Canyoneering Route Description

Miracle Max Canyon - 3A III
Death Valley National Park, California.

Quick Facts

01-18-14, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 7.5 hours)

Time Required - 6 to 8 hours
Distance - 9.0 miles Total, 0.6 miles Technical
Rappels - 4 Rappels, Longest Rappel 150 feet.
Elevation Range - 210 - 2050 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - High Clearance, 4WD Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 150 feet and 60 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  The large amount of webbing recommended for only 4 rappels is due to the possibility of ALL anchors getting washed out.

General Comments

The Princes Bride area is a collection of canyons north of Stovepipe Wells in the Cottonwood Mountains on the Panamint Range.  The Princess Bride Collection offers a few fun semi short canyons.  But you do need a high clearance 4WD vehicle to safely go enjoy them.

Thanks to Scott Swaney for locating these canyons, initiating the explorations of them and freely sharing the information.

Parking spots are limited and the spots are only large enough for one or two vehicles.  When driving out to the Princess Bride Canyons try to leave excess vehicles at Stovepipe Wells and take only one or two vehicles to the parking spot to start the canyons.  When choosing vehicles it is best to use the ones with 4WD and some clearance since there are a couple spots with deep rutted sand.

The vehicles will likely not be visible after exiting the canyon and you walk back across the desert toward them.  A GPS or a compass and map can be very helpful to get you pointed back to the cars after exiting the canyon.  If you follow the natural flow of the open desert and the wash like areas, you may find yourself wandering off course.

Miracle Max Canyon uses the the South Approach route.  The technical section of Miracle Max Canyon has only 4 rappels and no challenging downclimbs.  All the rappels are in a section of canyon less than 400 feet long.  Do not let the lack of technical fun and challenges deter you from enjoying this route.  Miracle Max is extremely scenic and worth visiting!  For scenic value I highly recommend Miracle Max Canyon.

Warning!!
I know of two parties that have visited Miracle Max Canyon less than a year prior to my first visit here.  All the way through the canyon we found ZERO evidence of anchors.  The water catchment area above Miracle Max Canyon is huge which can lead to big floods when the area does get rains.  With this comes the possibility of having all anchors washed out leaving no trace of previous parties.  What this means to you is to always be prepared to rig brand new anchors for the rappels.  Miracle Max Canyon uses cairn anchors using rocks found in the canyon.  It is a very good idea to send down one person on each rappel to investigate the availability of anchor materials (rocks).  If flooding has washed away anchor materials you will need to farm them from above or below the rappel.  Those left at the top can throw rocks down if needed.

Note:
There are two approach routes used for the Princess Bride Canyons, North Approach or South Approach.  While each approach route keeps the distance to a minimum for specific canyons, either approach can be used to access any of the Princess Bride Canyons.  There is an easy 0.7 mile route connecting the upper ends of the approaches running between the tops of Fire Swamp and Inconceivable Canyons.

The North Approach is best used for;  Pit of Despair, Cliffs of Insanity and Fire Swamp Canyons.
The South Approach is best used for;  Inconceivable, Buttercup, Humperdinck, Prepare to Die and Miracle Max Canyons.

Travel from upper end of North Approach to upper end of South Approach:
To travel from Fire Swamp to Inconceivable route find your way south about 0.2 miles to a saddle (wP-BrideCct01).  From the saddle route find your way down the slope south about 350 feet down into a wash (wP-BrideCct02) traveling down to the south.  About 900 feet down the drainage is a confluence where side drainage join from east and west (wP-BrideCct03).  Of note the drainage going east from here leads up to the top of what looks like a steep canyon running down the face of the mountain when viewed from the valley floor.  Continue south down the main wash about 500 feet passing another drainage joining in from the west (wP-BrideCct04).  Follow the drainage south about 0.2 miles to where it bends and begins to travel almost due east (InconceivableTp).  This is the top of Inconceivable Canyon and is the upper end of the South Approach route.

Travel from upper end of South Approach to upper end of North Approach:
To travel from the top of Inconceivable to the top of Fire Swamp, walk north up the Inconceivable drainage about 0.2 miles to where a small side drainage joins in from the west (wP-BrideCct04).  Continue north up the drainage about 500 feet to where a couple side drainage join from east and west (wP-BrideCct03).  Of note the drainage going east from here leads up to the top of what looks like a steep canyon running down the face of the mountain when viewed from the valley floor.  Continue north up the drainage about 900 feet to the upper end of the wash (wP-BrideCct02).  Travel north up the slope about 350 feet to a saddle (wP-BrideCct01).  Thee route find your way north about 0.2 miles down to the top of Fire Swamp Canyon (yFireSwampTp).

