We were up early Monday morning and after watching sunrise from our tent we drove to the Golden Canyon trailhead on Badwater Road. We were one of the first cars there - good thing as this is one of the most popular hikes in the park and we were able to get a jump on the crowds. We hiked the four mile Gower Gulch-Golden Canyon loop counterclockwise and thought this hike gave you a lot of bang for your buck. These badlands of the Black Mountains are colorful, desolate, otherworldly, and beautiful and we really enjoyed our time spent in them.
The National Park Service provides some informative trail guides for this area:
