Conditions:Pit of Despair Canyon-20210215181652

Latest:	13 Feb 2021 (4 yrs, 3 mos ago)

Reported by:	Xenonrocket (102 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Dry
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	7 hours

Team: 4 people with experience level Beginner to Expert

Trip report URL:

Comments:

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
13 Feb 2021	Good	Dry	None	Normal	7 hours	4 people Beginner to Expert	Xenonrocket (102 reports)
2 Jan 2021	Great	Dry		Normal	2 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	DMonroy (188 reports)
Comment: We ran this as part of a 2-canyon trip, so the time does not reflect the exit. We entered from the middle of the canyon and just ran the lower section. I forgot how long the middle drop was, so we were going to stash a rope at the top to retrieve when we went back up for CoI, but we had to use it as it was. Had I brought my 200 pull cord I could have left the 300 at the top. Anyhow, the canyon is in good shape. The potholes are dry.
29 Dec 2020	Great	Dry	None	Advanced	7 hours	3 people Intermediate to Expert	Sqshemet (75 reports)
Comment: Replaced almost all anchors. Pit was dry despite rain the previous day. Small amounts of standing water in other little potholes throughout the canyon, but easy to avoid wet feet. "Advanced" rating for one triple knot chock with no apparent alternatives.
14 Feb 2020	Good	Dry	None	Normal	6 hours	7 people Advanced	Erek (206 reports)
Comment: Replaced webbing on a few of the anchors. All others looked good. Pit had water in it. All members of group were able to avoid getting wet by climbing on DCR edge of pit.
1 Dec 2019	Good	Dry	None	Normal	5 hours	8 people Expert to Beginner	Michelle (60 reports),Dominik (64 reports),Natasha (14 reports),Morgan (103 reports)
Comment: Morgan: All anchors in the canyon have been rebuilt and webbing replaced as of 12/1. Our party replaced the upper section; anchors in the lower section (below the wash) crossing were replaced by another party two days prior.
18 Feb 2017	Great	Very Low	Rain jacket	Special challenges	6 hours	9 people Intermediate to Expert	Logan (60 reports),Danielson (93 reports)
Comment: Danielson: Please note that we ran this canyon in the rain. It had a trickle and all potholes were full. Our group had excellent climbers and were able to keep everyone out of the water with the exception of me - I wanted to go for a swim apparently. This canyon (much like most of DV) deserves a "special challenges" rating for anchor issues. Please know how to make and inspect natural anchors. All anchors were in decent shape on this trip - including a dubious looking one made out of climbing rope. Logan: group of 9 took 6.5 hours car-to-car. One canyoneer dunked up to the waist, everyone else stayed dry. This was after a day of the heaviest rains of the year.
13 Feb 2016	Great	Shallow wading	None	Special challenges	6 hours	7 people Beginner to Advanced	DMonroy (188 reports)
Comment: Great little canyon. We ran this immediately after Cliffs of Insanity (both on the same day) about 11 hours total from the camp site at stovepipe wells and back. We estimated it would take 6 hours to just do the one canyon, at a good pace. The anchors were all good. The one pothole at the bottom got all the men in the group wet. Only the two gals remained dry with some assist on rope.
21 Feb 2015	Great	Dry	None	Advanced	8 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Alwinacuna (4 reports)
Comment: Awesome canyon! Must be experienced in advanced anchor building to do this canyon.
2 Jan 2015	Amazing	Dry	Rain jacket	Normal	6 hours	5 people Intermediate to Expert	Tiffanie (139 reports)
Comment: Great canyon with lots of potholes. All of them are either dry or bypasssable so none of them are keepers. Anchors are in good condition. The potholes make the canyon more memorable than the "typical" Death Valley canyon.This is a good canyon to do during the Winter (assuming no water in the potholes) as it can be done in a day with a reasonable start and end time (we started at 9 and finished by 3 pm). You can check out the sand dunes to extend the day if desired.