile for 17 miles, then had the short, steep climb to the ridge. We had a very steep descent toward Deadhorse Canyon. This also meant we finished with the best section on the second day. Going the opposite direction means 12 miles of climbing instead of 17, but also involves an extended, steep ascent to the high point, followed by an entire day (or more) of mellow descent.
Our two-day clockwise itinerary had us starting from the trailhead (2WD parking area) around 9 a.m., then hiking gradually uphill until we reached the spring near mile 15 around 3 p.m. We continued on to some better camping options another 1/4-ish mile up the trail. We started hiking the next morning around 7 a.m., continuing up the wash, over the ridge, then down into the canyon to finish up around 2 p.m.
Logistics: Permits / Camping, Navigation, Water
Permits / Camping: Permits are free and available as walk-ups, but obtaining one helps track your location if something should go wrong, and is always recommended. Stop at Stovepipe Wells or Furnace Creek Ranch Visitor Center and just tell them what your plan is. We have a National Parks Annual Pass (fancy!), but if you don’t have one, you’ll need to pay the vehicle fee. Unlike other national parks, you don’t need to reserve anything in advance. Camping is allowed anywhere along the route, just be sure to follow all LNT guidelines.
Navigation: Make sure your phone or GPS unit has fully charged batteries and backup. This isn’t an insanely challenging route, but it’s easy to miss turns, gain the ridge in the wrong spot, or get turned around in the open part of the middle section.
Water: There was a seasonal spring at mile 12 of our clockwise loop, then a more reliable spring (Cottonwood Canyon Spring) at mile 15. We just filled up once at Cottonwood Canyon Spring, and had three liters of capacity each. If you decide to camp at the better sites past Cottonwood Canyon Spring, fill up at the spring before you move on. You can still access the water farther up the trail, but it’s more challenging. If your weather forecast is warmer, you’ll want more water capacity.
Know Before You Go
Desert Hiking: Since so much of this route (and desert hiking in general) requires attention to navigation, choosing the best route around obstacles, and cross-country travel, we recommend this route only be hiked by experienced backpackers, desert travelers, or with someone who has navigational experience. We made one extended error when we didn’t veer out of the wide wash into our canyon. It all looks the same, and it’s easy to miss your turn. We ran into another duo of hikers who had made several wrong turns, resulting in four miles of extra hiking. When you’re rationing water, that’s a lot of extra miles.
Temperature Fluctuations: The desert is a place of extremes. It might be 80 degrees on the valley floor when you begin your hike, but drop into the 30s overnight. Prepare accordingly, and bring warmer camp clothes and a sleeping bag than you think you might need. Sun protection in the form of sunscreen, a hat, or a sun shirt is recommended for the daytime, but don’t leave the puffy at home… you’ll want it in the early mornings and evenings at higher elevations.
Pack It Out: This is the desert. Pack out your poop.
Water Planning: There were several springs flowing when we hiked in February, but water availability should never be relied upon for desert hiking. It’s better to carry too much rather than too little. We camped near a spring at mile 16, and had seen one other seasonal water source before that. We carried three liters each, which was enough in the milder winter temperatures.
General Preparation: Death Valley is remote, rugged, and has little to no cell service. Map your route(s) beforehand, and take advantage of stocking up on gas, food, and supplies in Pahrump. There is an Albertsons and a WalMart right on the way. Gas in Death Valley was nearly $5 per gallon, so it’s worth fueling up outside of the park.
Campfires: Fires were not permitted in the backcountry during our trip. This was noted at the visitors center and the ranger station.
Flash Floods: Flash floods can happen at any time of year, but visitors and hikers in fall and spring should use extra caution and keep tabs on the weather, especially in the canyons.
