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Canyoneering Route Description

Deimos Canyon - 3A IV
Death Valley National Park, California.

Pictures 11-21-10

Quick Facts

11-21-10, 6 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 12.5 hours)
12-03-11, 7 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 10.5 hours)
02-20-12, 16 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 9 hours)

Time Required - 11 to 13 hours
Distance - 3.4 miles Total, 1.2 miles Technical
Rappels - 17 Rappels, Longest Rappel 125 feet.
Elevation Range - -265 feet below sea level - 2570 Feet
Shuttle Required -No Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required - No

See the Canyoneer Trip Report Explanation Notes page for an explanation of how the technical mileage or the gear used list is determined.

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 125 feet and 80 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.

General Comments

Deimos Canyon is one of my favorite canyons in Death Valley.  Deimos has a lot of character which slowly changes as you descend it.  There are 3 very distinct sections of the canyon; a steep rubble filled but scenic upper section, a long wash walk and boulder scrambling middle section and the lower section which has the typical walk then drop then walk then drop feel of a lot of other canyons.  The lower section also has a lot of very fun challenging down climbs.  If you enjoy down climbing you will get to have some fun in Deimos.  

The approach is from the bottom up and is strenuous but well rewarded once you get into the canyon.  Deimos Canyon offers scenic eye candy, fun rappels and some spicy down climbing making it a well rounded canyon.  Another thing that makes Deimos fun is the amount of rabbit holes to squeeze through.  Some rappels start through these little holes and some of the down climbs start by squeezing through holes.  There are enough of these to make it note worthy.

Getting to the Trailhead and Exit Vehicle (Escape Pod) Parking

To get to the Trailhead

From the intersection of hwy 190 and Bad Water Road (hwy 178), follow Bad Water Road south about 16 miles to the Bad Water parking area.  From Bad Water continue on Bad Water Road 5.6 miles and pull off to the side of the road.  There are no pull outs or parking areas.  Just find a spot on the side of the road to pull over and park (pkDeimosBt).

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle required.  Deimos is done as a loop route.

Maps

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the entire route.  

GPS Waypoint Information

Details

The Approach:
From where you parked the vehicle (pkDeimosBt), walk about 0.2 miles east across the alluvial fan toward the mountain side.   

Aim for a spot about 850 feet south of the mouth of Deimos (wDeimosRP-01).  There are no obvious landmarks to help locate the spot to start up.  Look for the lowest angle of attack up the side of the mountain that begins near the south end of the reddish patches of dirt along the base of the mountain.  Looking up from the bottom, this looks very intimidating and seems like it might be a bit crazy to climb this, but it does work well if you put in the effort.

From the start of the climb up the mountain (wDeimosRP-01) scramble up a series of right to left ramps and shallow drainages up and east.  There are multiple routes through this area and trying to describe any one of them would be convoluted and difficult.  

About 750 feet after starting the climb the ramps and shallow drainages will mellow out a little but the overall grade of ascent will still be very steep (wDeimosRP-02).  When the ramps and drainages become less exaggerated it is easier to begin a more direct line of travel over to the ridge on the left (north).   

Traveling another 500 feet will land you on the crest of the ridge that runs along the south side of Deimos (wDeimosRP-03).  The terrain is still very rugged and convoluted so even though you are on the ridge next to Deimos you will not have much of a view down into the canyon.  

When you get up onto the ridge (wDeimosRP-03), continue hiking or scrambling southeast up the ridge.  From here up the route is still steep but not as steep or nearly as rough going as the start of the climb.  

About another 400 feet the ridge will have a short almost level section (wDeimosRP-04).  On this short section you can see a peak along the ridge that you will be going up and over.  

About 0.5 more miles up the ridge, traverse slightly left (north) of the top of a peak along the ridge (wDeimosRP-05).  This peak is the first of a series of three peaks that are all roughly the same elevation.  This peak is labeled on some maps as peak 1744.  As you cross over this peak and start to head over to the second of the three peaks your route will turn to follow along the peaks to the northeast.  

On the other side of this first peak is a saddle to cross over to get to the second of the three peaks.  Crossing over the saddle requires a short up climb after crossing a drainage which cuts across the saddle.  The up climb is easy and has only a little exposure.  Be careful of loose rock though.  Everything in this area can break away so keep an eye out for it.  

After the up climb at the saddle it is a short walk up to the second of the three peaks (wDeimosRP-06).  This second peak is about 500 feet from the first one.  From here you have a good view of the upper portion of the approach route and the upper portion of Deimos Canyon.  

