Hiking the Ubehebe Crater Trail in Death Valley National Park
Distance: 1.0 - 2.8 miles / 1.6 - 4.5 km
The Ubehebe Crater Trail in Death Valley National Park is one of the most uniquely beautiful day hikes in the park, as the loop around the large volcanic crater offers a glimpse into what Ubehebe Crater and the greater area looked like when it was erupting!
That said, the distance above is variable because it depends entirely on how much of the Ubehebe Trail you decide to hike.
By this, I mean that the out-and-back hike to Little Hebe Crater is only 1.0 mile (1.6 km) roundtrip. However, if you decide to hike around Little Hebe Crater and the Ubehebe Crater Loop, that totals 2.3 miles (3.7 km), including an optional 0.5-mile (0.8 km) hike to the bottom of the crater, for a total of 2.8 miles (4.5 km).
In any case, the Ubehebe Crater Trail is one of my favorite day hikes within Death Valley National Park, as only a fraction of park visitors make the long 56.1-mile (90.3 km) drive to Ubehebe Crater since it’s located on the far northern end of the park.
Ubehebe Crater Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Ubehebe Crater is located in a small, paved parking lot atop Ubehebe Crater Road, right on the crater rim.
Know that the trailhead parking can be a little tight, but it’s nowhere near as busy as other places in the park, such as the Golden Canyon Trail near Furnace Creek.
Google Maps Directions: Ubehebe Crater Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Death Valley
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Death Valley National Park.
Hiking the Ubehebe Crater Trail
If you're looking for a beautiful place to start or end your day, the panoramic views at Ubehebe Crater would equally make for a great hike at either sunrise or sunset.
Immediately after leaving the parking area, the trail climbs up about 200 ft. (61 m) in elevation to the rim of Little Hebe.
The 0.5-mile (0.8 km) distance to Little Hebe Crater on the sign is only the one-way distance to the crater.
At the split for Little Hebe, you can choose to go left to continue around the main Ubehebe Crater or go right to see the Little Hebe Crater.
Little Hebe Crater Loop
The loop around Little Hebe Crater only adds another 0.25 miles (0.4 km) to your overall hike.
Ubehebe Crater Loop
The photo below is back on the main Ubehebe Crater Loop Trail.
Below are the two craters from the top of the hill in the photo above.
If you look closely, you can see the three main trails that descend to the bottom of Ubehebe Crater from the parking lot.
The far end of Ubehebe Crater has much more significant drops to be careful around.
This route branching to the left into Ubehebe Crater is the easiest of the three routes down into the Ubehebe, and it’s the route that I highly recommend taking back out if you’re going to do it.
The other two routes are shorter but steeper, while this one is longer but more manageable because the uphill is more spread out.
The route in the next section below shows the main/ most popular route that people descend into the crater.
Hiking into Ubehebe Crater
One-way Distance: 0.25 miles / 0.4 km
Elevation Change: ~450 ft. / 137 m
Do NOT hike into Ubehebe Crater if you doubt any part of your physical ability.
Hiking on any kind of soft surface like sand or volcanic rock will always be more difficult than a normal, firm surface because of the give it has when you step.
This is the most popular route down into the Ubehebe from the main parking lot.
I saw some kids playing in the water, but I honestly can’t say how safe or not that is.
