In April 2016, two of us decided to do the hike from Badwater Basin - the lowest point in North America (-282 feet) - to nearby 11,043 foot Telescope Peak, and we wanted to do it in one day.
Telescope Peak viewed from Shorty's Well
After driving from San Francisco and placing one car at Mahogany Flat Campground (~8200 ft.) for an easier exit, we relaxed at Shorty's Well in Badwater Basin where we'd camp for the night.
Preparing for the feat
The sky burst into colors in all directions at sunset.
Sunset over Shorty's Well
Sunset over Badwater Basin and Telescope Peak
At about four o'clock in the morning we hit the trail. It begins with a 4x4 road which steadily rises out of the valley at a gradual rate. Traversing the road is easy hiking. We saw a scorpion scurry across our tracks as the early morning light rose over the mountains.
First light at sunrise looking back at Badwater Basin
About 90 minutes into the hike we were already well above the bottom of the valley. We also got our first glimpse of our destination -- Telescope Peak.
Good morning Death Valley
The morning light illuminates the target -- Telescope Peak
The trail follows a long 4x4 road which winds up into Hanaupah Canyon
The canyon begins to take shape
The 4x4 road starts to deteriorate farther into the canyon. Wildflowers and canyon walls colored the landscape.
The canyon trail continues to gradually increase in elevation as is winds into the mountains
Springtime brings color and life to the desert
Hanaupah Spring is the only water source on the entire route, so we each filled up 5.5 liters and took a break for lunch before taking on the very steep climb to the ridge which leads to the peak.
Near Hanaupah Spring Telescope Peak looms far in the distance
After taking a break to fill up nearly 6 liters of water each, we hit the first steep climb up a ridge
Taking the ridge involved climbing 1600 feet in about one mile
At the top of the ridge we got a great view of the canyon we'd just navigated
Looking towards Badwater Basin from atop the ridge
With Telescope Peak still another 6000 or so feet to go, we pressed on
Now hiking through trees and brush, Telescope Peak was getting closer
The topography now featured a lot of trees, and was a bit harder to navigate. The ridge rolled up and down, and then we crossed a hillside through a forest on our way to the final and toughest climb.
Looking across to the ridge which we'd make our final ascent to intersect the maintained trail to the peak from Mahogany Flats
The climb was now steep and much of the footing loose, but the views looking back just kept getting better
The climb to reach the maintained trail which would lead to the peak was absolutely grueling. We gained about 3300 feet in 2 miles over loose footing. And after all that, we still had another 1000 feet to the top.
The final climb to the maintained trail was absolutely steep and brutal
Taking a break from the highly strenuous climb to look back on our route
After we reached the maintained trail it wasn't long before we had Telescope Peak in sight
Reaching the summit was awesome! What a day. It was cool to look down at the tiny dot that was Shorty's Well where we'd started 13 hours earlier. We were so tired and hungry we didn't waste much time before settling in.
Some 13 hours and 11,331 feet of ascent later, we reached the summit
Badwater Basin to Telescope Peak
The view of Badwater Basin was amazing
The summit cuisine was pizza and Fort Point Villager IPA
After dinner we weren't far off from being ready for bed at our awesome sleeping location
Telescope Peak's shadow cast over Death Valley at sunset was quite a sight
As the sun set, we settled in under what would turn out to be a very clear and star filled sky
Early the next morning, the sun came around over Death Valley
Telescope Peak's mighty shadow was cast again but in the other direction over Searles Valley
The seven mile, 3000 foot descent to Mahogany Flat the next day was a piece of cake after that feat. What an awesome hike, and what an awesome peak. I'll sleep there again for sure.