Furnace Creek, CA – As with many married couples, Mike and I do not always agree on everything. On one thing we can agree: Titus Canyon was hands down our favorite 4WD Trail in Death Valley National Park. If you can only do one 4WD trail during your visit, this is the one. The 26.6 mile one-way (east to west) trail descends into Titanothere Canyon (elev 179 ft) and climbs to Red Pass (elev 5,265 ft), with spectacular scenery along the way. The trail passes through Leadfield Ghost Town before entering the namesake Titus Canyon and winding through The Narrows. There are even petroglyphs along the route. We used Charles Wells & Matt Peterson’s “Guide to California Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails” for information about this route. The beginning of this trail is near Rhyolite Ghost Town and the two can be combined for a longer day trip.
Spectacular view along Titus Canyon 4WD Trail
All of the 4WD/ High Clearance Roads in Death Valley National Park are to be taken seriously and visitors should plan to be self sufficient when traveling them. These roads are not regularly patrolled, there is spotty or no cellular coverage, there are hazards like washouts, deep sand, and mud. Assistance for a mechanical failure is not easily available, as the park service points out, AAA does not respond to these areas. Titus Canyon is prone to flash flooding and the road is closed when rain is expected. When we were here in January, snow storms prior to our visit had the trail closed due to snow in the high country and washouts in the lower elevations. The Park Service was actively clearing the trail and it reopened during our visit. Always check trail status before heading out.
The beginning of Titus Canyon 4WD route is gravel
Zero out at the beginning of the route. The beginning of the route travels through desert. At 1.9 miles, enter Death Valley National Park. At mile 9.6 the route descends into Titanothere Canyon.
The trail travels through desert on its way to the Titanothere Canyon
Descending into Titanothere Canyon
At 11.1 miles you begin the climb to Red Pass which is reached at mile 12.3. We stopped here for a picnic lunch and to take in the scenery. On the way down the other side of Red Pass we spotted a KIA SUV that was parked in a pull out with the spare “donut” on the vehicle (front) and no tire on the back (sitting on a jack). Clearly its travelers did not have a good trip. This is why we use good “off road tires”. We couldn’t tell how long it had been sitting there- possibly more than a week as the road had been closed (gate shut) until that morning from the snow storm.
View from climb to Red Pass looking back at earlier trail
View from Red Pass toward beginning of trail
Another view from Red Pass approach side (east)
The western side of Red Pass
Titus Canyon 4WD Trail on the west side of Red Pass
Heading further into the Grapevine Mountains
At mile 15.4 you reach the ghost town of Leadfield, where in the 1920’s prospectors mined for ore after hearing exaggerated claims that lead would be easy to find and the living conditions in the area would be easy to endure, neither of which proved to be true. We parked and walked around looking at the building and mining remnants.
Mine entrance near Leadfield
Leadfield Ghost Town Marker
This may be one of the most “opinionated” interpretive panels we’ve seen in a National Park
Leadfield
A stone structure in Leadfield
Leadfield structures
Titus Canyon entrance ahead – left into break in the mountains
The Titus Canyon entrance is reached at mile 16.2. Titus Canyon is a deep, narrow gorge cut into the steep face of the Grapevine Mountains. While the canyon starts off fairly wide, it will narrow as you travel further through it. The narrowest spot is just one lane wide- about mile 23.5. The petroglyphs are another good place to stop, around mile 18.
Upper Titus Canyon
Interesting rock layering in Titus Canyon
The canyon is narrowing, more layered rock
Titus Canyon Narrows
Final view in The Narrows section
Exit Titus Canyon at mile 23.9. There is a parking lot, hiking trailhead, and vault toilet at the exit. Continue down to paved Highway 267. This section of road is two-directional. Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells are to the left.
Titus Canyon
To reach the Titus Canyon trailhead, head north on Highway 190 and connect to Highway 374 heading towards Beatty, Nevada. Turn left on well-marked road 6.5 miles east of the Nevada-California state line. In a short distance you will reach the gate and signage for Titus Canyon 4WD Trail. To first visit Rhyolite Ghost Town, continue another 2.1 miles past the Titus Canyon turnoff to Rhyolite Road. Turn left onto Rhyolite Road and continue 1.8 miles to the ghost town. From Beatty, NV, the Titus Canyon turn-off is 6.2 miles southwest on Highway 374.
We stayed at Longstreet Inn, Casino & RV Park located in Amargosa Valley, Nevada east of Death Valley during this 2022 trip. Previously we stayed on the west side of the park at Boulder Creek RV Resort in Lone Pine, California. During this trip we also:
- Visited “Must-See” Locations in Death Valley National Park
- Visited Ubehebe Crater, Lost Burro Mine, & The Racetrack via 4WD/High Clearance Racetrack Valley Road
- Visited Rhyolite Ghost Town
- 4WD/High Clearance Marble & Cottonwood Canyon Routes
- Hiked Marble Canyon, Badlands Loop, Titus Canyon, Salt Creek Interpretive Trail
- Visited Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
