Canyoneering Route Description
Purgatory Canyon North Fork - 3A III or IV
Death Valley National Park, California.
03-06-10, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 11.75 hours)
01-26-13, 9 People, 1 Day (Travel time in route 9.3 hours)
Time Required - 10 to 13 hours
Distance - 7.1 miles Total, 1.9 miles Technical
Rappels - 17 Rappels, Longest Rappel 120 feet.
Elevation Range - 5700 - 255 feet below sea
level Feet
Shuttle Required -Yes 37.8 Miles Vehicle - Passenger
Permit Required - No
Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up
to 120 feet and 80 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.
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!
Purgatory is one of the “Fun” canyons in my mind. The raps are fun
as usual but the down climbs offer lots of enjoyment. There are
more down climbs than can reasonably be placed in a route
description (but not as many as Typhon Canyon). None of the down
climbs are extremely difficult but are just difficult enough to feel
like you need to think a little for them.
Typhon Canyon, Erebus Canyon and Purgatory Canyon are all in a
section of the Black Mountains with a great mix of colors all
swirled into the rocks. Typhon has a huge amount of down climbs
while Erebus does not have as good a display of the colors in the
rock. Purgatory is the best mix of these three with enough down
climbs to be fun, plenty of rappels and a very good display of the
colorful rock. Purgatory is my first pick of these three canyons
and Typhon would be pick number 2 for these three since it has a
couple very cool rappels.
So far only the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon has been done. Maybe
some time the South Fork can be added as an option as well.
The route description here is for descending from Dante’s View as
the approach. The route can be done from the bottom up by using the
bottom up approach described in the Abysmal Canyon route
description. The bottom up route would eliminate the need for a
long shuttle to Dante’s View and may save a little time.
If doing Purgatory from the bottom up is of interest, follow the
bottom up approach portion of the route for the South Fork of
Abysmal to (yAbysmal-SF2Tp). From there continue another 0.8 miles
over to the South Fork of Purgatory using waypoints
(wAbysmlTpRP-10), (yAbysmal-SF1Tp ), (wAbysmlTpRP-09 ),
(wAbysmlTpRP-08) and (wAbysmlTpRP-07).
To get to the Trailhead
From the junction of highways 178 (Bad Water Road) and 190,
drive about 10.7 miles east on highway 190 to the turn off for
Dante's View. Follow the signs to Dante's View (sDantesView)
which is another 13 miles.
To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod
From the junction of highways 178 (Bad Water Road) and 190,
drive 13 miles south on highway 178 to the turn off for Natural
Bridge. Continue south past the turn off for Natural Bridge 0.8
miles and park alongside the road. There is no parking spot,
just find a comfortable place to get off the road (pkAbysmalBt).
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 entire route.
Map of the technical section.
The Approach:
From the Dante’s View parking area head north and follow the well
worn use trail toward Mount Perry (tMntPeryUseTrl). The use trail
is well worn and passes by Dante’s Peak (pDante'sPeak) about 0.4
miles into the trail.
About 1.8 miles from the trail start the trail fades away as it
heads west (wMntPeryRP-01). Do not follow it west, instead turn
right (north) and go about 250 feet to the start of a hill heading
up and west (wMntPeryRP-02). Starting up the hill you will begin to
see rocks with a white dot painted on them to help with following
the trail.
A little over 500 feet the hill tops out on a ridge
(wMntPeryRP-03). Turn right (north) and follow along the ridge
using the white paint spots to help keep you on track.
After about 200 feet, will be another short section of the trail
that is clear and easy to follow. As the trail fades away again
(wMntPeryRP-04), another section of painted rocks is set to help
with staying on route. Another 0.2 miles and the trail will cross a
small saddle which feels more like a wide flat area (wMntPeryRP-05).
From the small saddle (wMntPeryRP-05) follow the trail north and it
will soon curve around west.
About 0.3 miles from the small saddle will be another saddle (jTyphonSouth)
that is much more of a defined saddle. As a visual land mark, the
north side of this saddle is a hillside that is made up of red and
white layers of dirt. This saddle is where the route to the South
Fork of Typhon Canyon would leave the Mount Perry Use Trail.
From this saddle (jTyphonSouth), follow the trail north as it
traverses around the hill side with the red and white layers of
dirt.
About 0.4 miles further the trail crosses another saddle. Just
beyond this saddle is a huge cairn on the left (west) side of the
trail (wMntPeryRP-06). The cairn is one of many left over’s from
mining activity.
