BADLANDS CANYON
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:9, max ↨100ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Nov-Mar (avg for this region)
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36.8387, -117.1768
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Introduction[edit]
This is a nice beginner canyon that can be run in several hours. The approach for this canyon is only on the shorter side. The hill does look intimidating from the approach, but there weren't that many loose sections to climb. Overall, the first and last rappel seemed to be the only memorable rappels in this canyon. From the top of rap 6, there is a very nice view of the surrounding washes as they cut through the conglomerate wash below.
Approach[edit]
Hike along the very well traveled Fall Canyon trail to the mouth entrance of Fall canyon. At the mouth of the canyon, you will see a small hill (1000 ft tall) on the left side. The first objective is to climb this hill.
Once on top of the first large hill, you should have a nice view into Fall canyon (you may be able to see the ending rappel of Black void from on this hill). Continue walking north and up hill along the ridge until you reach the top of the next highest ridge. It seemed like a 1/4 mile from the top of the first hill to the top of the ridge.
Once you are on top of the ridge, Badlands should be generally North-West from here. Find an easy way to drop into the canyon from on top of this ridge. This is the official drop-in for the canyon.
As you're descending, try not to step on the moss growing on the side of the hill.
Descent[edit]
Blue webbing added on 1/15/18. Any other webbing is from the first descent (January 2016)
Rap 1: 75', Chockstone, 2 stage. The anchor was somewhat awkward to rig, as the canyon was cut at an angle. You may be able to find a comfortable position by wedging yourself into the slot below the anchor. The original webbing was left, as this was too thick to cut with our knife
Rap 2: 15', Chockstone on top of large rock, LDC.
Rap 3: 30'(?), Chockstone LDC This rap can be down climbed by traversing the very obvious shelf on LDC. The rock isn't great here, so try not to grab anything.
Rap 4: 30'
Rap 5: 50', cairn.
Rap 6: 30'(?), 2 stage Rap can be bypassed by down climbing on far RDC. The rock near the top is crumbly, but there are a couple ways down. The exit photo was taken from the top of the rap 6 shelf. Enjoy the view!
Rap 7: 80', 3 stage, large boulder LDC
Lots of Canyon Velcro in on this rap, so be prepared to be scraping it off after the rope pull.
The large boulder on the second stage could be a nuisance if the rope bunches up underneath it.
Rap 8: 60' (?), 2 stage, large cairn
Rap can be bypassed on RDC by briefly climbing out of the canyon. Drop into the last stage of this rappel and down climb the last face.
After a short distance, the rock turns into conglomerate and the canyon narrows.
Rap 9: 12', horn
This rap was in the middle of the conglomerate narrows section. If you body belay the first person down, they can weight one end of the rope, while the other rap on the other side. Possible spot for cairn if large rocks are nearby.
Exit[edit]
It is recommended to follow the canyon all the way out to the wash, where the canyon walls completely stop because the canyon walls eventually turn pastel green near the very end. There will be opportunities to explore other washes once you are near the exit and it may be worth it to explore this area further.
Once you are out of the canyon, head south-east across all the washes until you can find the Fall canyon wash. Once you can find the main trail, just follow it back to the parking lot.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
First descent trip 12-13-14:
Background[edit]
First descent trip 12-13-14, by Scott Swaney & team, see trip report above