Just after the second peak you will drop down and cross over another saddle (smooth walking nothing to up climb) before getting to the top of the third peak in the series of three (wDeimosRP-07).  This third peak is about 950 feet after the second peak, is reddish in color and has a small cairn constructed on it.  Take time to take in the view down into Coffin Wash to the right (south).  

About 150 feet after the third peak is a smooth saddle to cross before starting up a very rough ridge line up toward the head of Deimos.  The ridge line ahead will climb higher than the peaks you just crossed over so from here up it you will be gaining elevation steadily.   

As you climb the last portion of the approach which is still to come, you will have multiple opportunities to drop down drainages to the left (north) which lead down into Deimos.  Resist the urge to do this.  The drainages parallel Deimos for a way which will keep you from seeing the upper portion of the canyon which is one of the better parts of the canyon.  

Continue northeast up the ridge.  This will be very rough terrain and will require the use of hands along the way.  Wind can make this section a little precarious since a fall here might give way to a long tumble down either side of this ridge.  Again resist the urge to drop down the side drainages to the left (north).   

About 0.25 miles up the ridge you will cross over another saddle (wDeimosRP-08).  Getting up the other side of the saddle looks like you will need to climb up some very steep and loose almost vertical sections.  When it looks like things may get difficult, go around the left (north) side to find an easier way to scramble back up onto the ridge.  Scrambling around this left side has a lot less exposure and has more solid rock to scramble up.   

After you get back to the ridge follow along the crest of the ridge for the easiest travel to continue.  

About 500 feet after the scramble around to the left to bypass a loose climb section at the saddle, you will get to a drop which drops down to another drainage cutting across the ridge (wDeimosRP-09).  The drop is about 12 feet and is not safe due to a lot of crumbly loose rock so it is not recommended.  To get down the drop, back up about 150 feet and traverse under the crest of the ridge on the right (south) side then scramble up the drainage to back to the crest of the ridge.  

From the bottom of the down climb (wDeimosRP-09) you will be able to look down both the south and north side of the ridge in the drainage that is cutting across the ridge.  This is where you will leave the ridge line and begin to traverse over to the head of Deimos Canyon.  Do not drop directly down the drainage on the left (north).  Instead traverse along the left (north) side of the ridge and try to stay high.  Traversing this part of the ridge is more like scrambling and route finding your way around small cliff bands of very loose rock.  There is no one smooth route around this stuff.  The goal is to drop down into Deimos about 350 feet north of where you left the ridge.  If you drop down too fast and you will not be close to the head of the canyon and may bypass the first rappel.  

Note:
The first rappel is not anything special but is included in the rap count for this route description.  Your rap count may be different if you drop in early.  There will be a rappel that starts from “under” a huge boulder which is rap 3 by this route description.  If you drop in early, the rap from under the boulder will likely be rap 2 for you.  The rap from under the huge boulder can be used as a reference when following this description.  

The drop in point (yDeimosTp) is about 150 feet down canyon of a very obvious sheer head wall for Deimos Canyon.  The head wall is very tall and appears to extend most of the way up to the mountain peak behind it.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the drop in point (yDeimosTp), you can look up canyon about 150 feet to see the very tall vertical sheer headwall.  Rap 1 should be about 70 feet down canyon of the drop in point.  

Rap 1 (dDeimosR1) is about 50 feet down canyon of the drop in point.  Rap 1 is anchored from a large conglomerate boulder about 30 feet back from the drop and drops about 35 feet down a vertical wall.  

Down canyon of rap 1 are a few short down climbs of 4 to 8 feet each which are all easy down climbs.  

Rap 2 (dDeimosR2) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 1.  Rap 2 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 25 feet.  

About 60 feet down canyon of rap 2 is a drop of about 50 feet.  Down climb a series of ledges from center canyon over to the RDC side to get down this drop.  From the top of this drop before climbing down look right (north) to see a side slot.  The side slot goes back about 40 feet and is a nice distraction to look at if you have time.  Near the opening of the side slot is a pillar made from a conglomerate collection of dirt and small rocks and has a solid rock supported on top.  

Down canyon about 200 feet you will find a huge boulder fallen at the floor of the canyon.  Go to the LDC side of the boulder and crawl through a rabbit hole to find a room under the boulder.  There is another hole on the down canyon side of the room which is where rap 3 drops from.  

