Sidewinder Canyon
verified
ACA 3A
High flood risk
Furnace Creek, CA
Three side-slot tributaries off a Badwater Road wash, with the lower hiker route doable in a day and an upper technical descent for parties with rope skills.
Bring a headlamp; several side-slot sections go fully dark. The main wash is unremarkable; the slot character lives in the side branches numbered 1, 2, and 3 on the standard route description. No water in the canyon, but a long carry of your own.
Logistics
| Manager | NPS Death Valley NP |
|---|---|
| Permit | No permit required. Park entrance fee applies. |
| Distance | 5 RT for the popular hiker route; 6 total for the full technical descent |
| Elevation | ~1580 ft gain on the hiker route; ~1565 ft loss on the technical descent |
| Time | 3-5 hr hiker route; 7-10 hr technical descent |
| Technical | Two routes share the name. The popular hiker route is non-technical exploration of three side-slot tributaries off the main wash, with squeezes 1.5 ft wide and 6 ft vertical ledges to climb over. The technical upper descent (rated 3A III on ropewiki) is a separate undertaking with nine rappels, longest about 140 ft, ending in conglomerate narrows at the bottom. |
| Season | Nov-Mar. Avoid May-Sep heat. |
| Flood risk | High. Black Mountains catchment funnels quickly into the side slots. |
| Vehicle access | Passenger car. Unmarked gravel access road off Badwater Rd, 31.5 mi south of CA-190, typically passable to sedans. |
| Crowd | Moderate. Less visited than Mosaic; experienced parties only past the first ledges. |
| Coordinates | 36.0412, -116.7122 |