Canyoneering Route Description

Hellfire Canyon - Main Fork - 3A V
Death Valley National Park, California.

Quick Facts

02-27-11, 8 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 12.9 hours) Pictures Icon

Time Required - 11 to 13.5 hours
Distance - 9.6 miles Total, 4.3 miles Technical
Rappels - 18 Rappels, Longest Rappel 160 feet.
Elevation Range - -190 Below Sea Level - 4980 Feet
Shuttle Required -Yes 25.1 Miles Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 160 feet and 100 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.

General Comments

ATTENTION!!
Death Valley is considering a new permit system in response to the impact of the growing popularity of Canyoneering.
Lets continue to show the park just how respectful we can be to our environment.

Specific issues the park is concerned about:
1. Anchors: Bolting is Illegal in Death Valley National Park! Do Not Add Bolts. Natural anchor options are abundant.
Recent illegal bolts have popped up in Helios and Rainbow Canyons.
2. Poop: Dig a cathole at least 6 inches deep and 200 yards from any water source or campsite. Pack out all toilet paper.
3. Collecting fire wood is illegal, just don't do it!

Other basics:
Avoid walking in water when possible (Willow Canyon, etc). Hike on durable surfaces and previously worn paths (avoid trampling vegetation or fragile soil crusts). Pack out all trash including organic material (including seed shells, apple cores, orange peels, etc). More info can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/backcamp.htm

Lets keep this wonderful resource pristine so that we may continue to enjoy the canyons with limited regulations!

The Hellfire Canyon route crosses over the Black Mountains from Furnace Creek Road (The road leading up to Dante's View) to highway 178 (the Badwater Road).  The upper portion of the  canyon has a lot of loose rock making it a bit of a nuisance but the rock quality gets batter as you continue down canyon.  As you get near the lower end of Hellfire Canyon the down become more enjoyable and the canyon more scenic.  Big day but worth the trouble.  Brings lots of water on warm days since the route is so long.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the junction of hwy 170 (Badwater road) and hwy 190, drive south east about 10.8 miles to the turn off to Dante’s View.  Turn right (south) toward Dante’s View.  Drive 1.4 miles to a large turn off on the right with a gate a little way up the road.  Park at this turn off which is the trailhead (tBrimstoneSF).  This route starts from the same place a the route up to the South Fork of Brimstone Canyon.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

From the junction of hwy 170 (Badwater road) and hwy 190, drive south on hwy 170 about 12.5 miles to the parking spot for the exit vehicle (pkHellFireBt).  There is no parking spot.  Just park where it feels comfortable and is easy to get your car off the side of the road.  This parking spot is about 0.3 miles before reaxhing the turn off for Natural Bridge Canyon.

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 entire route.
Map of the approach.
Map of the technical section.

Details

The Approach:
From the trailhead (tBrimstoneSF) walk south west along the dirt road.  About 0.5 miles up the road is a large quarry on the right (west).  Do not go too close to the quarry as I believe this is why they have the road blocked to vehicular travel.  

About 0.6 miles from the trailhead is a fork in the road with the main road veering right.  At this fork (wBrimSF-RP-01) follow the fork to the left.  This left fork is more of a pull out than a road and goes up a short hill.  At the top of the hill is a good view across the open desert to the south west.

From the top of the hill look southwest to see the mouth of a canyon with some white walls.  The white walls of the canyon make a good landmark that can be seen from a distance.  Walk southwest (more south than west) toward the drainage coming out of that canyon.  From the top of the hill you should walk about 0.45 miles at a bearing of about 194 degrees to aim for the drainage.  Aiming too far west will drop you into the drainage well up canyon of a small fork you will be looking for so stay more south than southwest).

You are not going to go up the large main drainage leading up to the white walls but will be going up a left (south) fork of that drainage.  The fork (wHelFrMN-RP-01) is well before the banks of the wash get high.  If you aimed too far west on your walk across the desert you will be up canyon of the fork and will need to back track a bit.

From the small fork (wHelFrMN-RP-01), continue up the left (south) fork.  About 0.3 miles up the drainage will be what feels like another small fork (wHelFrMN-RP-02).  Stay left to continue up the large drainage here.

About 750 feet farther up the drainage will be the start of a red dirt ramp (wHelFrMN-RP-03) on the left (east) side of the draiange.  This red dirt ramp leads up to an area of white rock in the drainage you are in.