About 160 feet past the huge cairn is where you will leave the Mount
Perry Use Trail and start descending toward Abysmal and other
canyons in the area of Abysmal Canyon (jAbysmal).
When leaving the trail walk about 60 feet to the northwest to the
top of a small mound. From this mound continue down the ridge that
runs northwest. The path down this ridge is a faint path that is
hard to follow in some spots and easier to follow in others. Since
there are mine artifacts in the area, this trail was most likely
made by miners a while back.
Along the ridge to the northwest will be some rock features (out
croppings) along the way. The first will be a pinkish out cropping
about 0.2 miles from the trail. The second will be a larger more
red out cropping about 450 feet later. The third will be almost 200
feet later. A faint trail goes around each of these on the right
(north) side. Just after the third outcropping the trail will
continue down the ridge slightly left (south) of the ridge crest.
About 700 feet after the third out cropping or 0.4 miles down the
ridge from where you left the Mount Perry Use Trail will be some
mining remains (wAbysmlTpRP-01). There is a saw blade and various
pieces of wood and other items. There is also a table and chisel
which looks like it was used to chip at and look over rocks pulled
from the area. If you look around you can also find remnants of an
old wooden barrel.
From the mining artifacts follow the ridge still northwest about 0.2
miles to just before a patch of dark red rocks just to the left of
the ridge. Just before reaching the dark red rocks
(wAbysmlTpRP-02), turn right (north) and descend to the wash below.
The descent to the wash is steep, rocky and easy to slip on.
Once in the wash below (wAbysmlTpRP-03) climb up and out the other
side (north). After the steep portion of the climb out, continue up
the now less steep portion to the top of the ridge.
At the top of the climb out on the ridge (wAbysmlTpRP-04), look for
a hill about 600 feet to the north that is made up of a mix of
orange and white dirt. The next goal is to get to the saddle on the
east side of that hill.
Between you and the hill is a deep wash. To get around the wash,
look for a faint path leading north east then veering north as it
travels around the deep wash. The path fades away to nothing as it
goes around the head of the wash.
From the head of the wash go north west a little over 200 feet to
the saddle at the base of the red and white hill (wAbysmlTpRP-05).
From this saddle follow a wide shallow chute north down into the
wash that winds down around the north side of the red and white
hill.
About 0.2 miles down the wash on the north side of the small red and
white hill is the junction for Erebus Canyon (jErebus). There is no
land mark for this point in the wash but with a watchful eye it is
easy to know when you are in the right spot. As you continue down
the wash keep an eye out for the salt flats of Death Valley to come
into view in the distance to the west. When you have a view down
the wide open wash with the salt flats visible in the distance you
are in the right spot. The canyon you are looking down with the
salt flats beyond is Erebus Canyon.
To continue toward Purgatory travel up the bank of the wash to the
north. A little over 400 feet away is a cairn about 2.5 feet tall
(wAbysmlTpRP-06). There are a lot of cairns scattered all over the
area so GPS may be a good idea if you want to find the same cairn
described here. This cairn is on the far north side of the wide
drainage you have been crossing.
About 100 feet northeast of the large cairn is a small chute
dropping down to the next drainage (wAbysmlTpRP-07). Drop down the
chute and start following the wash downstream to the north west.
This wash is not part of the wide drainage heading toward Erebus
Canyon. This wash, is north of that wide drainage and leads down to
the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon.
About 0.4 miles down the wash, the canyon walls start to close in a
little. Shortly after will be a few short drops one right after the
other. This series of drops is the top entry for the North Fork of
Purgatory (yPergatoryNFTp).
The Canyon / Technical Section:
After the first drop (yPergatoryNFTp) continue west down canyon.
About 300 feet down canyon of the entry is a drop of about 20 feet
down gray and white striped rock. Bypass this drop by climbing up
and around RDC.
About 0.3 miles down canyon from the gray and white striped drop are
a couple down climbs along white rock. The first is about 15 feet
to a sand filled ledge then a second drop of about 12 feet to a
smaller sand filled ledge where the anchor for rap 1 is located.
Rap 1 (dPurgNF_R1) is anchored from a jug handle RDC and drops about
40 feet. Along the rap are a lot of mixed color layers in the rock
on the way down. Well worth the look as you rap down.
Shortly after rap 1 are a few down climbs along white rock of about
10 feet each. After the down climbs it is easy walking along open
wash.
