Canyoneering Route Description

Foundry Canyon South Fork - 3A III
Death Valley National Park, California.

Quick Facts

02-20-10, 13 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 9.15 hours) - South Fork Route Pictures Icon

Time Required - 8 to 10 hours
While the canyon itself is rate a III, a long shuttle is required making this a long day.
Distance - 7.3 miles Total, 4.6 miles Technical
Rappels - 15 Rappels, Longest Rappel 280 feet.
Big raps can be bypassed and only 200 foot ropes used.  See route description.
Elevation Range - 4960 - 165 Feet Below Sea Level
Shuttle Required -Yes 48.6 Miles Vehicle - 4WD - High Clearance Permit Required - No
23 miles of the shuttle are dirt road. A high clearance vehicle may make the drive just fine.
There are a couple of spots where 4WD may be needed if the road conditions are bad.

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 280 feet and 70 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.

General Comments

Special thanks to Rick Kent for an invitation to join for the First Descent.

Foundry Canyon can be done with only 200 foot ropes by optionally bypassing the two big rappels (LDC around both).  The two big rappels are very rewarding with views while on rappel and I would suggest doing this canyon using a 300 foot rope to drop down the big drops.  Another fun rappel is rap 15 (the last one) with a some large choke stones just overhead on the down canyon side of the rap.  

The shuttle for this route is similar to the shuttle for Willow Canyon and is a big one.  Plan on a few hours of travel to go get the vehicles left at the top.  The shuttle along with canyon time will almost guarantee you will be finishing up with vehicle recovery after dark.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the Bad Water parking lot drive south on highway 178 approximately 48.1 miles to a turn off on the left (north west) to a dirt road (ExtFrnCk-178).  The turn off will have a sign saying Furnace Creek Wash Road (on some maps this is labeled as Greenwater Valley Road).  As a side note: shortly before reaching the turn off will be another turn off with the same name to the right, note this is not the one you want.

After turning left onto the dirt road drive north west 10.6 miles to a junction with another dirt road (ExtTwrdGoldVly) and turn left onto the this dirt road.  Drive another 2.5 miles to a fork in the road (ExtGoldValley1) and continue left.  Drive another 5.2 miles to another fork (ExtGoldValley2) and continue right.  Drive another 3.0 miles to another fork (ExtGoldValley3) and turn left.  Drive another 1.5 miles to any spot you find convenient to pull off the side of the road (tBlckSmithCyns).  This trail head can be used for a few canyons starting from the Smith Mountain area.

Optionally you can turn left at ExtGoldValley2 then right at the next road junction then on to the spot to park.  This will save about 2.7 miles but involves slightly rougher road.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

Drive south on highway 178 from the Badwater parking.  Drive approximately 23.1 miles and pull over to the side of the road where convenient (pkFoundryBt).  There are no designated parking areas just find a spot you feel comfortable with.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Map Link Icon
Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the drive into the route.
Map of the entire route.
Map of the technical section.

Details

The Approach:
From the trailhead (tBlckSmithCyns), where you parked along the dirt road, walk south west across the open desert toward the smallest hill seen ahead about 0.5 miles away.  As you approach the small hill, veer left and walk along the east side of the hill.  

About 1.0 miles from the trailhead will be a small saddle along the shallow hills in the flats of the desert (wFndrySthRP-01).  Looking south west from this small saddle, a large wide open saddle can be seen off in the distance.  That wide open saddle is the top entry for the canyon.  

After getting over the small saddle, continue south west another 0.5 miles to a fork in a wash (wFndrySthRP-02).  

About 425 feet up the left fork of the wash look for an easy way up and out of the wash on the left (east) side (wFndrySthRP-03).  Once up out of the wash you will find yourself on a ridge running south west then veering more west a little further up.  

Follow south west up the ridge and begin veering right (west) and work over to the middle of a wide saddle at the top of the ridge (yFoundrySF-Tp).  This wide open saddle is the top entry for the South Fork of Foundry Canyon.

The Canyon / Technical Section:
From the top of the saddle (yFoundrySF-Tp), start down the gully to the west.  Down the wash from the saddle is easy wash walking and a gentle grade with a couple quick and easy down climbs along the way.   

About 1.3 miles down from the saddle is a down climb of about 6 feet over a boulder wedged in the wash then one more short down climb.  

About 150 feet down canyon of the 6 foot down climb is the top of a large drop of about 50 feet.  The 50 foot drop is a down climb to a ledge about 20 feet down then down the next portion of about 30 feet.  A spot will be very helpful for most near the bottom of the second stage of the downclimb.

Rap 1 (dFndrySFR1) is about 90 feet down canyon of the 50 foot down climb.  Rap 1 is a two stage rap and is anchored from a cairn anchor.  The first stage has an awkward start over a boulder with some overhang and drops about 10 feet.  There is a long horizontal section below the first stage.  The second stage drops about 20 feet along a series of rocks wedged between tight walls.  The second stage can be down climbed but has a sketchy start.  The total rope travel over both stages is 70 feet.