Walk up the red dirt ramp.  As you get near the top of the ramp and up to the white rock and dirt area, continue south up the ridge between two washes.  On the left (east) you should see a lot of white dirt and rock in the drainages and to the right (west) the drainage will be standard brown dirt.

About 0.3 miles up the ridge you will be in a section with a very gentle grade just after passing a few rock out croppings on the ridge (wHelFrMN-RP-04).  From here you will be able to see a very large very obvious patch of white rock on another ridge to the right (north west).  Drop down the slope on the right into the drainage between the ridge you are on and the ridge with the white patch.

Once down in the wash below, travel about 600 feet west up the wash until you have slightly past the white patch of rock on the ridge above.  After you have made it past the white patch, scramble up the steep slope on to gain access to the ridge with the white patch.  You should now be on the ridge a little above the white patch on the ridge (wHelFrMN-RP-05).

Continue southwest up the ridge for about 0.2 miles to the base of a large outcropping (wHelFrMN-RP-06) that looks as though you will need to climb it.  Bypass around the outcropping by traversing along the base on the right (north) side.  As you by-pass the outcropping, stay high on your traverse and get back up on the ridge where convenient.

About 0.3 miles farther up the ridge will be a spot that looks like a fork in the ridge (wHelFrMN-RP-07).  Stay left and continue south.  If you go right you will quickly see this is not a fork in the ridge but more of a wide spot in the ridge.

About 0.35 miles farther the ridge will start into a red and white section of dirt (wHelFrMN-RP-08).  The ridge is also beginning to veer right and start going more west.

About 0.2 miles farther will be a small saddle (wHelFrMN-RP-09).  Shortly after this saddle the grade of the ridge will get steeper.

About 0.4 miles farther up the ridge will be an elongated high point (wHelFrMN-RP-10).  The views from this high point along the ridge are good looking back at the valley you just hiked up from.  Also from this high point you can see the saddle that is the drop in for the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon.  The saddle is 0.5 miles to the south west on a bearing of about 228 degrees.  The route up does not travel directly toward the saddle for the Main Fork of Hellfire but continues up the ridge a bit to the west.

Continue along the ridge.  About 350 feet after the high point will be a small saddle to cross.  After crossing the saddle the grade gets a little less steep and the ridge starts to widen out significantly.

About 0.2 miles after the small saddle the ridge line will widen out more (wHelFrMN-RP-11).  The ridge continues west from here.   To continue up to the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon, veer left and travel more south west by traversing along the side of the ridge toward a wide shallow drainage.

 A little over 500 feet you will cross over the wide shallow drainage (wHelFrMN-RP-12).

After crossing over the wide shallow drainage, travel southwest on the wide open slope toward the high point.  When you start to top out veer left (south) and walk up to the high point on the route (wHelFrMN-RP-13).  The high point offers great views all the way around!  Looking west toward Telescope Peak and to the Death Valley Salt Flats gives an over view look into the Main Fork and the North Fork of Hellfire Canyon.  The canyon on the right (north west) is the North Fork and the Canyon on the left (south west) is the Main Fork of Hellfire.  The South Fork is on the other side of the ridge to the south of the Main Fork and is not visible from here.

Follow down the ridge to the south for about 0.3 miles to get to the saddle that is the entry for the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon.  Once at the saddle you are at the top entry for the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon (yHellfireMF-Tp) and ready to gear up and drop in.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From saddle (yHellfireMF-Tp) scramble and slide down the steep slope / gully to the south.  The slope is steep and full of loose dirt and rock.

About 250 feet down the gully you will notice some large drops coming up just ahead.  Dropping over these drops would difficult and not too safe with the loose rock in the area.  Instead traverse left (east) as you descend the gully to go around the big drops. 

As you continue down the left side of the gully you will get to a steep and narrow section.  Scramble down the loose rock in the narrow section dropping down a down climb of about 15 feet shortly before reaching rap 1.

Rap 1 (dHelFrMnR1) is about 450 feet down from the saddle at the top entry, is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 35 feet down a vertical wall.  Everything is loose here!  be careful.

Continue down canyon of rap 1 scrambling and sliding down the steep ravine for about 350 feet to rap 2.

