Death Valley became a National Monument in 1933 and a National Park in 1994. We have been thinking about the possibility if it hadn’t become either one and become something like a wide open ATV course. We’ve been able to hike some of the canyons that had been made by the awesome power of rushing floodwaters. As they flowed they eroded and destroyed rock walls and as this was happening they created some of the most beautiful natural hiking areas we have ever been on. Today we are off to hike the Golden Canyon. This is a hike of about 2+ miles each way. The whole area was at one time the bottom of a massive lake and now it is made up of large hills and mounds of a yellow/gold russet sand, mud, and rock. There were lots of little trails that we could take from the main hike, but after following them for a distance we found they would just bring us back to the beginning. A place called the Red Cathedral was at the end of our hike so after seeing that, having a bite and drink from our pack, we headed back for another great adventure. The Natural Bridge of Death Valley. After driving another one of those wonderful dirt “spur” roads for 2 miles we hiked the remaining ¾ mile into the “Natural Bridge”. This “Bridge” is another creation that came about from rushing water through cracks in weaker rock and cutting it into its present form. It now looms abut 60 feet above the current floor.