Rap 2 (dPurgNF_R2) is about 0.1 miles down canyon of rap 1 and is
anchored from a cairn anchor with a drop of about 20 feet.
A short distance down canyon of rap 2 is a drop of about 15 feet
that can be bypassed RDC down a ramp. There is some light exposure
getting over to the ramp. There are a couple more drops along the
way down toward rap 3, each of which can be down climbed directly.
Rap 3 (dPurgNF_R3) is about 450 feet down canyon of rap 2. Rap 3 is
anchored from rock wedged creatively behind a rock jug handle in a
small alcove LDC with a total drop of about 20 feet. The start of
Rap 3 is a little awkward with some overhang below the boulder you
start on.
After rap 3 is easy wash walking for about 300 foot to a section of
canyon with a lot of small easy down climbs. Then travel is a mix
of wash walking and a couple some easy down but bigger down climbs
along the way.
About 0.2 miles down canyon of rap 3 is a deep fluted drop down
polished striped rock about 15 or 20 feet. This drop is bypassed by
climbing up and over LDC. Once up onto the ledge LDC of the drop
walk down canyon along the ledge about 180 feet to and easy down
climb to rap 4. The down climb to rap 4 is slightly down canyon of
the rap. The down climb works back up canyon slightly to the top of
rap 4.
Rap 4 (dPurgNF_R4) is a little over 0.2 miles down canyon of rap 3.
Rap 4 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops an even 100 feet.
Rap 4 starts off along a smooth rock pour off, and then a short spot
of free hang below the pour off before continuing down a vertical
wall. The view of the canyon below and the salt flats in the
distance is great from the top of Rap 4.
Down canyon of rap 4 is easy wide open wash walking. About 250 feet
down canyon of rap 4 is a drop of about 35 feet that can be down
climbed along the slope RDC.
About 300 more feet down canyon is a section with a lot of little
down climbs close together. One of the down climbs is best done by
providing a meat anchor for all but the last person who can then
down climb the drop.
About 250 feet more down canyon is another section with multiple
down climbs. In these down climbs is another where a meat anchor
for all but the last person is a good idea. This down climb is
about 25 feet. The best way to down climb the drop is down the
ridge RDC of the smooth pour off. Looking down does not look like
it is an easy task but is actually pretty simple. Getting over onto
the start of the climb is the hard part.
A little over 100 feet more down canyon, is an almost sheer drop of
about 30 feet which can be bypassed by climbing around RDC.
About 250 feet more down canyon is a drop of about 12 feet down
smooth chute. A meat anchor is a good idea for all but the last
person.
About 250 feet more down canyon is a large drop that can be bypassed
by traversing and climbing down RDC.
About 250 feet more down canyon is a drop of about 20 feet that can
be bypassed by climbing around LDC. Shortly after the drop is rap
5.
Rap 5 (dPurgNF_R5) is about 0.4 miles down canyon of rap 4. Rap 5
is anchored from a large red rock wedged about 40 feet up canyon
from the top of the rap. The total drop down Rap 5 is about 60
feet. Total rope travel from anchor to the bottom of the rap is 100
feet so a 200 foot rope will just reach. The top portion of Rap 5
can be down climbed.
Down canyon of rap 5 is a mix of easy down climbs and wash walking.
Rap 6 (dPurgNF_R6) is about 500 feet down canyon of rap 5. There is
a short down climb of about 10 feet in a chute before reaching the
top of Rap 6. Rap 6 is anchored from a red boulder wedged between
the white walls about 40 feet back from the top of the rap. There
is a shallow pool (not always full) between the anchor and the start
of the drop which is easy to stem over to avoid getting wet. The
drop for Rap 6 is about 60 feet. A single 200 foot rope works fine
for Rap 6 since the total rope travel is right at 100 feet from
anchor to ground (anchor 40 feet back and a drop of about 60 feet).
Rap 7 (dPurgNF_R7) is about 200 feet down canyon of rap 6 with some
wide open feeling views just before reaching Rap 7. Rap 7 is
anchored from 2 large rocks lying near the top of the rap and drops
about 90 feet down a pretty smooth fluted wall.
Rap 8 (dPurgNF_R8) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 7. Rap 8 is
anchored from a few red rocks wedged in the water course and drops
about 30 feet.
