Canyoneering Route Description

Pit of Despair Canyon - 4A (B) III
Death Valley National Park, California.

Quick Facts

11-25-12, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 9.5 hours)   Lots of wandering around took extra time.
02-15-15, 6 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 8.8 hours)

Time Required - 6 to 8 hours
Distance - 5.9 miles Total, 0.6 miles Technical
Rappels - 8 Rappels, Longest Rappel 200 feet.
Elevation Range - 255 - 1960 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 60 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  It is also a good idea to have a dry bag along just in case you are there on a cold day and find a couple full potholes you have to swim.  Most times you will not need the dry bag but it takes up so little room its not a bad idea to have along.

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.

Pit of Despair Canyon uses the the North Approach route.  There are potholes in Pit of Despair Canyon that if full will require you to swim or wade to chest deep.  This is an rarity in Death Valley.  In most cases the potholes will be dry or low enough that you can avoid the water.  But if there have been recent rains this canyon has the potential to get you wet.  If you plan to go in on cooler days bring a dry bag just incase you find you need to stuff clothes and gear in when crossing a pothole.

Pit of Despair gets the technical rating of 4 due to the need to use advanced anchor building skills.  The knot chalk anchors can be tricky and you should have experience with this type of anchor to enjoy this canyon.  The B in the canyon rating is due to the potholes that could hold water.  It will be rare for there to be enough water in these to be notable but in the event recent rains have caused the canyon to flow there is potential to get very wet in a few spots.

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-PBrideN) begin the North Approach by walking southwest across open desert.

To follow the North Approach walk southwest across open desert on a bearing of about 220 degrees (true) toward the bottom of a drainage about 1.25 miles away.  From the parking area the drainage is the one leading up to the big shadowed area on the range.  The big shadowed area is Fire Swamp Canyon.  The picture below will help.

About 1.3 miles after leaving the parking spot is the bottom end of a corridor like section  (wP-BrideN-01). This corridor section leads up the drainage going up to the bottom of Fire Swamp and Inconceivable Canyons.

Note:
As you get closer to the corridor section in the wash the terrain gets a little more undulated where various washes form.  The corridor section is in the largest wash and the one leading directly up to the bottom of Fire Swamp Canyon.  If you get confused it only takes a little wondering around to find your way into the correct drainage leading up to the bottom of Fire Swamp Canyon.

Follow southwest up the corridor section about 700 feet to a short scramble up to the top end of the conglomerate corridor (wP-BrideN-02).  At this point the wash veers right to travel a little more to the west.  Walk up the wash about 0.3 miles to a confluence (FireSwampBt).  The confluence is where the bottom of the Fire Swamp drainage meets the wash you are in.

At the confluence (FireSwampBt) turn right to follow the wash leading up to the northwest.  About 400 feet up the wash will be a side canyon dropping down from the left (west) which is the bottom of Cliffs of Insanity Canyon (yClifInstyBt).

Continue northwest up the wash about 0.5 miles to where the bottom of a long obvious dry fall dumps down into the wash on the left (west) which is the bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon (PitOfDespairBt).

After passing the bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon you will need to do a little scrambling in places to continue up the wash as you go over rubble and small boulder debris.  A little over 300 feet after passing the bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon will be a scree slope on the left (west) side.

From the bottom of the scree slope (wP-BrideN-03) leave the wash and begin walking / scrambling up the scree slope.  The scree goes up a short distance to the bottom of some solid grey rock.  If you go past the scree slope you will soon get to a pinkish section of loose dirt and rock.  If you get to the pink stuff you have went a little too far up the wash.

A short distance up the scree is a solid grey rock area to scramble up.  Scrambling up the grey rock section will require hands in a few spots.

About 500 feet up from the wash you will notice it is possible to veer left and walk up to a nearby saddle.  Veer left and scramble about 80 feet over to the saddle (wP-BrideN-04).  Cross over this saddle then down the slope on the other side about 100 feet down to a wide wash (jPitOfDespMid).

Note:
This is where the North Approach route for the Princess Bride canyons crosses the mid point of Pit of Despair Canyon.  To continue the approach up to the top of the canyons cross the wash and go up the ridge.  If desired you can go east down canyon and do only the lower portion of Pit of Despair.

To continue the North Approach for the Princess Bride Canyons cross over the mid section wash (jPitOfDespMid) of Pit of Despair and travel up the ridge running up to the west.  As you go up the ridge you can see the upper portion of Pit of Despair Canyon on the right (west).  Portions of this ridge are steep and rough requiring some easy route finding and scrambling.

