Canyoneering Route Description

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

Quick Facts

02-09-13, 7 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 8.5 hours) Via the North Approach not the South Approach.
11-17-13, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 12.5 hours) -- Time for doing BOTH Buttercup and Humperdinck Canyons.

Time Required - 7.5 to 9.5 hours
Distance - 6.1 miles Total, 0.3 miles Technical
Rappels - 6 Rappels, Longest Rappel 200 feet.
Elevation Range - 210 - 1790 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 200 feet and 70 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement. 

A compass and or a GPS can be very useful to point you toward your cars on the exit.  The exit involves about 2 miles of walking the open desert and the cars will not be in sight.  See the exit details for more info.

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.

Buttercup Canyon uses the the South Approach route.  Buttercup Canyon is a short canyon worth visiting but did not seem to stand out as an awesome place.

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 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 Humperdinck, Buttercup or Inconceivable Canyon drop down the steep slope on the west side of the saddle down into the drainage for Humperdinck Canyon (yHumperdinkTp).

To continue to Buttercup and Inconceivable Canyons cross Humperdinck Canyon then start going up the steep slope on the west side.

About 450 feet up the slope is a level-ish spot on the slope (wP-BrideS-03).  Continue northwest up the slope.

About 900 feet farther up the slope is the top of a crappy looking canyon / drainage (wP-BrideS-04) that runs down to the northeast.  Continue northwest up the slope.

About 250 feet farther up the slope is a top out (wP-BrideS-05).  From this top out a gentle ridge runs up to the west.  Do not follow up the ridge.  Instead continue northwest contouring down and over to the Buttercup drainage about 0.2 miles away northwest on a bearing of about 330 degrees (true).  The walk over to the Buttercup drainage is easy and fairly intuitive as you contour northwest staying above the cliff band dropping off to the south.

After dropping down into the Buttercup Drainage walk east down the wash a short distance to where the canyon begins to drop fast (yButtercupTp).

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
Where the canyon starts to drop fast (yButtercupTp) it is a wide open steep rock area.  Route find and downclimb your way down this section.  As you get down the first series of drops you will start to notice an obvious ledge on the LDC side just above a coupe of short drops to small sandy flat spots.  Make your way down to the ledge above the two drops then bypass those two short drops by scrambling up and over to the right (south).  As you make your way down the steeply sloped rock to bypass the short drops make your way down to a small flat sandy area at the top of a very big drop.  That sandy spot is where you will find the anchor for rap 1.

Rap 1 (dButtercupR1) is about 250 feet down canyon from the head, is anchored from a cairn anchor in a flat sandy hole and drops about 200 feet down a slightly sloped wall with lots of loose rock.  Be careful not to knock rock down on your partners or the rope below.

Down canyon of rap 1 are a couple short easy downclimbs and one easy downclimb of 12 to 15 feet.

Rap 2 (dButtercupR2) is about 350 feet down canyon of rap 1, is anchored from a cairn style anchor and drops about 40 feet down a gently sloped wall.  Just after rap 2 are 3 downclimbs of about 15 feet each.  The first of the downclimbs may be a little difficult and is best downclimbed on the RDC side.  Mixed in with the downclimbs is a pot hole of about 5 feet deep.

Rap 3 (dButtercupR3) is about 200 feet down canyon of rap 2, is anchored from a cairn style anchor on the LDC side and uses about 100 feet of rope travel going over two stages.  Right after is a dc of 15 to 20 feet stem style with slick rock making it more difficult followed by another downclimb of about 8 feet over a boulder. 

Rap 4 (dButtercupR4-5) is about 70 feet down canyon of the bottom of rap 3, is anchored from a pinch point in a pile of boulders and drops about 90 feet down a vertical chute.

Rap 5 is right at the bottom of rap 4, is anchored from a pinch point formed by a large boulder and the RDC canyon wall and begins by rappelling down through a rabbit hole under the large boulder.  Rap 5 drops about 35 feet to a ledge under the boulder then continues down a sloped wall using a total of 190 feet of rope.  From the top of rap 5 the view is deceiving and it looks like a 200 foot rope will not reach but it does.

Rap 6 is about 40 feet down canyon of the bottom of rap 5 anchored from a rock pile about 30 feet back from the drop and will use about 130 feet of rope travel from anchor to ground.  The last 50 feet of rap 6 can be easily downclimbed.

A few hundred feet of wash walking and light boulder hopping gets you to a side canyon dropping in from RDC down a section of white rock and with a slot running down through it.  That white rock section is the bottom of Humperdinck Canyon where it dumps into Buttercup Canyon (yButterHumpBt).

The Exit:
From the bottom of Humperdinck Canyon (yButterHumpBt) continue down the Buttercup drainage that soon starts cutting through a slot carved down into a conglomerate layer.  The conglomerate slot is a very pretty section of the canyon with nothing technical but a couple 3 foot scrambles.

About 0.2 miles down canyon of where Humperdinck joined in is the confluence where Inconceivable Canyon joins in (yIncnceiveBt) from the left (west).  Continue northeast down the Buttercup drainage still in the deep conglomerate slot.