Rap 9 (dPurgNF_R9) is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 8. Rap 9 is
anchored from a large rock embedded in the wash just above the rap
and drops about 60 feet. Rap 9 starts off down a smooth chute for a
few feet then goes vertical dropping along a rough wall.
Below rap 9 is a large shelf with a drop of about 50 feet on the
other side. The drop can be bypassed by climbing up and over LDC of
the drop.
About another 350 feet down canyon is a drop of about 20 feet that
is bypassed LDC. At the bottom of this drop is a deep pothole that
may be a bit challenging to get out of if you happen to drop into
it. After bypassing LDC you can walk over to the bottom of the
pothole and look in.
Shortly down canyon is a drop of about 30 feet which is bypassed up
and over RDC followed by another drop that is also bypassed RDC.
Shortly down canyon of these drops is rap 10.
Rap 10 (dPurgNF_R10) is about 600 feet down canyon of rap 9. Rap 10
is anchored from rocks piled in the water course and drops about 90
feet. About 15 feet down Rap 10 is a small ledge before continuing
vertical for the rest of the drop.
Rap 11 (dPurgNF_R11-12) is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 10.
Rap 11 is anchored from a rock in the wash and drops down 2 stages
of about 30 feet each. The first stage drops about 30 feet down a
smooth wall to a gravel filled area. The second stage drops down a
slightly sloped wall about 30 feet to a pothole. Depending on
recent rain activity the pothole may have water in it. If it’s full
of water the pool will be a swimmer, but only about 10 feet across.
If the pool is only partially full it is possible to get over to a
small ledge LDC then carefully traverse around the water.
Rap 12 is right below rap 11. Rap 12 is anchored from rocks piled
in a down in a small hole in the water course and drops about 120
feet down a rough wall. The lip at the top of the rap has some
rough spots that can easily catch a knot as the rope is pulled over
it. The last person down can drop over the lip and stand on a ledge
about 5 feet down then move the knot over the lip to avoid issues
with rope pull later.
Down canyon of rap 12 are a few down climbs on the way to rap 13
ranging from 10 to 30 feet.
Rap 13 (dPurgNF_R13-14) is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops a
total of about 35 feet with a ledge about 20 feet down. The first
part of rap 13 is easily down climbed to the ledge.
Rap 14 is near the bottom of rap 13 and is anchored by a cairn
anchor. Rap 14 drops about 40 feet.
Down canyon of rap 14 is a little wash walking with a lot of small
down climbs along the way. About 300 feet down canyon of rap 14 is
a series of down climbs with a couple of the down climbs being steep
and slick. Using a meat anchor for all but the last person down is
a good idea on the slick ones.
Next is a more wide open feeling section of canyon with a couple
large drops that are easily bypassed. The first large drop is
bypassed LDC and the second bypassed RDC.
Rap 15 (dPurgNF_R15) is about 0.2 miles down canyon of rap 14. Rap
15 is anchored from rocks wedged in a small alcove RDC about 20 feet
back from the rap. Rap 15 drops about 40 feet.
Down canyon of rap 15 are more down climb which are all pretty
easy. Soon will be a drop looking down to a large pothole. Down
climb LDC to get to the LDC side of the pothole. Traverse along the
down canyon side of the large pothole to get to another down climb
RDC. Rap 16 is just below this pothole.
Rap 16 (dPurgNF_R16) is about 250 feet down canyon of rap 15. Rap
16 is anchored from rocks wedged along the wall RDC and drops about
60 feet down a slightly sloped wall.
Rap 17 (dPurgNF_R17) is about 300 feet down canyon of rap 16 and is
optional. Rap 17 is anchored from a small rock wedged in a pocket
in the wall LDC. The anchor is solid as long as the direction of
pull does not vary a lot. All but the last person should be meat
anchored while the last person can use the anchor. Rap 17 drops
about 30 feet with a pothole below that can be avoided by traversing
LDC while on rap.
Rap 17 can be bypassed LDC by climbing up and over to an easy slope
back to the canyon floor. Continue down canyon a couple hundred feet
to where it starts to open up to the alluvial fan (yPurgatoryBt).
The Exit:
From where the canyon opens onto the alluvial fan (yPurgatoryBt)
walk west about 0.8 miles toward Badwater Road where you left the
exit vehicle parked.
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........
| Purgatory NF 1 - Drive to Exit Vehicle Parking |
- extBadWatr-190
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.44835
W -116.85247
Elev: 10 Feet
Junction of highway 190 and Badwater Road (178).