Rap 2 (dHelFrMnR2) is about 350 feet down canyon of rap 1, is anchored from a pinch point between rocks in a small boulder debris pile and drops about 35 feet down a mostly vertical wall.

About 100 feet down canyon of rap 2 is a drop of about 10 feet that can be bypassed LDC. 

About 15 feet farther is a drop of about 35 feet that is bypassed by climbing up and over RDC then sliding down a scree pile back to the canyon floor.

About 350 feet farther down canyon is a section that gets narrow for a short distance where the walls on both sides are a concrete conglomerate type texture (wHelFrMN-RP-14).

A little over 300 feet farther is a drop of about 40 feet (wHelFrMN-RP-15).  This drop looks like it may be a fun rappel but it is faster and simpler to bypass the drop than to build and anchor.  Bypass the drop on the LDC side then traverse down a scree pile to get back to the canyon floor about 200 feet down canyon of the drop.  Rap 3 is about 150 feet down canyon after dropping back to the wash.

Rap 3 (dHelFrMnR3) is about 0.25 miles down canyon of rap 2, is anchored from large rock on the LDC sided about 20 feet back from the drop and drops over three stages using about 90 feet of rope travel.  As you drop over the third stage of Rap 3 you will pass under a medium sized choke stone in a narrow spot.  Rap 3 is the first enjoyable rappel on the route.

Continue down canyon dropping over more small easy down climbs.

Rap 4 (dHelFrMnR4) is about 330 feet down canyon of rap 2, is anchored from a cairn style anchor and drops about 20 feet and goes over an overhang part way down as you pass over a boulder wedge between the walls.  The LDC wall offers an easier path for the rap.

Down canyon of rap 4 will be more constant down climbs of 6 to 10 feet each and are all easy.  About 650 feet down canyon will be a drop of about 30 feet which can be bypassed on either the LDC or RDC side.  About 100 feet after this drop will be the top of rap 5.

Rap 5 (dHelFrMnR5) is about 750 feet down canyon of rap 4, is anchored from a large rock in a small boulder debris area about 10 feet back from the drop and drops about 145 feet over two stages.  The first stage is down a vertical wall while the second stage is on a slightly sloped wall and only drops about 30 feet.

Between rap 5 and 6 is a down climb of about 8 or 10 feet.  The down climb offers a a little more challenge than what has been in the canyon thus far.

Rap 6 (dHelFrMnR6) is about 200 feet down canyon of rap 5, is anchored from a large cairn anchor about 6 feet back from the drop and drops about 25 feet down a sloped wall. 

Rap 6 is the first rap that drops over solid good quality rock with little to no loose stuff to kick loose.   Down canyon of rap 6 the canyon slowly starts to have more and more better quality rock and less loose stuff.

Shortly down canyon of rap 6 is an easy down climb of about 12 to 15 feet followed by some wash walking.

Rap 7 (dHelFrMnR7) is about 350 feet down canyon of rap 6, is anchored from a cairn anchor drops about 60 feet and has a little free hang part way down.

Down canyon of rap 7 is fairly level easy wash walking with a couple easy 6 to 8 foot down climbs.

Rap 8 (dHelFrMnR8) is about 450 feet down canyon of rap 7, is anchored LDC from choke stone placed between two boulders and drops over two stages.  Stage 1 is about 20 feet and stage 2 is about 60 feet with horizontal section between,.  Rap 8 will use right at 100 feet of rope travel from anchor to bottom of rap.

About 150 feet down canyon of rap 8 the rock takes on a reddish pink color and offers a few down climbs of about 4 to 10 feet each.  The down climbs are easy but the area is narrow and pretty with the pink rock.

60 feet before reaching rap 9 is a large house size boulder that is set so you can walk under it on the RDC side.  If you loose track of where you are in the canyon and are trying to follow this beta, the large boulder is a good land mark to note.

Rap 9 (dHelFrMnR9) is about 700 feet down canyon of rap 8, is anchored RDC  from a large rock laying in the wash and drops about 80 feet over two stages. as a scenic note take a look at the very nice flute carved into the rock on the RDC side at the top of rap 9.

Down canyon of rap 9 is wash walking for about 200 feet to the top of a down climb that is about 15 feet down a narrow chute.  This down climb is the first in the canyon that is enjoyable allowing you to elevator or chimney down.