About 600 feet down canyon of rap 1 is a drop of about 40 feet.  This drop is bypassed by traversing the canyon wall LDC and dropping back to the floor about 100 feet down canyon.  Shortly after is a series of drops.  After dropping down the first drop of about 5 feet climb up LDC and traverse the canyon wall again to bypass these drops.  

Rap 2 (dFndrySFR2-3) is a short distance after the series of drops.  Rap 2 drops down a sloped wall about 120 feet.  Rap 2 can be down climbed RDC if careful.  There is a lot of loose rock along the drop so rappelling is a safer option.  Rap 2 is anchored from a rock horn RDC.  More rocks can be set on top to keep the webbing in place.  

Rap 3 is a short distance after rap 2 and is the first big drop in the canyon.  Rap 3 is anchored by a large rock about 15 feet back from the start of the drop.  Rap 3 starts down a very gradual slope for about 20 feet then quickly goes vertical with a drop of about 250 feet from the anchor at top.  A 300 and 200 foot rope will be completely used but will touch bottom.  A bit over half way down is a ledge along the way to break up the drop into stages.  The ledge is small and consists of smooth rock so there are no anchor building options there.  

Side Note:
Rap 3 can be bypassed by climbing up and over a small ridge LDC.  To get down the other side of the ridge a rappel is not mandatory but helpful as the route is lose and may lead to easy falls while down climbing.  After getting down the other side of the ridge work your way down a slope of talus back to the main canyon.  

From the bottom of rap 3 are a few easy down climbs over about 400 feet over to what looks like a small point.  The small point is where rap 4 starts.  

Rap 4 (dFndrySFR4) is anchored from a rock wedged in the rough jagged portion of the point with other rock plied on to keep the webbing in place.  Rap drops along the RDC side of the point and drops vertical down to a ledge about half way down then turns left around the wall.  A single 200 foot rope will work for rap 4.  The bottom of the rap is sloped enough where a single 200 foot rope will get you to where the final 25 feet can be easily down climbed.  

Rap 5 (dFndrySFR5) is about 270 feet down canyon of rap 4.  Just before getting to rap 5 is a down climb of about 15 feet that looks and feels like climbing down a section of concrete.  Rap 5 is anchored from a large rock sitting in the wash about 10 feet back and drops about 70 feet.  Rap 5 starts over a wedge boulder and has a little overhang under the boulder making for an awkward start.  

About 200 feet down canyon of rap 5 are a couple down climbs of about 20 feet each.  These are not overly difficult but weaker down climbers may want a hand line.  

Rap 6 (dFndrySFR6-7) is about 350 feet down canyon of the down climbs and is in a very wide open section of canyon out on a point.  Rap 6 is anchored from a rock embedded in the wash about 20 feet back from the drop on the RDC side of the point.  Rap 6 drops about 50 feet down to a large shelf where rap 7 will start.  

Rap 7 is on the shelf right below rap 6 and is anchored from a cairn anchor.  Rap 7 starts horizontal then has a short distance of free hang as it goes over an outcropping.  After getting beyond the outcropping, Rap 7 continues down a sloped wall that is almost vertical with a few small ledges along the way.  The total drop is about 280 feet and the views while on rappel are great!  Take time to soak this one in.  

Side Note:
Raps 6 and 7 can be bypassed by traversing and working along the side of the canyon LDC.  A few hundred feet down canyon a rappel can be set up to get back to the canyon floor using only 200 foot ropes (not sure what the height of the rap is but it is well under 200 feet).

Rap 8 (dFndrySFR8) is about 400 feet down canyon of rap 7 with easy wash walking along the way.  Rap 8 is anchored from a large rock about 15 feet back from the rap.  Rap 8 is a 2 stage rap with a total rope travel of about 80 feet.  Each stage is roughly 15 to 20 feet with a long horizontal section between them.  

Just below rap 8 are a couple easy down climbs to get to some more easy wash walking.  A little over 200 feet down canyon of rap 8 is a drop that can be bypassed by traversing the side and climbing down LDC of the drop.  Another 400 feet down canyon begins a series of short down climbs leading to the top of rap 9.  

Rap 9 (dFndrySFR9) is about 600 feet down canyon of rap 8 and is anchored from a cairn anchor.  Rap 9 drops about 25 feet down a vertical pour off.  

Down canyon of rap 9 is a short section of easy wash walking for about 200 feet to 3 down climbs of about 10, 5 and 6 feet which lead down to rap 10.  

Rap 10 (dFndrySFR10) is anchored from a small cairn anchor on a small ledge or gravel filled pot hole.  Rap 10 drops about 175 feet to a large ledge then continues over the ledge to drop about 25 more feet.  200 foot ropes just reach the bottom of Rap 10.  Rap 10 is also scenically pleasing while on the rappel.  