As you pass the confluence of Inconceivable Canyon the conglomerate slot you are in will gradually get wider.  About 0.27 miles past the confluence of Inconceivable Canyon the conglomerate slot is coming to an end and is very wide.  When you get to a point where the side walls of the slot are only about 10 feet high (jP-BrideExt) you will be greeted with open desert ahead to the north east.  As you exit the conglomerate slot you will want to walk back to your cars but they will not be in sight. 

From the end of the conglomerate slot (jP-BrideExt) the cars are about 1.9 miles away and not in view.  If you have GPS you can plot a go to for the waypoint where you parked your cars and go for it. 

Note - Navigation Hint:
From the exit of the conglomerate slot walking directly toward the cars will have you walking across the alluvial fan and will be tedious walking.  The easiest walking for the exit is to veer right (north east) and walk out toward the more flat wash systems then follow them north back to the car.  This will save you from too much tedious walking.  However doing this with nothing to point you toward the cars could end you you wandering the desert for a while since the washes are wide and wondering and the cars or road are not visible until you get pretty close to them.

If you have a compass you can set a course of 18 degrees magnetic north (which is 31 degrees true north here) to be pointed directly at the cars.

To navigate back to the cars visually you can use the mountain range way off in the distance to the north.  Looking at the mountain range locate the pointed peak in the image below which is Thimble Peak.  Look for the dip along the range to the left of Thimble Peak then aim for the left side of the dip.  The image below will make this more clear.

Which ever method you chose to navigate back, walk 1.9 miles to the cars to complete the route (Pk-PBrideS).

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Buttercup Canyon (1) - Drive in to Trailhead

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.

Buttercup Canyon (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. yHumperdinkTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57689   W -117.26846        Elev: 1,330 Feet Top of Humperdinck Canyon. At this point the dranage is a wide wash with little to nothing of interest above here. To drop down Humerdinck Canyon travel north down the wash. If you are continuing to Buttercup of Inconceivable Canyons cross the wash and start up the steep slope to the west. wP-BrideS-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57765   W -117.26968        Elev: 1,470 Feet A levelish spot along the slope up out of Humperdinck Canyon on the way to Buttercup and Inconceivable Canyons. wP-BrideS-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57904   W -117.27219        Elev: 1,755 Feet Top of a crappy looking canyon / draiange running down to the northeast. Continue northwest up the slope. wP-BrideS-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.57952   W -117.27271        Elev: 1,790 Feet Slope tops out here. To continue to Buttercup and Inconceivable Canyons continue northwest contouring down to the Buttercup drainage about 0.2 miles northwest. yButtercupTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58211   W -117.27378        Elev: 1,665 Feet Top of Buttercup Canyon. This where the canyon starts to drop steeply down with wide open flat wash up canyon of here.

Buttercup Canyon (3) - The Canyon and Exit

yButtercupTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58211   W -117.27378        Elev: 1,665 Feet Top of Buttercup Canyon. This where the canyon starts to drop steeply down with wide open flat wash up canyon of here. dButtercupR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58166   W -117.27318        Elev: 1,490 Feet Rap 1 - Buttercup Canyon. Is about 250 feet down canyon from the head, is anchored from a cairn anchor in a flat sandy hole and drops about 200 feet down a slightly sloped wall with lots of loose rock. Be careful not to knock rock down on your partners or the rope below. dButtercupR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58179   W -117.27191        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Buttercup Canyon. Is about 350 feet down canyon of rap 1, is anchored from a cairn style anchor and drops about 40 feet down a gently sloped wall. Just after rap 2 are 3 downclimbs of about 15 feet each. The first of the downclimbs may be a little difficult and is best downclimbed on the RDC side. dButtercupR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58204   W -117.27125        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Buttercup Canyon. Is about 200 feet down canyon of rap 2, is anchored from a cairn style anchor on the LDC side and uses about 100 feet of rope travel going over two stages. Right after is a dc of 15 to 20 feet stem style with slick rock making it more difficult followed by another downclimb of about 8 feet over a boulder. dButtercupR4-5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58215   W -117.27059        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 4 and 5 - Buttercup Canyon. Rap 4 is about is about 70 feet down canyon of the bottom of rap 3, is anchored from a pinch point in a pile of boulders and drops about 90 feet down a vertical chute. Rap 5 is right at the bottom of rap 4, is anchored from a pinch point formed by a large boulder and the RDC canyon wall and begins by rappelling down through a rabbit hole under the large boulder. Rap 5 drops about 35 feet to a ledge under the boulder then continues down a sloped wall using a total of 190 feet of rope. From the top of rap 5 the view is deceiving and it looks like a 200 foot rope will not reach but it does. dButtercupR6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58237   W -117.26995        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 6 - Buttercup Canyon. Is about 40 feet down canyon of the bottom of rap 5, anchored from a rock pile about 30 feet back from the drop and will use about 130 feet of rope travel from anchor to ground. The last 50 feet of rap 6 can be easily downclimbed. yButterHumpBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58270   W -117.26890        Elev: 735 Feet Bottom of Humperdinck Canyon where it drops into the side of Buttercup Canyon. This also below the end of the technical portion of Buttercup Canyon. yIncnceiveBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58528   W -117.26697        Elev: 635 Feet Confluence of the Buttercup and Inconceivable Draianges. This is in a deep slot carved through conglomerate rock. jP-BrideExt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.58765   W -117.26333        Elev: 560 Feet This is where the conglomerate slot is now very wide and comming to and end the side walls are about 10 feet high on both sides. 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.