Short and sweet, this hike out into Mosaic Canyon by Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley is a favorite. I hiked it before but the road to it was closed so I had to hike there and back which made it very long. Thankfully, this time we didn’t have to do that.
The Death Valley area was formed under ancient oceans 600–750 million years ago, subjected to intense heat and pressure, and later exposed by tectonic uplifting and intense water erosion. This canyon was carved by water and wind, leaving behind polished marble walls, tight narrows, and mosaic-like breccia rock formations. This is a popular hike since it’s only about 4 miles at the most, ending at a dry waterfall that would require special gear to pass. It was fairly hot the day we hiked it so mind the heat factor.
On our way back to our boondocking spot, we stopped at Salt Creek to see the pupfish again. We visited them years ago and they are still impressive to see. The pupfish can withstand harsh conditions that would kill other fish: water that is 4 times more saline than the ocean, hot water up to 116 °F and cold water down to 32 °F . There were SO MANY!
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