SOUTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA

Summary

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Located in Death Valley, Mt Perry provides sweeping views of Badwater Basin far below as the trail winds up and down the exposed ridge line between Dante’s View and Mt Perry.

Trail Stats

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Trail Details

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Early morning found us at the scenic Dante’s View Parking lot, donning our rain jackets to ward off the chilly breeze. Backpacks were shrugged on fully stocked with water, lunch, various clothing and emergency items. We were ready to set out.

Instead of heading straight up to Dante’s View Peak we strolled out onto Dante’s View South trail to drink in the morning sights of Badwater Basin, the surrounding mountains and peaks. The view of the Badwater Basin Lake (Lake Manly) is stunning from this vantage point. Apparently we were lucky to see this as there hasn’t been enough water in the ancient lake bed to make a temporary lake for about 20 years. Or so we have been told.

After looking to our hearts content we headed up trail to Dante’s View (the peak) where we would have ongoing views from varied angles of the lake to the west and sweeping views of the Greenwater Valley and mountain range to the east.

As someone who has a fear of falling off edges, this hike makes for a thrilling adventure. Rated as difficult on most hiking sites, the trail does not disappoint. Though there’s relatively little elevation difference between Dante’s View and Mt Perry the path packs in plenty of elevation change as you ascend and descend the hills that make up the ridge line. Some sections are quite steep and the footing varies between solid rock, loose small pebbles and, later on, boulders and rocks to traverse. As expected, you’re always next to a downward slope or cliff. Most of the trail is in good condition and easy to follow, albeit often quite narrow. Great if you like looking over an edge. For me, I often had to avert my eyes and keep them solidly on the trail. Looking down forms a pit of anxiety in my stomach that is rather unpleasant. Turns out I rather like having trees on the hillside to hide the slope and break my fall should I ever actually fall again. Last time, a tree did so nicely stop my tumble.

This was one of those hikes where one moment I was cold, the next sweating like crazy and then cold again. I chose to perform a quick change of attire behind a hill. Doug kept his jacket on the whole time, preferring to sweat off and on rather than shiver.

On our way in we were passed by, and then played tag with, four young men who eventually took off to the summit ahead of us. That was it. Four on the whole way out.

Approaching the summit is where this trail gets interesting with narrow ridges, steep drop offs and crawling over rocks varied in size of a beach ball to a mini cooper. Some surprisingly unsteady when trod upon. Nonetheless, we slowly picked our way to the top which was blissfully wide and offered plenty of space.

Our young friends were just about to leave when we got there, though we all chatted for a bit first. Something about being out in the middle of nowhere doing something awesome makes most everyone friendly.

After they left we settled in on a nicely chosen rock seat to enjoy lunch. One solo hiker joined us as we happily munched away. There is an ammo box on top with a few notepads and a pen to sign inside. Always fun to see where everyone is coming from.

Shortly after starting our trek back the weather decided to turn on us. Or at least the wind. The skies remained intermittently sunny. That breeze turned into full force wind with gusts that nearly toppled me over a few times. Remember those edges I love so much? Super fun to feel you’re going to be blown off a mountainside. The steady wind was obnoxious enough, pelting out faces with dust, legs with little pebbles, drying out our eyes and sinuses. Those gusts of wind were shocking in how it’d grab your foot when stepping forward and blow one off course. Fun walk back.

The only other group of hikers we saw headed to Mt Perry turned around, presumably because of the wind. So it’s not just me being dramatic. Being on a ridge line, fully exposed as there’s nothing to shield you from the wind was not the most enjoyable part of the hike. The views however, were spectacular in all directions. Again, we saw no snakes. Just lots of rocks and views. Great hike. Would recommend, just watch the winds.

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