Also down canyon of rap 9 the rock quality gets a bit better.  The down climbs also get a little taller and more challenging.

About 300 feet farther down canyon is the top of a drop of about 60 feet (wHelFrMN-RP-16) over a hard rock pour off with a 10 to 15 foot down climb just before it.  This drop looks as though it would make a fun rap if you wanted to take the time to set up an anchor.  It is faster and simpler however to bypass the drop by walking a ledge on the LDC side then scrambling back down to the canyon floor about 100 feet down canyon.

About 400 feet farther the canyon widens out noticeably and has a series of ramp like rock sections to walk down (wHelFrMN-RP-17).  From here you can also see the North Fork of Hellfire Canyon joining in from RDC about 750 feet down canyon. 

About 300 feet farther down canyon will be two down climbs that are also fun in short narrow chutes.  The down climbs are 10 to 15 feet each, easy but fun.  These down climbs are shortly before reaching rap 10.

Rap 10 (dHelFrMnR10) is about 0.3 miles down canyon of rap 9, is anchored LDC from a choke stone and drops about 20 feet.

Just below rap 10 is a drop that looks deceptively difficult from the top of it.  The drop does offer a bit of a challenge and taller people will have an easier time.  For safety, one of the better down climbers in the group could provide a top belay then down climb last. Those at the bottom can provide assistance from the bottom if needed.  The drop goes over two stages of about 6 and 12 feet.

Shortly down canyon is a drop down a sloped chute of about 30 feet.  The slope is gentle enough to allow a controlled slide down it.

About 250 feet down canyon of rap 10 is a drop of about 40 feet (wHelFrMN-RP-18).  Get down this drop by sliding / chimneying down a chute LDC about 20 feet then down climbing a moderately difficult down of about 15 climb to the floor.

After the 40 feet drop is another drop of about 12 feet.  This second drop offers a challenge getting started but is pretty easy once you have started.  This down climb is LDC and feels exposed even though it is only 12 feet.  For safety, one of the better down climbers in the group could provide a top belay then down climb last. Those at the bottom can provide assistance from the bottom if needed.

About 150 feet down canyon of this drop is where the North Fork of Hellfire Canyon drops in from RDC (jHellFireMN-NF).  The confluence is not easily noticed since the North Fork drops down over a the wall somewhere close to here.  As a land mark you can see some interestingly shaped hoodoos high up on the LDC wall.  The North Fork drops in just before these hoodoos.

From the confluence of the North Fork is a section of wash walking.

Rap 11 (dHelFrMnR11) is about 0.35 miles down canyon of the confluence with the North Fork of Hellfire Canyon, is anchored LDC from a large rock leaned up against the wall and drops over two stages of about 20 feet and 35 feet with a horizontal section between using a total of about 80 feet of rope travel.

Just down canyon of rap 11 is a down climb in a chute that can be slid down about 15 feet.  Followed by another drop over two stages of about 10 - 12 feet each.  Then more easy wash walking down to rap 12.

Rap 12 (dHelFrMnR12) is a little over 500 feet down canyon of rap 11, is anchored LDC from a cairn anchor about 20 feet back from the drop and drops about 80 feet with a little bit of free hang part way down.

Just after rap 12 is an easy down climb of about 8 feet then more wash walking for about .......

Rap 13 (dHelFrMnR13) is a little over 500 feet down canyon of rap 12, is anchored from a large rock in the wash about 20 feet back from the drop and drops about 80 feet down a slightly sloped wall.  Rap 13 will use 100 feet of rope travel from anchor to the bottom of the rappel. 

At the bottom of rap 13 is a down climb of about 10 feet down a sloped wall.  Then more wash walking down canyon.  About 300 feet down canyon will be a drop of about 15 feet with a much large drop that can be seen just after.  This is the top of rap 14.

When you get to the top of the 15 foot down climb near the top of rap 14, don't drop down the 15 foot down climb.  Instead climb up about 15 feet on the LDC side up to a large boulder.  The large boulder is the anchor for rap 14.

Rap 14 (dHelFrMnR14) is about 300 feet down canyon of rap 13, is anchored from a large boulder about 15 feet up above the water course on the LDC side.  Rap 14 drops about 85 feet from the boulder along the wall a little LDC of the water course. at the bottom of the first wall is a short horizontal section followed by another drop of about 35 feet.  The total rope travel was not measured but should be about 160 feet.