- extDesoltnCyn
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.39642
W -116.84753
Elev: -186 Feet
Exit for the road to Desolation Canyon.
- 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.
- extNatBridge
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.27404
W -116.79292
Elev: -241 Feet
Exit for the road to the Natural Bridge trailhead.
- pkAbysmalBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26570
W -116.78338
Elev: -255 Feet
Park a vehicle here along the highway for transportation after exiting the bottom of Abysmal or Purgatory Canyons.
|
| Purgatory NF 2 - Drive to start Trailhead |
- extBadWatr-190
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.44835
W -116.85247
Elev: 10 Feet
Junction of highway 190 and Badwater Road (178).
- ext-20Mule-In
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.40941
W -116.79466
Elev: 840 Feet
Entrance to the 20 Mule Team Rd.
- extHoleInWall
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.40480
W -116.78271
Elev: 1,039 Feet
Exit for the Hole in the Wall road.
- ext-20Mule-Out
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.39784
W -116.77033
Elev: 1,148 Feet
Exit to the 20 Mule Team Rd.
- extDanteVw190
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.36312
W -116.70905
Elev: 210 Feet
Exit for the Dantes View road off of highway 190.
- extFurnaceCk
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26833
W -116.66365
Elev: 3,148 Feet
Exit from the road to DAntes View to Furnace Creek Road (Greenwater Valley Road).
- tMntPeryUseTrl
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.22096
W -116.72657
Elev: 5,460 Feet
Trailhead for the Mount Perry Use Trail. Sections of the trail are hard to follow while other sections are very worn in.
|
| Purgatory NF 3 - Approach |
- tMntPeryUseTrl
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.22096
W -116.72657
Elev: 5,460 Feet
Trailhead for the Mount Perry Use Trail. Sections of the trail are hard to follow while other sections are very worn in.
- pDante'sPeak
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.22644
W -116.72512
Elev: 5,700 Feet
Dante's Peak. Accessed along the Mount Perry Use Trail.
- jBadCyn
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.23647
W -116.71637
Elev: 5,180 Feet
Leave the Mount Perry Use Trail here to start toward Bad Canyon.
- wMntPeryRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.24223
W -116.71783
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail begins to fade as it continues west. Do not follow it west, instead turn right (north) and go about 250 feet to a hill leading up west again.
- wMntPeryRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.24319
W -116.71846
Elev: 5,140 Feet
Start of painted rocks to help through a difficult to follow portion of the trail. This is near the bottom of a hill side going up west.
- wMntPeryRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.24356
W -116.72010
Elev: 5,215 Feet
Hill tops out on a ridge here. Painted rocks marking trail. Turn right to continue north.
- wMntPeryRP-04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.24505
W -116.72001
Elev: NaN Feet
Paint spots begin again to assist with following the faint trail.
- wMntPeryRP-05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.24751
W -116.72010
Elev: 5,065 Feet
Mount Perry trail crosses a saddle here.
- jTyphonSF
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.24962
W -116.72317
Elev: 5,110 Feet
Junction where the route to the South Fork of Typhon Canyon leaves the Mount Perry Use Trail. Mount Perry trail crosses a saddle here. Just beyond this saddle is a red and white hill the trail traverses.
- wMntPeryRP-06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.25508
W -116.72199
Elev: NaN Feet
Large cairn to the left (west) of the trail just beyond a saddle the trail crosses.
- jAbysmal
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.25552
W -116.72184
Elev: 4,945 Feet
Leave the Mount Perry Use Trail here to go toward Abysmal and other canyons in the area of Abysmal Canyon.
- wAbysmlTpRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.25812
W -116.72801
Elev: NaN Feet
A few mining artifacts left here.
- wAbysmlTpRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.25924
W -116.73043
Elev: NaN Feet
Leave the ridge and travel down to the wash below to the right (North).
- wAbysmlTpRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26050
W -116.73102
Elev: NaN Feet
Bottom of the wash after descending from the ridge.
- wAbysmlTpRP-04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26132
W -116.73122
Elev: 3,848 Feet
Top of the climb out from the wash. From here look for a faint trail leading north east then veering north around a small hill to a wide open wash.
- wAbysmlTpRP-05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26249
W -116.73114
Elev: NaN Feet
Saddle at the base of a red and white small hill. Travel down the chute to the north.