About 0.3 miles up from the wash in the mid point of Pit of Despair will be a peak you top out on (jPitOfDespTop).  This is where you leave the North Approach route and go to the top of Pit of Despair Canyon.

Note:
If you were continuing to Cliffs of Insanity or Fire Swamp Canyons you would continue south along the North Approach route.

From the top out (jPitOfDespTop) look northwest to see the head of Pit of Despair about 800 feet away.  Note that there are 3 forks at the head of Pit of Despair Canyon that all rejoin about 200 feet down canyon.  Each of the forks is a steep drop down the head wall.  This route description gives information on the center fork.  Dropping down the other forks is also possible but not covered here.

From the top out ( (jPitOfDespTop) travel about 350 feet west then begin to veer right (northwest) and drop into the large south most fork of Pit of Despair Canyon.  After you drop into that fork, route find your way about 400 feet north up and over a ridge to drop into the center fork of of Pit of Despair Canyon (yPitDespairTp).

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the center fork of Pit of Despair Canyon (yPitDespairTp) it is about 180 feet to the top of rap 1.  On the way down to rap 1 are two relatively easy downclimbs of 15 feet then 6 feet.

Rap 1 (dPitDesprR1) is anchored RDC from a small arch in the rock near the top of the drop.  Optionally you could set a knot chalk on the LDC side as well.  Rap 1 drops about 190 feet down a mostly vertical wall with a ledge about mid way down.

A little over 200 feet down canyon of rap 1 is a set of downclimbs (wPitDesprRp01 ).  The first is an easy downclimb of about 20 feet and the second is more challenging and drops about 15 feet.  The second downclimb is made easier by traversing along the LDC wall as you climb down.

About 100 feet down canyon is rap 2.

Rap 2 (dPitDesprR2) is anchored from a knot chalk LDC about head high and drops about 20 feet.  Rap 2 looks like it may be downclimbable but the slick rock makes it a bad idea.

Shortly after rap 2 is a drop of about 20 feet with the top being an easy scramble and the last 8 feet being more of a climb.  Continue down canyon over various small drops.

About 200 feet down canyon is a drop (wPitDesprRp02) of 15 feet with a stem style downclimb on very slick and smooth rock.  At the bottom of the downclimb is a pothole about 4 feet deep with a large sand filled pothole just after.  Walk about 125 feet down canyon to rap 3.

Rap 3 (dPitDesprR3) is anchored from a large rock and drops about 45 feet down vertical wall with a pothole at the bottom that can be stepped over with a little extra effort.  The water was murky so we could not tell how deep it is.

Just after rap 3 is a larger pothole that can be bypassed on the LDC side.  Then a series of about 4 potholes which can all be bypassed by traversing the RDC side.

Next walk the wash down canyon about 0.2 miles to where the lower section of the canyon starts to drop (wPitDesprRp03).  Shortly before the drop to the lower section you should have recognized the wash you crossed on the approach route.  You could bail here and reverse the approach route to get out or continue down canyon to enjoy the fun.

As you start into the lower section (wPitDesprRp03) there is a difficult downclimb into a pothole of about 10 feet where the last few feet is more of a slide.  If the pothole is full of water it is VERY possible you will get wet. 

Just after is a downclimb of about 12 feet that is easier than it looks from the top with a pothole at the bottom where you will swim if the pothole is full. 

Just after is another pothole that can be bypassed LDC.  Then a short walk down canyon to rap 4.  To get to the top of rap 4 scramble down over some boulders down to the top of a water pour off.

Rap 4 (dPitDesprR4) is anchored from a pinch point under a boulder near the top of the drop and drops about 65 feet.

Right at the bottom of rap 4 is a downclimb of about 5 feet.   Just after is a 10 foot downclimb to a pothole that will be about chest deep if full. 

Rap 5 (dPitDesprR5-6) anchored RDC from a knot chalk about head high and drops 200 feet down a vertical wall with a big sand filled pothole to walk across about 15 feet up from the bottom of the drop.  The drop is a little less than 200 feet but labeled as 200 to be safe.

Rap 6 is at the bottom of rap 5.  Rap 6 is anchored LDC from an arch in the wall about 50 feet back from the drop then drops about 35 feet to a pothole at the bottom that would be a swimmer if full.  About 85 feet of rope travel will be needed for rap 6.