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

The drive directions start from the gas station in Stovepipe Wells Death Valley.  Stovepipe Wells is a small community on Highway 190 about mid way between Panamint Springs and Furnace Creek. 

From the convenience store / gas station in Stovepipe Wells (wStovpipeStore) look for the paved road on the southwest side of the store that leads west away from highway 190 which leads out toward Marble and Cottonwood Canyons (Cottonwood Canyon Road).  Drive west on the road passing the camp ground along the way. 

About 0.5 miles from highway 190 will be a fork in the road (ExtStovAirStrp).  The fork to the left goes over to an airstrip and is paved.  Stay right at this fork and travel on the dirt road going west. 

Note:
Be aware that a few spots early on in this road have deep sand with ruts that will give some vehicles trouble.  High clearance 4WD is recommended for travel on this dirt road.  Road conditions do change depending on rains, vehicular traffic and if the roads have been graded recently.  While it is possible to get passenger vehicles with all wheel drive through the sand it is not recommended.  A vehicle with clearance is helpful to get through the deep rutted sections.  The 4WD may not be used most of the time but with the sand it could make the difference between being stuck and being able to pull through a rough patch

Follow the dirt road west about 5 miles to where it bends to the right to the northwest (Pk-PrBrideS).  This bend in the road is a good place to park if you are following the South Approach route.

If you are going to be following the North Approach route, continuing past the bend about 0.4 miles to a wide spot in the road where you can park a couple vehicles (Pk-PrBrideN). 

Note:
There are various turnouts or wide spots in the road which are generally intended to be used for vehicles to pass one another and are only large enough for one or two cars to park.  The locations of the wide spots will change over time depending on what is done each time the the road is grated.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as an out and back route.

Maps

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

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

Details

The Approach:
From the parking spot (Pk-PBrideS) begin the South Approach by walking southwest across open desert.

To follow the South Approach walk southwest across open desert on a bearing of about 204 degrees (true) toward the bottom of a ridge about 2.25 miles away.  From the parking area the ridge to aim for is toward the south end of the visible range.  The picture below will help.

About 2.25 miles after leaving the parking spot is the base of the ridge (wP-BrideS-01) you will start to travel up. 

Start walking southwest up the steep ridge.  After about 0.37 miles the ridge tops out (wP-BrideS-02) about 700 feet higher than the base. The canyon on the right (northwest) of this top out is Humperdinck Canyon.

From the top out continue southwest down the other side toward a saddle (jPBrideS) about 330 feet away.

Note:
The saddle (jPBrideS) is where you will choose a direction depending on your chosen route.  If you are going to Miracle Max or Prepare to Die Canyons you will follow up the ridge to the southwest.  If you plan to do Humperdinck, Buttercup or Inconceivable Canyons you will drop down the west side of the saddle down the steep slope into the Humperdinck drainage.

To continue to Miracle Max Canyon continue south up the ridge from the saddle (jPBrideS).  About 0.2 miles from the saddle the ridge will become less steep and level off a little (jPrepareToDie).  When you get to the the less steep portion of the ridge you will be near the head of the large drainage that has been on your left and you will have a view to the southwest down to a wide open flat area. 

Note:
If you were going to Prepare to Die Canyon you would leave the ridge and drop down toward the wide open flat area to the southwest.

To continue to Miracle Max Canyon stay on the ridge and follow it up to the west.  As you walk the ridge you should notice a pointed peak ahead (to the west) on the ridge about 0.5 miles away which is what you will be going up to.

Follow the ridge all the way over to the pointed peak.  As you get closer to the peak the route will start to get very steep.  When you get about 100 or 150 feet from the peak (wMiracleMxRP01) veer left and begin to traverse south just below the peak to walk over onto the ridge running down to the south.

After you get onto the ridge running down to the south walk only a few hundred feet along the ridge (wMiracleMxRP02).  You can pretty much drop down off this ridge any time you like and the sooner the better since walking in the wash below will be easier.   Route find your way west down the dirt and rock slope down into the very wide drainage below.  The wide drainage below to the west is one of the large drainages leading down to Miracle Max.

Once you get down into the Miracle Max Drainage (wMiracleMxRP03) walk south downstream.

