After leaving Death Valley National Park, I drove state highway 127 south from Shoshone to Baker. The highway passes through diverse landscapes, including deserts, mountains, and valleys, offering scenic views along the way. It is commonly known as Death Valley Road.
Bill Owens and I did a short 1.4 mile hike in the Mount Nutt Wilderness near Golden Valley. The wilderness is located 15 miles west of Kingman. It encompasses an eight-mile-long stretch of the central portion of the Black Mountains.
I hiked out to the Arizona Hot Springs with my good friend Bill Owens, and fellow caver from Windy City Grotto. We did the 6.2 mile loop to the Colorado River by going through White Rock Canyon first, and hit the hot springs on the way back. The hot mineral water emerges from fractures in Miocene-age volcanic rock near the intersection of two faults. The hottest of the three pools is about 110 degrees.
Getting to the Colorado River is a 3 mile hike on the White Rock Canyon Trail, and it took us 90 minutes. Then it's a short hike along the river to the hot springs. The elevation gain is about 1,174 feet for the entire loop.
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| Bill Owens |
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| Bill Owens in White Rock Canyon. |
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| The Colorado River |
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| Bill ascending the stairs to the hot springs. |
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| Our 6.2 mile hike. |
I did the 5.4 mile, Maze Loop Trail at Joshua Tree National Park. I was the only one hiking this trail too.