Rap 7 (dPitDesprR7-8) is on the other side of the pothole below rap 6.  Rap 7 is anchored from knot chalk LDC and drops about 130 feet over 3 stages.  The first stage is about 50 feet where you may notice a knot chalk that is bypassed.  The second stage drops to a large pothole that may be a short swim if full.  At the bottom of the third stage is also a pothole that would be about chest deep if full.  Be very careful of rope pull on rap 7.  A twist in the rope can be news for the pull on this rappel.

Rap 8 is near the bottom of rap 7.  Rap 8 is anchored from a knot chalk up high on the LDC side and drops about 90 feet to another pothole.

After rap 8 it is about 150 feet down to the bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon (PitOfDespairBt) where it dumps into the the approach wash.  To get down to the wash you can downclimb the RDC or LDC side or go down the water course to enjoy a downclimb in a chute with good grippy rock.

The Exit:
From the bottom of the canyon (PitOfDespairBt) turn right and walk south down the wash for about 0.5 miles to the bottom of Fire Swamp Canyon (FireSwampBt) where the wash turns left to travel northeast.

Walk about 0.3 miles northeast down the wash to where the top of the conglomerate corridor begins (wP-BrideN-02).

Follow down the conglomerate corridor down the wash about 600 feet to where the wash begins to open up wide again (wP-BrideN-02).

After the corridor opens up check a GPS or a compass and walk northeast on a bearing of 38 degrees (true) for 1.26 miles back to the car parking spot (Pk-PBrideN). 

Note:
Walking a straight line will get you there but will have a lot of ups and downs over the alluvium.  A smoother route can be had by staying a few hundred feet to the right (east) of the plotted straight line.  If you do this be aware that the alluvial fan will steer you farther right than desired.  For the shortest route just walk the straight line.  For a smoother route follow the flow of the alluvial to the road them turn left to walk up to the parked cars.

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Pit of Despair (1) - Drive 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. wCottonBend          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. This is bend in the right is a landmark to know you are getting close to the parking area for the Princess Bride canyons. Also if the berm on the south side of the road is washed out it may be possible to park here. PkPrincesBride          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.61438   W -117.25144        Elev: 255 Feet Small pull out gradded into teh side of the road. There are other turnouts near by and all are only large enough for 1 or two vehicles. Pick one and park to start the route toward the Princes Bride Canyons.

Pit of Despair (2) - Appraoch

PkPrincesBride          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.61438   W -117.25144        Elev: 255 Feet Small pull out gradded into teh side of the road. There are other turnouts near by and all are only large enough for 1 or two vehicles. Pick one and park to start the route toward the Princes Bride Canyons. wP-BrideN-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60007   W -117.26564        Elev: 575 Feet This is the bottom end of a corridor like section leading up toward the drainage below Fire Swamp and Inconceivable Canyon. wP-BrideN-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.59861   W -117.26700        Elev: NaN Feet Top of the corridor like section in the wash. FireSwampBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.59675   W -117.27158        Elev: 750 Feet Bottom of Fire Swamp Canyon where it dumps into the approach wash. yClifInstyBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.59731   W -117.27262        Elev: 780 Feet Bottom of Cliffs of Insanity Canyon. This is where it drops into the approach wash. PitOfDespairBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60404   W -117.27645        Elev: 970 Feet Bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon. On the north approach this looks like a long dry fall dropping down to the wash. wP-BrideN-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60475   W -117.27702        Elev: 1,007 Feet Scree slope leaving up out of the wash about 300 feet after passing the bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon. wP-BrideN-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60478   W -117.27859        Elev: 1,410 Feet A saddle on the north approach route. The mid section of Pit of Despair canyon is the wash below this saddle to the southwest. jPitOfDespMid          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60456   W -117.27879        Elev: 1,375 Feet North Approach route for the Princess Bride canyons crosses the mid section Pit of Despair Canyon here. To continue the approach cross the wash and travel up the ridge to the southwest. Optionally you could leave the approach route here and drop into the lower portion of Pit of Despair Canyon. jPitOfDespTop          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60000   W -117.27891        Elev: 1,960 Feet A peak along the north approach route. Leave the ridge and travel northwest route finding your way about 800 feet to the top of Pit of Despair Canyon or continue south down to a wide open flat area to continue the North Approach route. yPitDespairTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60108   W -117.28108        Elev: 1,860 Feet Top of Pit of Despair Canyon. This is the top of the center of three forks. All the forks rejoin about 200 feet down canyon and only differ by how you like the reppal down the head wall.