At the bottom of rap 10 is where the North and South forks of the canyon meet.  The fork is obvious after coming down rap 10 from the south fork.  If traveling down the north fork this would simply look like a sheer side wall to the canyon.  There would be visual evidence that water runs down the wall occasionally but would not appear to be a fork. The south fork is like a hanging valley where it drops in and joins the north fork.  

Down canyon of rap 10 is easy wash walking.  LDC along the walk are a couple ravines that look like they may be forks but are not.  

Rap 11 (dFndrySFR11) is about 500 feet down canyon of rap 10 and is anchored from cairn anchor.  Rap 11 drops about 110 feet down a slightly sloped almost vertical white rock pour off.  

Down canyon of rap 11 is a lot of easy wash walking with a couple negligible down climbs along the way.  The easy travel continues for about 0.6 miles down canyon before reaching rap 12.  About half way between raps 11 and 12 is a large white rock that has fallen into the canyon.  Here the term a chip off the old block comes to mind.  Nearby is another rock which is an obvious chunk from the larger one.  

Rap 12 (dFndrySFR12) is about 0.6 miles down canyon of rap 11 and has a short down climb shortly before reaching it.  Rap 12 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops a total of about 155 feet down 2 stages.  

Rap 13 (dFndrySFR13) is about 700 feet down canyon of rap 12.  Rap 13 is anchored from a cairn anchor about 10 feet back and drops about 30 feet down slick and smooth gray rock.  

Down canyon of rap 13 is a long walk with easy wash to travel down.  About 0.3 miles down canyon of rap 13 is a down climb of about 25 feet down pinkish white rock with other colors laced thru it in veins.  There is a pretty easy route to down climb straight down the center but it does not look good from the top.  Another alternative is to down climb along a chute / crevice on the RDC side.  

Rap 14 (dFndrySFR14-15) is about 0.4 miles down canyon of rap 13.  Rap 14 is anchored by a cairn anchor and drops about 50 feet to a tight narrows section.  Right at the bottom of rap 14 is a grotto area tucked under on the up canyon side of the rap.  Rap 15 also starts from the area just below rap 14.  

Rap 15 is the final rappel and is anchored from one of many rocks lying on the ground above the rap about 12 feet back from the rappel.  Rap 15 has a great view from the top.  Looking down rap 15 you can see a few rocks wedged between the walls just below the rap which you will walk under to continue down canyon.  A little bit further down canyon you can see a much larger rock wedged over head as well.  Rap 15 is bit awkward to start but only drops about 30 feet.  The rope travels over a rock near the top of the rap with a pinch point on either side of the rock.  The last person down should try to keep the rope on the center of the rock and not to one side to prevent rope pull issues.  

Shortly down canyon are a couple of short down climbs which will end any technical issues.  The canyon soon widens out and is nothing but easy wash walking al the way to the road where your exit vehicle should be parked.

The Exit:
Continue down canyon to where it opens up onto the alluvial fan (yFoundryBt) which is about 1.3 miles down canyon of rap 15.  Walk another 0.8 miles almost due west back to the road where you parked the exit vehicle (pkFoundryBt).

GPS Waypoint Information

Downloadable GPX files available at BG-Gear Store (easier than manual entry and a great way to support Bluugnome).
Waypoint naming convention and map symbol information can be found on the Glossary page.  Elevations are approximate.
BEFORE manually entering coordinates set your system to WGS84 datum and Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° coordinate format. 
Inconsistent datum's and coordinate formats will result in location errors.

