Pleasant Canyon Loop Trail

4.8/5 (17 reviews)
For the overlander who truly wants to explore the best of Death Valley, the Pleasant Canyon Loop Trail offers a little bit of everything. Mines, cabins, steep mountain ascents and descents, epic views, rocks, cliffs, wood bridges, and more. The loop begins and ends in the Panamint Valley and explo...Read More
Start 7-Day Free Trial
All-Access Icon
Pleasant Canyon Loop Trail is an All-Access Member Only trail guide. You'll need to start a 7-Day Free Trial to see this guide.

Highlights of Pleasant Canyon Loop Trail

Altitude Category IconAltitude
Camping Category IconCamping
Forest Category IconForest
Ghost Town Category IconGhost Town
Iconic Category IconIconic
Mine Category IconMine
Rock Category IconRock
Wash Category IconWash
Water Category IconWater
Highest Elevation
7372 ft
Shape of Trail
Straight Through
Typically Open
Year Round
Best Direction
N/A
Official Trail Name
Pleasant Canyon Trail
Nearest Town
Ballarat
Nearest Services
Furnace Creek
Management Agency
Death Valley National Park
District

Overview

For the overlander who truly wants to explore the best of Death Valley, the Pleasant Canyon Loop Trail offers a little bit of everything. Mines, cabins, steep mountain ascents and descents, epic views, rocks, cliffs, wood bridges, and more. The loop begins and ends in the Panamint Valley and explores Pleasant Canyon, Middle Park, and South Park. Some of the many sites to visit are Claire Camp, World Beater Mine Cabin, Cooper Mine, Mormon Gulch, Rita's Cabin, Roger's Pass, Chicken Rock (see photo), Chicken Bridge, and Briggs Cabin. Chicken Rock is a downward-tilting, narrow section of the trail which tips your vehicle precariously towards a 200' vertical drop. Once past this obstacle, you face the famous 3-ton limit wooden bridge before descending back into the Panamint Valley to complete the loop.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Guide Overview
12 Waypoints
38 Trail Photos
7 Trail Concerns
17 Community Reviews
1 Video
Trail Tools
App Store Icon Open in App
Gaia GPS Icon Upload to Gaia GPS
Download GPX
Directions to...
Share Trail
Print Trail

Start a 7-Day Free Trial and Unlock 5,000+ Trail Guides

3000+ Detailed Trail Guides
2000+ Member Only Scout Routes
Companion App with Offline Use
New Tracks Added Weekly
Download GPX Files and Print Guides
Access to Trail Guide Writer
What makes our Trail Guides so great?

Sign Up for Free to Get a Taste of Adventure

Free Members get 206 introductory guides to explore. Upgrade to an All-Access Membership for 5,000+ trails at your fingertips.
Start a free trial and get this level of detail on every trail guide
Start Free Trial