Note:
There are good anchor options at the top of the second stage of rap 14.  Rap 14 could optionally be broken up into two stages if desired.

Down canyon of rap 14 is more wash walking with one easy sloped down climb along the way.

Rap 15 (dHelFrMnR15) is a little over 700 feet down canyon of rap 14, is anchored from a cairn anchor about 10 feet back from the drop and drops about 50 feet down a sloped wall.  

Near the bottom of rap 15 are a few short down climbs of about 4 to 6 feet each.

Rap 16 (dHelFrMnR16) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 15, is anchored LDC from choke stones in a crack under a boulder and drops about 20 feet.  At the bottom of rap 16 are a couple down climbs, one of which is about 8 feet and moderately difficult.

About 50 feet down canyon of rap 16 is the confluence with the South Fork of Hellfire Canyon (jHellFireMN-SF).

Rap 17 (dHelFrMnR17) is a little over 50 feet down canyon of  the confluence with the South Fork, is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 50 feet down a mostly vertical wall with a couple very brief sections of free hang.

Down canyon of rap 17 is wash walking and light scrambling with nothing of consequence until rap 18.

Rap 18 (dHelFrMnR18) is about 0.4miles down canyon of rap 17, is anchored LDC from a large rock cairn about 15 feet back from the drop and drops about 50 feet down a sloped wall.

Down canyon of rap 18 is more wash walking and light scrambling for about 250 feet to the top of a down climb of about 12 feet (wHelFrMN-RP-19).  The down climb is in a sloped flute that can easily be chinmeyed down.  This is the last technical spot in the canyon so you can take the gear off if you like.

After the down climb the wash gets wide open and level easy wash walking for about 0.6 miles to a section of the canyon that becomes a bit narrow (wHelFrMN-RP-20).  This narrow section is still easy wash walking and has interesting conglomerate walls. 

After the short narrow section the canyon widens out and continues along the gravel floor for another 1.2 miles to where the walls get lower and you start out onto the alluvial fan (yHellfireBt).

The Exit:
When you start out onto the alluvial fan (yHellfireBt) walk 0.8 miles south west to where you parked the exit vehicle on the road (pkHellFireBt).