Rap 3 (dDeimosR3) is about 275 feet down canyon of rap 2.  Rap 3 is anchored from a choke stone nestled in the rubble in the room under the huge boulder.  The room is quite large with a very pleasing hue of light seeping in making it feel very home like.  On the down canyon side of the room under the boulder is another hole which is where the top of rap 3 is.  Rap 3 is anchored from a choke stone nestled in the rubble by the hole at the top of rap 3.  Rap 3 drops about 95 feet from the hole down a vertical wall with a little free hang along the way.  This is one of the fun scenic raps in the upper section of the canyon.  The 95 foot length for rap 3 is if it is anchored from right at the top of the drop.  If the anchor is moved back to any of the other rocks in the room the rap length may extend a little longer.  

Rap 4 (dDeimosR4-5) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 3 and is anchored from a large rock embedded in the wash.  Rap 4 drops about 25 feet.  

Rap 5 is about 40 feet down canyon of rap 4.  Rap 5 is anchored from rock embedded in the wash on the RDC side.  Rap 5 has a ledge about 5 feet down to stand on before going completely vertical dropping about 90 feet down a sheer wall.  Rap 5 is scenic and feels like you are dropping into a cathedral type area with the first half being free hanging.  Be careful about dropping a lot of loose rock here down on those below the rappel.  

After rap 5 is a section of canyon which is kind of narrow with a lot of down climbing.  

About 90 feet down canyon of rap 5 is a down climb of about 12 feet.  Strong down climbers will be ok on this drop.  Weaker down climbers will want a meat anchor as a hand line or to just plain rappel the drop.   

After the 12 foot drop are a couple more easy down climbs before getting to a drop of about 25 feet.  The 25 foot drop is a pretty simple down climb for better down climbers.  A good down climber can meat anchor everyone down then down climb last.  If no one feels comfortable with this an anchor can be set up from a rock embedded in the wash about 5 fee back.  Only good down climbers will like this, most people will want to rap this drop.  

Down canyon of the 25 foot down climb are multiple short easy down climbs of 6 to 8 feet each one right after the other.  

Rap 6 (dDeimosR6) is a little over 300 feet down canyon of rap 5.  Rap 6 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 35 feet down a slightly sloped wall.  

Down canyon of rap 6 the canyon is not quite as narrow and has more down climbs.  The down climbs after rap 6 are all short easy down climbs.  

Rap 7 (dDeimosR7) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 6.   Rap 7 is anchored from a pinch point between a couple of boulders.  To start rap 7 you need to squirm through a rabbit hole under a boulder to a small ledge then slide off the ledge to drop down about 50 feet with some free hang along the way.  Rap 7 is a fun start since it is unusual.  

After rap 7 the canyon does not widen out much but does begin to take on a wider feel.  Travel down canyon of rap 7 is easy walking mixed with some light scrambling down climbs.  

Rap 8 (dDeimosR8) is about 250 feet down canyon of rap 7.  Rap 8 is anchored from a choke stone at the top of the rap.  Rap 8 is a two stage rap and drops about 35 feet on the first stage and about 15 feet on the second stage with about 20 horizontal feet between stages.  

Rap 9 (dDeimosR9-10) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 8.  Rap 9 is anchored from a pinch point between the canyon wall and a rock embedded in the wash on the LDC side.  Rap 9 drops about 8 feet but is not down climbable due to a severe overhang.  

Rap 10 is about 40 feet down canyon of rap 9 with a short down climb between the raps.  Rap 10 is anchored from a rock horn about 20 feet up canyon of the rap.  Rap 10 drops about 50 feet down a vertical wall.  

Down canyon of rap 10 travel starts to have more wash walking and a few easy scramble down climbs.  

Rap 11 (dDeimosR11) is about 200 feet down canyon of rap 10 and is anchored from a cairn anchor.  Rap 11 drops about 25 feet.  

Down canyon of rap 11 are a few easy down climbs before getting to a larger drop about 200 feet down canyon of rap 11.  Climb down a chute LDC to get down this larger drop.  

Near this larger drop the canyon turns slightly right, levels off a lot and travel is easy.  This is where the second third of the canyon starts which has a very different character than the upper third with all the rappels.  This middle third of the canyon is easy travel and goes rather quickly.  This section is a mix of wash walking and a lot of scrambling down and around large boulders.  This section is fun and scenic so take time to look around as you scurry through.  

About 0.4 miles down canyon of rap 11, Deimos tightens up and feels like it will begin to get technical again.  Soon after it tightens up you will get to a drop of about 12 feet that looks like it needs to be rappelled on the LDC side (wDeimosRP-10).  This drop can be down climbed relatively easy on the RDC side or bypassed altogether by climbing around high up on the rim LDC.  

