Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [138]
In 2000, Congress passed a bill that returned 7,000 acres (including about 300 in the Furnace Creek area) in and around the park to the Timbisha Shoshone, an American Indian tribe that inhabited the area for thousands of years before it became a national monument. This represents the first time that an Indian reservation has been established within the boundaries of a national park, and nearly 50 tribal members now live in the valley year-round. The bill banned casinos, but the future of the Timbisha Shoshone's homeland might include a cultural center, lodging, and homes for tribal members. For up-to-date information, contact the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe (☎ 760/873-9003; www.timbisha.org).
For yet another side of the human experience here, visit the Harmony Borax Works, located 1 mile north of Furnace Creek off Calif. 190 (take a short spur road and a very short trail). This is a rocky landscape as tortured as you'll ever find. Death Valley prospectors called borax "white gold," and though it wasn't exactly a glamorous substance, it was a profitable one. From 1883 to 1888, more than 20 million pounds of it were transported from the Harmony Borax Works; some borax mining continues in Death Valley to this day. A short trail with interpretive signs leads past the ruins of the old borax refinery and some outlying buildings.
Transport of borax was the stuff of legends, too. The famous 20-mule teams hauled the huge loaded wagons 165 miles to the rail station at Mojave. (To learn more about this colorful era, visit the Borax Museum at Furnace Creek Ranch, near the park visitor center.) Other remnants of human industry are the Eagle Borax Works ruins, 20 miles south of Furnace Creek on Badwater Road and the unpaved dirt West Side Road, and the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, 39 miles south of Stovepipe Wells off Emigrant Canyon Road, where vast amounts of charcoal were manufactured for use in the lucrative silver mining near neighboring Panamint Valley. Located near the Wildrose campground, the road to the kilns is partially paved and twists precariously; vehicles over 25 feet are prohibited.
Day Hikes
The park has routes to suit all levels of expertise and at varying elevations. Wherever you hike, never forget to carry enough water; even in seemingly mild weather conditions, hikers can become dehydrated quickly. Park rangers can provide topographical maps, current weather conditions, and detailed directions to each trailhead.
SHORTER TRAILS
Eureka Dunes
1 mile RT. Moderate. Access: Eureka Valley, at the end of South Eureka Rd.
This area is approachable only from the remote north end of the park and by rutted dirt and gravel roads that are subject to washout, so travel to the area requires a sturdy vehicle in good condition. The magnificent dunes are the tallest in California. The whole family will enjoy hiking here, spotting dune grass and wildflowers or the tracks of lizards and rodents. (Tread lightly, however, because this area is home to myriad endangered and threatened plant species.) The view from atop the highest dune (700 ft.) takes in the splendid contrast of creamy sand against the layer-cake band of nearby rock, and small avalanches of sand create the trademark "singing" peculiar to such dunes.
Keane Wonder Mine Trail
2 miles RT. Strenuous. Access: Past parking area and old mill site; the mine is 20 miles north of