About 0.25 miles down stream is a scramble down of about 4 feet followed by some boulder debris blocking the wash (wMiracleMxRP04).  It is an easy crawl on the sand under these boulders.

About 0.25 miles down the wash is a confluence where you drop into another large wash (yMiracleMaxTp).  This confluence is up canyon of the technical stuff and this is where the canyon starts to take on a more deep cut feel.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the confluence of large washes (yMiracleMaxTp) continue east down canyon about 0.23 miles to where the canyon turns (wMiracleMxRP05) left to begin heading north where a side ravine joins in from the right (south).

About 300 feet farther is a scramble down of about 8 feet (wMiracleMxRP06).

About 550 feet farther is a scramble down of about 4 feet (wMiracleMxRP07).

About 400 feet farther is a downclimb of about 8 feet over a choke stone boulder.  Just after this down climb the canyon makes a sharp left as it get to the top of rap 1.  Near rap 1 is a notch in the canyon wall where you can walk up to get a good view.  From the notch you can see a small portion of the lower parts of Miracle Max then the wash leading out from the bottom and you can see over to the bottom of Prepare to Die Canyon.

Reminder!
Cairn anchors have been know to be washed out of here leaving no trace of anchors.  If anchors and anchor material is washed out from previous flooding you will need to rebuild the anchors.  Send someone down to look for anchors or anchor material and let those at the top know if they need to send down more rocks for new anchors.

Rap 1 (dMiracleMxR1-2) is anchored from a large rock about 20 feet back and drops about 55 feet down a slightly sloped trough.  Rap 1 will need about 75 feet of rope travel.

Rap 2 is about 50 feet down canyon of rap 1 with a short 3 foot scramble between.  Rap 2 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 60 feet down a slightly sloped wall.

Rap 3 is near the bottom of rap 2, is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 150 feet down a vertical wall.

Rap 4 (dMiracleMxR4) is about 70 feet from the bottom of rap 3, is anchored from a cairn anchor made with very large rocks and drops about 105 feet down a slightly sloped wall.

About 80 feet after rap 4 the wash is wide open and there is a side ravine / canyon dropping in from the left (yMiracleMaxBt). 

The Exit:
From the bottom of Miracle Max (yMiracleMaxBt) walk east down the wash.  About 600 feet down canyon is a large wide ravine joining in on the LDC (north) side which is the bottom of Prepare to Die Canyon (yPrepar2DieBt).

Continue down the wash following along the LDC (north) side.  About 0.35 miles after passing Prepare to Die Canyon the wash will fork (wMiracleMxRP08).  Follow the left fork following the wash that wraps around the base of the mountain and begins to head north.

About 0.33 miles farther you will pass by a yellowish colored point then see a long and large ravine running down the mountain.

About 0.32 miles farther you will go next to a more reddish colored point on the mountain (wMiracleMxRP09).  As you wrap around the reddish point you will begin to see the Funeral Mountains come into view to the northeast.  From this reddish point the cars are 2.72 miles away and may not be visible.  If you have a GPS plot a go to for the waypoint where you parked your cars and go for it.

Note - Navigation Hint:
If you have a compass you can set a course of 16 degrees magnetic north (which is 29 degrees true north here) to be pointed directly at the cars 2.72 miles away.

To navigate back to the cars visually you can use the Funeral mountain range way off in the distance to the northeast.  Looking at the mountain range locate the pointed peak in the image below which is Thimble Peak.  Look almost to the far left of the range and note the region shown in the image below.  Walk toward that portion of the mountains 2.72 miles to get to your car.

Which ever method you chose to navigate back, walk 2.72 miles to the cars to complete the route (Pk-PBrideS).

GPS Waypoint Information

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........

Miracle Max (1) - Drive in to Traiulhead

wStovpipeStore          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60663   W -117.14688        Elev: 0 Feet Convenience store / gas station at Stove Pipe Wells. ExtStovAirStrp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60696   W -117.15503        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off to go over to an airstrip. To drive out toward the Marble and Cottonwood Canyon area stay left at the fork to drive west. Pk-PBrideS          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.61036   W -117.24602        Elev: 210 Feet A bend to the right while driving the road out toward Marble Canyon. If following the South Approach route to the Princess Bride Canyons park hear near the bend in the road.