Pit of Despair (3) - The Canyon

yPitDespairTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60108   W -117.28108        Elev: 1,860 Feet Top of Pit of Despair Canyon. This is the top of the center of three forks. All the forks rejoin about 200 feet down canyon and only differ by how you like the reppal down the head wall. dPitDesprR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60132   W -117.28051        Elev: 1,805 Feet Rap 1 - Pit of Despair Canyon. Anchored RDC from a small arch in the rock near the top of the drop. Optionally you could set a knot chalk on the LDC side as well. Rap 1 drops about 190 feet down a mostly vertical wall with a ledge about mid way down. wPitDesprRp01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60156   W -117.27984        Elev: NaN Feet A couple of downclimbs. The first is about 20 feet and easy. The second is about 15 feet and may be challenging as you need to traverse the LDC side as you climb down. dPitDesprR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60184   W -117.27937        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Pit of Despair Canyon. Anchored from a knot chalk LDC about head high and drops about 20 feet. Rap 2 looks like it may be downclimbable but the slick rock makes it a bad idea. wPitDesprRp02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60238   W -117.27915        Elev: 1,529 Feet A drop of 15 feet with a stem style downclimb on very slick and smooth rock. At the bottom of the downclimb is a pothole about 4 feet deep with a large sand filled pothole just after. dPitDesprR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60267   W -117.27920        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Pit of Despair Canyon. Anchored from a large rock and drops about 45 feet down vertical wall with a pothole at the bottom that can be stepped over with a little extra effort. The water was murky so we could not tell how deep it is. wPitDesprRp03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60424   W -117.27861        Elev: 1,350 Feet Start of the lower section of Pit of Despair Canyon. Difficult downclimb of about 10 feet into a pothole that if full of water you will very likely get wet. The last few feet of the downclimb are more of a let er rip slide. Just after is a downclimb of about 12 feet that is easier than it looks from the top with a pothole at the bottom where you will swim if the pothole is full. dPitDesprR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60373   W -117.27780        Elev: 1,320 Feet Rap 4 - Pit of Despair Canyon. Anchored from a pinch point under a boulder near the top of the drop and drops about 65 feet. dPitDesprR5-6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60382   W -117.27742        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 5 and 6 - Pit of Despair Canyon. Rap 5 anchored RDC from a knot chalk about head high and drops 200 feet down a vertical wall with a big sand filled pothole to walk across about 15 feet up from the bottom of the drop. The drop is a little less than 200 feet but labeled as 200 to be safe. Rap 6 at the bottom of 5 and is anchored LDC from an arch in the wall about 50 feet back from the drop then drops about 35 feet to a pothole at the bottom that would be a swimmer if full. About 85 feet of rope travel will be needed for rap 6. dPitDesprR7-8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60401   W -117.27706        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 7 and 8 - Pit of Despair Canyon. Rap 7 is anchored from knot chalk LDC and drops about 130 feet over 3 stages. The first stage is about 50 feet where you may notice a knot chalk that is bypassed. The second stage drops to a large pothole that may be a short swim if full. At the bottom of the third stage is also a pothole that would be about chest deep if full. Be very careful of rope pull on rap 7. A twist in the rope can be news for the pull on this rappel. Rap 8 at the bottom of rap 7 an is anchored from a knot chalk up high on the LDC side and drops about 90 feet to another pothole. PitOfDespairBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60404   W -117.27645        Elev: 970 Feet Bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon. On the north approach this looks like a long dry fall dropping down to the wash.

Pit of Despair (4) - Exit

PitOfDespairBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60404   W -117.27645        Elev: 970 Feet Bottom of Pit of Despair Canyon. On the north approach this looks like a long dry fall dropping down to the wash. FireSwampBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.59675   W -117.27158        Elev: 750 Feet Bottom of Fire Swamp Canyon where it dumps into the approach wash. wP-BrideN-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.59861   W -117.26700        Elev: NaN Feet Top of the corridor like section in the wash. wP-BrideN-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.60007   W -117.26564        Elev: 575 Feet This is the bottom end of a corridor like section leading up toward the drainage below Fire Swamp and Inconceivable Canyon. PkPrincesBride          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.61438   W -117.25144        Elev: 255 Feet Small pull out gradded into teh side of the road. There are other turnouts near by and all are only large enough for 1 or two vehicles. Pick one and park to start the route toward the Princes Bride Canyons.