Post by 1dave on Oct 29, 2014 12:19:04 GMT -5
Not my trip - Sagenite Canyon
www.panamintcity.com/owlshead/sagenitecanyon.html
Sagenite Canyon was literally sitting in the Top Five of my Death Valley To-Do list for almost 2 full years before I finally had the chance to visit in the Spring of 2010. What held me back was the remoteness of the area, as well as a lack of reliable information about the road conditions to get there. I do not have a 4wd vehicle, which in the end didn't really matter. To reach Sagenite Canyon, I continued driving past Owl Hole Springs on the main road (not taking the side road up to the mines). Once I reached the junction with the military base, I turned right onto Owlshead Mountains Road and drove that for approximately 5 miles. Upon parking at the base of Sagenite Hill, we first got out and explored the side canyons and diggings which were located in Sagenite Canyon. Sagenite Canyon is a very wide, open canyon which some people have used as a campground. It looks like it would be a good place to camp, however if the wind were to pick up at night, then one of two things would happen. (1) A person camping might be fully protected from the wind, or (2) the canyon might turn into a wind tunnel and blow your tent to shreds. After exploring Sagenite Canyon fully, we climbed up Sagenite Hill and were rewarded with an absolutely amazing view of the entire area, including a nice view of Owl Lake. We then checked out some of the upper diggings and that is where we found some of our best rock specimens. Of course, something to keep in mind is that rock collecting is no longer allowed in Sagenite Canyon, as it is now a part of Death Valley National Park. To put some of the sagenite agate (or other pretty rocks) into your pocket and take them home with you would be committing a crime. Thus, after taking some pictures of the rocks which we found, we returned them to the ground and left them for the next visitor to discover. We did split a few rocks but mostly just looked for specimens that had cracked naturally or were nice looking on the outside. I would also like to give a special thanks to Niki and Jamie (The Dzrtgrls). They are well known in the Death Valley community of hikers and it was their report on Sagenite Canyon which brought this place to my attention. And I would also like to point out that Sagenite Canyon is an officially named canyon which was established a long time ago. I'm not sure why it does not appear on modern maps, but the name is recognized and legitimate. If you're wondering what Sagenite is, read my photo captions down below to learn more.
www.panamintcity.com/owlshead/sagenitecanyon.html
Sagenite Canyon was literally sitting in the Top Five of my Death Valley To-Do list for almost 2 full years before I finally had the chance to visit in the Spring of 2010. What held me back was the remoteness of the area, as well as a lack of reliable information about the road conditions to get there. I do not have a 4wd vehicle, which in the end didn't really matter. To reach Sagenite Canyon, I continued driving past Owl Hole Springs on the main road (not taking the side road up to the mines). Once I reached the junction with the military base, I turned right onto Owlshead Mountains Road and drove that for approximately 5 miles. Upon parking at the base of Sagenite Hill, we first got out and explored the side canyons and diggings which were located in Sagenite Canyon. Sagenite Canyon is a very wide, open canyon which some people have used as a campground. It looks like it would be a good place to camp, however if the wind were to pick up at night, then one of two things would happen. (1) A person camping might be fully protected from the wind, or (2) the canyon might turn into a wind tunnel and blow your tent to shreds. After exploring Sagenite Canyon fully, we climbed up Sagenite Hill and were rewarded with an absolutely amazing view of the entire area, including a nice view of Owl Lake. We then checked out some of the upper diggings and that is where we found some of our best rock specimens. Of course, something to keep in mind is that rock collecting is no longer allowed in Sagenite Canyon, as it is now a part of Death Valley National Park. To put some of the sagenite agate (or other pretty rocks) into your pocket and take them home with you would be committing a crime. Thus, after taking some pictures of the rocks which we found, we returned them to the ground and left them for the next visitor to discover. We did split a few rocks but mostly just looked for specimens that had cracked naturally or were nice looking on the outside. I would also like to give a special thanks to Niki and Jamie (The Dzrtgrls). They are well known in the Death Valley community of hikers and it was their report on Sagenite Canyon which brought this place to my attention. And I would also like to point out that Sagenite Canyon is an officially named canyon which was established a long time ago. I'm not sure why it does not appear on modern maps, but the name is recognized and legitimate. If you're wondering what Sagenite is, read my photo captions down below to learn more.
The road crosses over a pass and then heads back down towards Sagenite Canyon:
The reddish tinted hills off in the distance are part of Sagenite Hill:
Parking at the base of Sagenite Hill. There is a nice place to park here off of the road:
Looking back up the road we had just driven down a few minutes earlier:
Looking back at Sagenite Hill once again. The red arrow in this picture marks the spot where Desert Magazine recommends hiking up to for the best specimens. We actually found great specimens all across the ridgeline, not just isolated in one location:
Sagenite is not a uniquely named mineral, but rather an agate which had a void that was filled by a spray pattern of crystals:
In the next two pictures, you can see small examples of the acicular or needle-like mineral growths (which as seen here are often arranged in the shape of a fan or sunburst). The inclusions also come in a wide array of colors, so every rock was a potential find:
The reddish tinted hills off in the distance are part of Sagenite Hill:
Parking at the base of Sagenite Hill. There is a nice place to park here off of the road:
Looking back up the road we had just driven down a few minutes earlier:
Looking back at Sagenite Hill once again. The red arrow in this picture marks the spot where Desert Magazine recommends hiking up to for the best specimens. We actually found great specimens all across the ridgeline, not just isolated in one location:
Sagenite is not a uniquely named mineral, but rather an agate which had a void that was filled by a spray pattern of crystals:
In the next two pictures, you can see small examples of the acicular or needle-like mineral growths (which as seen here are often arranged in the shape of a fan or sunburst). The inclusions also come in a wide array of colors, so every rock was a potential find: