Titus Canyon Road in Death Valley.
Let’s talk for a moment about one of my favorite places in the world. And I’m not even exaggerating. There aren’t many locations that I will visit twice. I like to stay on my toes and keep things fresh by always exploring somewhere I haven’t been. If you see me re-exploring for a second time, that means I literally couldn’t get it off my mind.
Where is Titus Canyon?
Located on the northeast side of Death Valley National Park in California is one of the most epic off-roading adventures you could find. Complete with a rugged terrain winding around colorful mountains, a century-old ghost town, Native American petroglyphs and an otherworldly canyon enclosure, Titus Canyon is like nowhere else in this world.
Access Titus Canyon Road on the Daylight Pass Road near the ghost town of Rhyolite, 6 miles southwest of Beatty.
About Titus Canyon
When mining towns began springing up in the 1920s around Death Valley, an influx of entrepreneurs came whizzing in to get their shot at profiting from the landscape. Leadfield, now a ghost town 16 miles in to Titus Canyon, was the main proponent behind why this road was made.
Titus Canyon Road was described in the 1920s as “one of the grandest and most rugged drives on the American continent.” That still holds true today. Now a 26-mile one-way gravel road, it was named after a mining engineer who disappeared in the heat of the summer in 1905.
Tips for Titus Canyon Road in Death Valley
- No high-clearance vehicle? Don’t make this drive. Nervous about driving on narrow, unpaved roads? This may not be the place for you.
- Although it’s only 27 miles, allow at least 2 – 3 hours of driving time to complete it.
- I’m 99.9% sure your cell phone will not work out here so be sure to plan accordingly with a GPS satellite.
- If you experience a break down while out in Titus Canyon, stay with your vehicle until someone comes by. Death Valley’s extreme temperatures will affect you quicker than you think.
- Prep your vehicle beforehand. Have a spare tire handy as those rocks are no joke. Be sure to start with a full tank of gas, which you can get in Beatty 6 miles from the entrance of Titus Canyon Road.
- If thunderstorms are a brewing, don’t attempt to drive the road; flash floods can happen in an instant. Check current info on road conditions here.
- Carry plenty of water and have the necessary backcountry essentials.
Read More: The 8 Backcountry Essentials You Shouldn’t Hike Without
Driving Titus Canyon Road
Distance: 26 Miles
Type: One-Way
Elevation Gain: +2,417 Feet
The beginning of Titus Canyon Road is actually 2 miles outside of Death Valley National Park. Within the first couple of miles, you’ll pass through to California from Nevada and into the park boundary.
From the Valley to the Mountains
Heading through the Amargosa Valley, the first few miles of the drive isn’t the most exciting. The road is still pretty wide and the mountains seem far off in the distance but, before long, the gravel road begins to twist around, introducing you to the Grapevine Mountains.
Upper Titanothere Canyon
After about a 6 or 7 miles into the drive, you’ll enter the Upper Titanothere Canyon at White Pass. Named after the fossil skull of a Titanothere found in 1933, the majority of the rocks here cover 30 million year old fossil beds. The mineral deposits in the rocks start creating that vibrant atmosphere that I’ve learned to love in Death Valley.
Red Pass
It’s not long before the dirt color transforms to a deep red. The area where Titanothere Canyon and Titus Canyon meet, Red Pass, is the highest elevation on the Titus Canyon Road at 5,250 feet.
Leadfield Ghost Town
16 miles into your drive is the ever-intriguing Leadfield Ghost Town. This mining boom town was established in 1926 by an investor who lured in hopeful entrepreneurs with “wild and distorted” advertisements. As fast as the town sprung up, it died; lead deposits became scarce and claims of fraud surfaced. Within 5 months, Leadfield became a ghost town.
Today you can walk around to the abandoned buildings in Leadfield, like old warehouses and a post office. Wander up the pathways to the old mine shafts which you’re able to explore in if you’re gutsy enough!
Entering Titus Canyon
And so begins the most epic part of Titus Canyon. Within a mile of departing Leadfield, the beginning stretch of the canyon introduces itself with shadow effects and tinted dirt.
The colorful limestone cliffs soar above the narrowing road, layering each mountain on top of the other as the gravel road eases around the corners.
Klare Spring
It’s hard to believe that there’s water back here but Titus Canyon is indeed a desert oasis! Many animals come from afar here to get a drink of the water that surfaces through the cracks underground.
This area is one of the best in the park to view big horn sheep. Thousands of years ago, Native Americans would come here to hunt them. In fact, on a couple of large boulders nearby petroglyphs were left by the Native Americans.
Titus Canyon Narrows
In the final 2 miles of Titus Canyon Road, the most dramatic scenery begins. With the mountainous walls narrowing in to only 10 feet at some points, the peaks of the cliffs above shine with the stolen light from below.
At the very end of Titus Canyon are these deep gray limestone walls, significant to the age of Death Valley. The rocks are from the Paleozoic period when Death Valley was submerged under water, nearly 570 million years ago.
With those walls closing in, it creates a deep dark canyon, rich with colorful and rare vegetation.
And now you can see why I think that Titus Canyon is like nowhere else in the world.
Read More Death Valley NP Posts HereBefore heading on to backcountry roads, it’s imperative that you’re familiar with the “Leave No Trace” principles.
Read More: Leave No Trace: The 7 Rules of the Backcountry
Learn more about Leave No Trace on their website here.
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