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........
Hellfire-Main 1 - Drive to Exit Vehicle Parking
  1. extBadWatr-190          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.44835   W -116.85247        Elev: 10 Feet
    Junction of highway 190 and Badwater Road (178).
  2. extDesoltnCyn          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.39642   W -116.84753        Elev: -186 Feet
    Exit for the road to Desolation Canyon.
  3. extDevilsGolf          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29845   W -116.81171        Elev: -200 Feet
    Turn off for the Devil's Golf Course. Park here to leave an exit vehicle when doing Brimstone Canyon.
  4. pkHellFireBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.27673   W -116.79779        Elev: -190 Feet
    Parking for the exit vehicle for Hellfire Canyon.
Hellfire-Main 2 - Drive to Trailhead
  1. extBadWatr-190          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.44835   W -116.85247        Elev: 10 Feet
    Junction of highway 190 and Badwater Road (178).
  2. ext-20Mule-In          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.40941   W -116.79466        Elev: 840 Feet
    Entrance to the 20 Mule Team Rd.
  3. extHoleInWall          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.40480   W -116.78271        Elev: 1,039 Feet
    Exit for the Hole in the Wall road.
  4. ext-20Mule-Out          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.39784   W -116.77033        Elev: 1,148 Feet
    Exit to the 20 Mule Team Rd.
  5. extDanteVw190          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.36312   W -116.70905        Elev: 210 Feet
    Exit for the Dantes View road off of highway 190.
  6. tBrimstoneSF          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.34537   W -116.69888        Elev: 2,260 Feet
    Trailhead for Brimstone Canyon South Fork. This is a turn off of the Dante's View road with a huge pull out and a gate.
HellFire-Main 3 Approach
  1. tBrimstoneSF          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.34537   W -116.69888        Elev: 2,260 Feet
    Trailhead for Brimstone Canyon South Fork. This is a turn off of the Dante's View road with a huge pull out and a gate.
  2. wBrimSF-RP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.33942   W -116.70577        Elev: 2,450 Feet
    Fork in the dirt road with the main road veering right. Follow the left fork up a short hill.
  3. wHelFrMN-RP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.33307   W -116.70904        Elev: 2,630 Feet
    Start of a small fork in the drainage. Going up the wash follow the left (south) fork to continue the route to Hellfire Canyon. If you were to go up the right fork it would the larger drainage and would be for the approach to the South Fork of Brimstone Canyon.
  4. wHelFrMN-RP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.32962   W -116.71028        Elev: NaN Feet
    The draiange seems to fork again. Stay left to continue up the Hellfire approach route.
  5. wHelFrMN-RP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.32772   W -116.70973        Elev: 2,830 Feet
    Small fork in the drainge just before a section of white rock with a red dirt ramp leading up to it on the left.
  6. wHelFrMN-RP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.32445   W -116.71181        Elev: NaN Feet
    A section of the ridge with a gentle grade just after passing some rock out croppings. From here you can see a large very noticeable white section of rock on another ridge to the right (north west). Drop down to the drainage between the ridges and start up canyon.
  7. wHelFrMN-RP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.32470   W -116.71457        Elev: 3,280 Feet
    On the next ridge and slightly above the large obvious white patch.
  8. wHelFrMN-RP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.32267   W -116.71706        Elev: 3,550 Feet
    Large out cropping. Bypass by traversing under it on the right (north) side.
  9. wHelFrMN-RP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.31897   W -116.71998        Elev: 3,845 Feet
    A point along the ridge that looks like a fork in the ridge. Continue south up the main ridge
  10. wHelFrMN-RP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.31582   W -116.72251        Elev: NaN Feet
    Dirt on the ridge becomes white and red.
  11. wHelFrMN-RP-09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.31502   W -116.72519        Elev: 4,080 Feet
    A small saddle on the ridge. Shortly after this the grade gets steeper.
  12. wHelFrMN-RP-10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.31421   W -116.73133        Elev: 4,600 Feet
    Elongated high point on the ridge.
  13. wHelFrMN-RP-11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.31337   W -116.73588        Elev: 4,665 Feet
    Ridge gets significantly wider. To go up to the North Fork of Hellfire Canyon continue west up the main ridge. To go to the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon veer left and go south west traversing over to a wide shallow drainage.
  14. wHelFrMN-RP-12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.31290   W -116.73759        Elev: NaN Feet
    Wide shallow drainage to crfoss as you traverse the side of the ridge.
  15. wHelFrMN-RP-13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.31039   W -116.74158        Elev: 4,980 Feet
    High point on the route. The saddle 0.2 miles to the north west of here is the entry for the North Fork of Hellfire Canyon. The saddle 0.2 miles to the south west is the entry for the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon.
  16. yHellfireMF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30917   W -116.73826        Elev: 4,725 Feet
    Top entry for the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon.
Hellfire-Main 4 - The Canyon and Exit
  1. yHellfireMF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30917   W -116.73826        Elev: 4,725 Feet
    Top entry for the Main Fork of Hellfire Canyon.
  2. dHelFrMnR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30813   W -116.73817        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 1 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 35 feet down a vertical wall.
  3. dHelFrMnR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30754   W -116.73904        Elev: 4,220 Feet
    Rap 2 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a pinch point between rocks in a small boulder debris pile and drops about 35 feet.
  4. wHelFrMN-RP-14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30655   W -116.74047        Elev: NaN Feet
    Short narrow section with narrow walls. Both walls are made of a concrete like conglomerate rock.
  5. wHelFrMN-RP-15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30621   W -116.74148        Elev: NaN Feet
    Drop of about 40 feet. Faster to bypass LDC and down a scree pile than to build an anchor.
  6. dHelFrMnR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30576   W -116.74220        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 3 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a large rock about 20 feet back from the drop on the LDC side and dops over 3 stages using about 90 feet of rope travel.
