After touring the opulence of Scotty’s Castle we headed out to Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley National Park. (Say it out loud, all long vowels, a very fun name with an unknown origin.) It was very windy on the crater’s rim so we opted not to hike around it.
.jpg "Ubehebe Crater Death Valley NP CA")
Ubehebe Crater
A few thousand years ago a tremendous explosion occurred in Death Valley leaving behind a crater .5 mile (.8 km) across and 500 feet (152.4 meters) deep. A rising plume of molten basalt came in contact with the overlying watertable causing a violent release of underground steam pressure that left volcanic cinders and ash up to 150 feet (45.72 meters) deep covering the ground from 2-5 miles (3.21-8.04 meters) in every direction.
.jpg "Interp sign Ubehebe Crater Death Valley NP CA")
photo of sign
There are actually several explosion craters in the area; some may be younger than Ubehebe.
.jpg "Gaelyn and Jeremy at Ubehebe Crater Death Valley NP CA")
Gaelyn and Jeremy
We really wanted to visit Death Valley’s famous rock Racetrack but it requires a high-clearance vehicle over 27 miles (43.45 km) of rough gravel road. Large boulders weighing up to 400 pounds mysteriously move across a dry lakebed leaving gouged trails behind. No one has actually seen the rocks move but scientists speculate that very strong winds blow the rocks when the surface is slick from occasional light rains. I’d rather believe they just go for a st-roll.From Ubehebe Crater we headed to Titus Canyon for a hike.
Ubehebe CraterA few thousand years ago a tremendous explosion occurred in Death Valley leaving behind a crater .5 mile (.8 km) across and 500 feet (152.4 meters) deep. A rising plume of molten basalt came in contact with the overlying watertable causing a violent release of underground steam pressure that left volcanic cinders and ash up to 150 feet (45.72 meters) deep covering the ground from 2-5 miles (3.21-8.04 meters) in every direction.
photo of signThere are actually several explosion craters in the area; some may be younger than Ubehebe.
Gaelyn and JeremyWe really wanted to visit Death Valley’s famous rock Racetrack but it requires a high-clearance vehicle over 27 miles (43.45 km) of rough gravel road. Large boulders weighing up to 400 pounds mysteriously move across a dry lakebed leaving gouged trails behind. No one has actually seen the rocks move but scientists speculate that very strong winds blow the rocks when the surface is slick from occasional light rains. I’d rather believe they just go for a st-roll.From Ubehebe Crater we headed to Titus Canyon for a hike.