21-MAR-10 9:25:26AM
- jErebus
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26394
W -116.73400
Elev: 3,580 Feet
Junction for Erebus Canyon. Follow the wash downstream southwest to go to Erebus Canyon. To continue toward Abysmal or Purgatory travel north across the wash.
21-MAR-10 9:33:00AM
- wAbysmlTpRP-06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26507
W -116.73378
Elev: NaN Feet
Large cairn in the wide open wash. A small chute to the north east leads down to a lower section of the wash.
- wAbysmlTpRP-07
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26531
W -116.73397
Elev: NaN Feet
Small chute dropping to lower portion of the wash.
- wAbysmlTpRP-08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26660
W -116.73727
Elev: 3,355 Feet
Climb out of wash on the north side.
- yPergatoryNFTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26620
W -116.73942
Elev: 3,240 Feet
Top entry for the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. There is a few short drops to down climb here.
|
| Purgatory NF 3 - Canyon and Exit |
- yPergatoryNFTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26620
W -116.73942
Elev: 3,240 Feet
Top entry for the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. There is a few short drops to down climb here.
- dPurgNF_R1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26714
W -116.74500
Elev: 5,808 Feet
Rap 1 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from a jug handle RDC and drops about 40 feet.
06-MAR-10 10:18:01AM
- dPurgNF_R2
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26729
W -116.74697
Elev: 5,644 Feet
Rap 2 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from cairn anchor and drops about 20 feet.
06-MAR-10 10:36:39AM
- dPurgNF_R3
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26742
W -116.74814
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 3 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from a choke stone creatively placed behind a rock jug handle LDC in a small alcove and drops about 20 feet.
06-MAR-10 11:00:12AM
- dPurgNF_R4
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26728
W -116.75191
Elev: 5,203 Feet
Rap 4 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from cairn anchor and drops an even 100 feet.
- dPurgNF_R5
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26697
W -116.75766
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 5 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from large red rock about 40 feet back from rap. Drop is about 60 feet down. A total of 100 feet of rope travel is used so a 200 foot rope just reaches.
- dPurgNF_R6
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26682
W -116.75903
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 6 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from large red choke stone about 40 feet back from a drop of about 60 feet. Single 200 foot rope just reaches.
06-MAR-10 1:06:32PM
- dPurgNF_R7
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26656
W -116.75972
Elev: 4,410 Feet
Rap 7 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from 2 large rocks and drops about 90 feet down smooth fluted wall.
06-MAR-10 1:25:58PM
- dPurgNF_R8
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26644
W -116.76021
Elev: 4,326 Feet
Rap 8 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from red stones wedged in the water course and drops about 30 feet.
- dPurgNF_R9
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26642
W -116.76055
Elev: 4,297 Feet
Rap 9 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from rock embedded in wash and drops about 60 feet.
- dPurgNF_R10
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26672
W -116.76250
Elev: 4,078 Feet
Rap 10 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from rocks wedged in water course and drops about 90 feet with a ledge about 15 feet down.
- dPurgNF_R11-12
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26642
W -116.76306
Elev: 4,004 Feet
Raps 11 and 12 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon.
Rap 11 anchored from medium size rock and drops over 2 stages of about 30 feet each. Stage 2 has a pothole at the bottom that can get full of water.
Rap 12 anchored from rocks piled in small hole ad drops about 120 feet.
- dPurgNF_R13-14
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26657
W -116.76420
Elev: 3,786 Feet
Raps 13 and 14 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon.
Rap 13 anchored from cairn and drops 35 feet first 20 feet easily down climbed to ledge.
Rap 14 anchored from cairn and drops about 40 feet.
- dPurgNF_R15
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26652
W -116.76666
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 15 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from rocks wedged in small alcove about 20 feet back from rap and drops about 40 feet.
- dPurgNF_R16
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26679
W -116.76750
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 16 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon. Anchored from rocks wedge along the wall RDC and drops about 60 feet.
- dPurgNF_R17
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26661
W -116.76852
Elev: 3,242 Feet
Rap 17 in the North Fork of Purgatory Canyon (optional). Anchored from wedged rock on hole LDC and drops about 30 feet. Can be bypassed easily by climbing up and over LDC.
- yPurgatoryBt1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26645
W -116.76925
Elev: 50 Feet
Bottom exit of Purgatory Canyon.
- pkAbysmalBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26570
W -116.78338
Elev: -255 Feet
Park a vehicle here along the highway for transportation after exiting the bottom of Abysmal or Purgatory Canyons.
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