Miracle Max (2) - Approach

Pk-PBrideS          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.61036   W -117.24602        Elev: 210 Feet A bend to the right while driving the road out toward Marble Canyon. If following the South Approach route to the Princess Bride Canyons park hear near the bend in the road. wP-BrideS-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58107   W -117.26235        Elev: 640 Feet Bottom of the ridge to start the climb up the South Approach for the Princess Bride Canyons. wP-BrideS-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57768   W -117.26737        Elev: 1,440 Feet Top out on the first ridge of the South Approach. Continue southwest down the other side of the top out. jPBrideS          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57685   W -117.26773        Elev: 1,410 Feet A saddle about 330 feet after going over a peak along the ridge. To go to Humperdinck, Buttercup or Inconceivable Canyons drop down the steep slope to the north west down into Humperdinck Canyon. To go to Miracle Max or Prepare to Die Canyons continue southwest up along the ridge. jPrepareToDie          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57402   W -117.26970        Elev: 1,680 Feet Top of a steep section of the ridge where it levels off a little. To continue toward Miracle Max Canyon follow the ridge to the west. To go to Prepare to Die Canyon veer left and drop down toward the wide flat like area to the southwest. wMiracleMxRP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57319   W -117.27831        Elev: 2,050 Feet This point is just before getting up to the pointed peak at the top of the ridge. When you are about 100 feet from reaching the peak, veer to the left and traverse to the south to get over onto a ridge running down to teh south. wMiracleMxRP02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57053   W -117.27874        Elev: NaN Feet An arbitrary point along the ridge running down to the south. After you get onto this ridge route find your way west down into the very large drainage to the west. wMiracleMxRP03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56895   W -117.28037        Elev: 1,850 Feet Down in the Miracle Max Drainage. wMiracleMxRP04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56616   W -117.27963        Elev: 1,800 Feet Scramble of about 3 feet followed by some boulder debris blocking the wash which you can crawl under. yMiracleMaxTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56345   W -117.27859        Elev: 1,700 Feet Top of Miracle Max Canyon. This is where two of the large washes above the technical section join.

Miracle Max (3) - The Canyon and Exit

yMiracleMaxTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56345   W -117.27859        Elev: 1,700 Feet Top of Miracle Max Canyon. This is where two of the large washes above the technical section join. wMiracleMxRP05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56443   W -117.27498        Elev: NaN Feet Canyon turns left to begin heading north where a side ravine joins in from the right (south). wMiracleMxRP06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56524   W -117.27521        Elev: 1,619 Feet Easy scramble down about 8 feet. wMiracleMxRP07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56677   W -117.27516        Elev: NaN Feet Scramble down of about 4 feet. dMiracleMxR1-3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56779   W -117.27464        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 1 thru 3 - Miracle Max Canyon. Just before getting to rap 1 is a downclimb over a boulder of about 8 feet. Also near the top of rap 1 is a notch in the canyon wall where you can get a view down over the exit of the canyon. Rap 1 is anchored from a large rock about 20 feet back and drops about 55 feet down a slightly sloped trough.  Rap 1 will need about 75 feet of rope travel. Rap 2 is about 50 feet down canyon of rap 1 with a short 3 foot scramble between. Rap 2 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 60 feet down a slightly sloped wall. Rap 3 is near the bottom of rap 2, is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 150 feet down a vertical wall. dMiracleMxR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56831   W -117.27433        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Miracal Max Canyon. Is about 70 feet from the bottom of rap 3, is anchored from a cairn anchor made with very large rocks and drops about 105 feet down a slightly sloped wall. yMiracleMaxBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56858   W -117.27418        Elev: 1,240 Feet Bottom of Miracle Max Canyon. This is also the bottom of a side ravine / canyon joining in from LDC. yPrepar2DieBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56927   W -117.27236        Elev: 1,404 Feet Bottom of Prepare to Die Canyon where it drops down into the Miracle Max Drainage. wMiracleMxRP08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.56626   W -117.26770        Elev: 1,040 Feet Wash forks here. To exit Miracle Max and head back over to the Princess Bride parking spots follow the left fork as it wraps around the base of the mountain. wMiracleMxRP09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57233   W -117.25931        Elev: NaN Feet Going around a reddsh colored point. As you round the red point the Funeral Mountans come into view to the northeast. If you do not have GPS but do have a compass you can walk on a bearing of 16 degrees true north or 29 degrees magnetic north for 2.72 miles to get to the cars. Pk-PBrideS          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.61036   W -117.24602        Elev: 210 Feet A bend to the right while driving the road out toward Marble Canyon. If following the South Approach route to the Princess Bride Canyons park hear near the bend in the road.