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........
Foundry South Fork 1 - Drive to Exit Vehicle Parking
  1. sBadWater282          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.23001   W -116.76791        Elev: -282 Feet
    Sign at Bad Water Stating 282 feet below sea level
  2. pkFoundryBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.96335   W -116.72487        Elev: -165 Feet
    Park vehicle along side of road here as the escape pod from Foundry Canyon.
Foundry South Fork 2 - Drive to Upper Trailhead
  1. sBadWater282          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.23001   W -116.76791        Elev: -282 Feet
    Sign at Bad Water Stating 282 feet below sea level
  2. pkFoundryBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.96335   W -116.72487        Elev: -165 Feet
    Park vehicle along side of road here as the escape pod from Foundry Canyon.
  3. extFrnCk-178          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.96640   W -116.36372        Elev: 2,100 Feet
    Hwy 178 and Furnace Creek Wash Rd
  4. extTwrdGoldVly          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05575   W -116.50741        Elev: 3,090 Feet
    Turn off of Furnace Creek Wash road (Greenwater Valley road) toward Gold Valley.
  5. extGoldValley1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05790   W -116.55112        Elev: NaN Feet
    Turn left here to go toward Gold Valley, Black Smith trailhead or Willow Canyon trailhead.
  6. extGoldValley2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02142   W -116.62266        Elev: 4,243 Feet
    Turn right here to go toward Gold Valley, Black Smith trailhead or Willow Canyon trailhead. Left is shorter to Black Smith TH but rougher.
  7. extGoldValley3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.04561   W -116.65862        Elev: NaN Feet
    Turn right here to go toward Willow Canyon. Turn left to go to Black Smith trailhead.
  8. tBlckSmithCyns          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02642   W -116.64468        Elev: 3,813 Feet
    Spot to pull over along the dirt road. This is the start trailhead for some of the canyons in the Smith Mountain area named with the Black Smith Theme.
Foundry South Fork 3 - Approach from Upper Trailhead
  1. tBlckSmithCyns          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02642   W -116.64468        Elev: 3,813 Feet
    Spot to pull over along the dirt road. This is the start trailhead for some of the canyons in the Smith Mountain area named with the Black Smith Theme.
  2. wFndrySthRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.01280   W -116.64846        Elev: 4,276 Feet
    A small saddle in the shallow hills in the flats of the desert.
  3. wFndrySthRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.00653   W -116.65358        Elev: 4,610 Feet
    A fork in a small wash. Go up the left fork.
  4. wFndrySthRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.00529   W -116.65420        Elev: 4,700 Feet
    Start up out of the wash up the left (east) side.
  5. yFoundrySF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.00319   W -116.65641        Elev: 4,960 Feet
    Top entry for the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. This is on a very wide saddle.
Foundry South Fork 4 - Canyon and Exit
  1. yFoundrySF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.00319   W -116.65641        Elev: 4,960 Feet
    Top entry for the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. This is on a very wide saddle.
  2. dFndrySFR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.99385   W -116.67507        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 1 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops over two stages of about 20 feet each. 20-FEB-10 8:58:59AM
  3. dFndrySFR2-3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.99198   W -116.67719        Elev: NaN Feet
    Raps 2 and 3 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Rap 2 is anchored from a rock horn RDC and drops down a sloped wal about 120 feet. Rap 2 can be down climbed but lots of loose rock make it safer to rappel. Rap 3 is anchored from a large rock about 15 feet back from the drop and drops about 250 feet starting out witha very gradual slope then turning vertical with a ledge half way down.
  4. dFndrySFR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.99087   W -116.67800        Elev: 3,413 Feet
    Rap 4 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a rock wedged in the jagged portion of a point and drops about 125 feet winding around a corner as it drops. The bottom of the rap is sloped allowing a single 200 foot rope to be used safely.
  5. dFndrySFR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.99019   W -116.67829        Elev: 3,220 Feet
    Rap 5 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from large rock sitting in wash about 10 feet back and drops about 70 feet.
  6. dFndrySFR6-7          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.99019   W -116.68020        Elev: 2,960 Feet
    Raps 6 and 7 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Rap 6 is anchored from a rock embedded in the wash about 20 back from the rap and drops about 50 feet to a large shelf. Rap 7 is at the bottom of rap 6 and is anchored from a cairn anchor dropping about 280 feet.
  7. dFndrySFR8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.99016   W -116.68177        Elev: 2,640 Feet
    Rap 8 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a large rock about 15 feet from the top of the rap and drops over 2 stages of about 20 feet each. Total of 80 foot of rope travel over the entire rappel.
  8. dFndrySFR9          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.98931   W -116.68316        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 9 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 25 feet down a pour off.
  9. dFndrySFR10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.98927   W -116.68423        Elev: 2,200 Feet
    Rap 10 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a small cairn anchor and drops 200 feet with a large ledge about 25 feet up from the bottom. The bottom of rap 10 is where the two forks meet. 20-FEB-10 1:12:07PM
  10. dFndrySFR11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.98826   W -116.68512        Elev: 2,090 Feet
    Rap 11 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops 110 feet down a slightly sloped pour off.
  11. dFndrySFR12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.98489   W -116.69021        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 12 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a cairn anchor and a total of about 155 feet down 2 stages.
  12. dFndrySFR13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.98313   W -116.69093        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 13 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 30 feet down slick grey rock.
  13. dFndrySFR14-15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.97834   W -116.69467        Elev: 1,040 Feet
    Raps 14 and 15 in the South Fork of Foundry Canyon. Rap 14 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 50 feet into a narrow section. Rap 15 is anchored from one of many rocks above the rap and drops about 30 feet.
  14. yFoundryBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.96876   W -116.71274        Elev: 170 Feet
    Bottom exit of Foundry Canyon where the canyon dumps out onto the alluvial fan.
  15. pkFoundryBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 35.96335   W -116.72487        Elev: -165 Feet
    Park vehicle along side of road here as the escape pod from Foundry Canyon.

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