  7. dHelFrMnR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30529   W -116.74315        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 4 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a cairn style anchor and drops about 20 feet. There is an over hang part way down as you pass under a boulder.
  8. dHelFrMnR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30446   W -116.74554        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 5 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a large rock in a small boulder debris pile about 10 feet back. Total drop is about 145 feet over two stages.
  9. dHelFrMnR6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30416   W -116.74612        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 6 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops down a sloped wall about 25 feet. This is the first rap with good rock quality.
  10. dHelFrMnR7          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30335   W -116.74675        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 7 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 60 feet with some free hang part way down.
  11. dHelFrMnR8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30304   W -116.74827        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 8 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a choke stone placed between two boulders. Rap 8 drops over 2 stages of about 20 and 60 feet with a horizontal section between using about 100 feet of rope travel.
  12. dHelFrMnR9          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30313   W -116.75056        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 9 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a large rock laying in the wash and drops about 80 feet over two stages. Land mark notes, there is a house size boulder about 60 feet up canyon of this rap and at the top of this rap is a very cool flute carved out of the RDC side.
  13. wHelFrMN-RP-16          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30327   W -116.75231        Elev: 2,730 Feet
    Drop of about 60 feet that can be rappeled if you want to take the time to set up an anchor. Or you can bypass the drop by walking a ledge on the LDC side and scrabmbling back down to the canyon floor.
  14. wHelFrMN-RP-17          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30281   W -116.75364        Elev: 2,640 Feet
    Canyon widens out a lot here and has a series of ramp like rock spots to walk along. From here you can also see the North Fork of Hellfire Canyon joining in from RDC about 750 feet down canyon.
  15. dHelFrMnR10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30242   W -116.75473        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 10 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored LDC from a choke stone and drops about 20 feet. Right at the bottom of rap 10 is a drop over two stages of about 8 and 12 feet that looks difficult but is not bad for a taller down climber.
  16. wHelFrMN-RP-18          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30228   W -116.75560        Elev: NaN Feet
    Drop of about 40 feet that is bypassed LDC by sliding down a chute for about 20 feet then converting to a down climb of moderate difficulty for about 15 feet. Just after is a challenging down climb of about 12 feet that is an awkward start but easy after that.
  17. jHellFireMN-NF          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.30228   W -116.75618        Elev: 2,360 Feet
    Confluence of the North Fork and Main canyon of Hellfire.
  18. dHelFrMnR11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29824   W -116.75769        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 11 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from large rock leaned on the LDC wall and drops over two stages of about 20 and 35 feet with a horizontal section between using a total of about 80 feet or rope travel.
  19. dHelFrMnR12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29679   W -116.75775        Elev: 2,010 Feet
    Rap 12 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from carin anchor about 20 feet back and drops about 80 feet with some free hang part way down.
  20. dHelFrMnR13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29531   W -116.75790        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 13 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a large rock in the wash about 20 feet back from the drop and drops about 80 feet using 100 feet of rope travel from anchor to the bottom of the rappel.
  21. dHelFrMnR14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29456   W -116.75778        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 14 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a large boulder about feet feet up the LDC wall up out of the wqater course. Drops about 85 feet from the large boulder to a horizontal ledge section then down another 35 feet with a rope travel of about 160 feet. The rope travel was not measured. Optionally rap 14 can be broken up into two raps since there are good anchor options at the top of stage 2.
  22. dHelFrMnR15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29280   W -116.75843        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 15 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a cairn anchor about 10 feet back from the drop and drops about 50 feet down a sloped wall.
  23. dHelFrMnR16          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29243   W -116.75815        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 16 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a choke stone in a crack under a boulder and drops 20 feet. At teh bottom are a couple down climbs of moderate difficulty.
  24. jHellFireMN-SF          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29225   W -116.75804        Elev: 1,520 Feet
    Confluence of the South Fork and Main canyon of Hellfire.
  25. dHelFrMnR17          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29205   W -116.75801        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 17 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 50 feet down a mostly vertical wall with a couple very brief sections of free hang.
  26. dHelFrMnR18          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29171   W -116.76307        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 18 - Hellfire Canyon Main Fork. Anchored from large rock horn LDC about 15 feet back from the drop and drops about 50 feet down a sloped wall.
  27. wHelFrMN-RP-19          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29161   W -116.76389        Elev: NaN Feet
    12 foot down climb in a sloped chute.
  28. wHelFrMN-RP-20          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.29236   W -116.77249        Elev: NaN Feet
    Narrow section to walk in with conglomerate walls.
  29. yHellfireBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.28434   W -116.78842        Elev: 100 Feet
    Bottom Exit of Hellfire Canyon where the sides open up and dump out to the alluvial fan.
  30. pkHellFireBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.27673   W -116.79779        Elev: -190 Feet
    Parking for the exit vehicle for Hellfire Canyon.

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