A few feet down canyon of the 12 foot drop is a series of 4 pour offs (wDeimosRP-11).  These pour offs can be down climbed with the first couple being a little challenging.  Or you can bypass these pour off drops by walking up and over on the rim on the LDC side.  

A short distance after the series of pour offs is another down climb.  This down climb is a two stage down climb.  The first stage is about 10 feet and the second is also about 10 feet but is best down climbed LDC under an overhanging boulder.  

Rap 12 (dDeimosR12-14) is about 450 feet down canyon of the series of pour offs.  Rap 12 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops a total of about 125 feet.  Rap 12 has a ledge about 15 feet down from the top then a vertical drop of about 85 feet to a large ledge then another drop of about 15 feet.  There is about 40 feet of free hang about mid way down the longest drop of rap 12. 

Note:
It is possible to bypass the last part of rap 12 by getting off rope at the big ledge then scrambling down a the LDC side around the last drop.  This makes rap 12 possibly only 100 feet total back from the anchor.

Also is is possible to down climb the first 15 feet of rap 12 down a flute to a small ledge.  There is an alternate anchor option from this ledge making the rap even shorter if you take to time to do this.

Near the bottom of rap 12 is a drop which can be down climbed by down climbing around and down between a large boulder and the canyon wall on the RDC side.  Then drop down a couple short ledges to the top of rap 13.

Rap 13 is about 50 feet down canyon of rap 12.  Rap 13 is anchored from a large rock embedded in the wash near the top of the rap and drops about 50 feet to a ledge RDC.

Rap 14 is on the ledge at the bottom of rap 13.  Rap 14 is anchored from rock debris embedded in the dirt about 15 feet back from the drop and drops 35 feet.

Note:
Raps 13 and 14 could be combined into one drop but may require over 100 feet of rope travel.  If you do this pay close attention to how the rope is set and routed to minimize rope pull issues.

Just after rap 14 is a slide / down climb of about 15 feet to a ledge then a drop of about 8 feet that will be a challenging for some people.

A few feet down canyon is a drop of about 35 feet that can be rap 15 or bypassed as a down climb through a rabbit hole.

Rap 15 (dDeimosR15) is anchored from one of the boulders at the top of the drop and drops about 30 feet.

Note:
An option that will save time is to bypass rap 15 by climbing down a rabbit hole LDC and down climbing to the bottom of the drop.  The last 8 to 10 feet will give weak down climbers some problems.  This option also adds fun to the route if you prefer down climbing over short rappels.

A little farther down canyon is another drop of about 20 feet where you may find webbing left from previous parties.  This drop can be easily bypassed through another rabbit hole.  This rabbit hole is tighter than the previous one but is also a much easier down climb.  At the bottom is a ledge with a view over a couple pour offs in a section of white rock that are then down climbed.

After down climbing the pour offs head down canyon a couple hundred feet to a drop of about 20 feet (wDeimosRP-12).  This drop is also descended by down climbing through a rabbit hole.  This rabbit hole is not as obvious as the last two you have seen and is right at your feet at the top of the drop.  The last 8 feet of this down climb may be difficult for some so assisting each other may be helpful.

After dropping down the third rabbit hole continue down canyon with some light scrambles and wash walking for about 600 feet to a 2 stage down climb of about 6 feet then 12 feet.  The first part of 6 feet is obviously easy.  The second part of 12 feet is a little more difficult and may be challenging for some.  There is an easy bypass for this second part by going up and over the rock on the RDC side to find a gentle angle down climb.  About 40 feet down canyon is rap 16. 

Rap 16 (dDeimosR16) is anchored from a pinch point between huge flat rock leaning on the LDC wall of the canyon.  Rap 16 drops about 25 feet.  

Rap 17 (dDeimosR17) is about 80 feet down canyon of rap 16.  Rap 17 is anchored from a pinch point between a large boulder at the top of the rap and a rock embedded in the wash and drops about 35 feet.  Rap 17 has a lot of possible pinch points during rope pull.  Be very careful how you set up this rap and do a test pull before the last person drops down.  

About 90 feet after rap 17 the canyon ends and dumps you out onto the alluvial fan (yDeimosBt).

The Exit:
When you get out to the alluvial fan (yDeimosBt), you will not be able to walk straight out to the road because there will be a gravel hill preventing it.  Walk left (southwest) around the gravel bank then turn right and walk east out to the road where you parked your vehicle (pkDeimosBt).  Your vehicle will be about 0.3 miles from the mouth of the canyon.

GPS Waypoint Information

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