Conditions:Typhon Canyon (North Fork)-20251117233716
Latest: |
16 Nov 2025 (23 days ago) |
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| Reported by: | Jhoffer (4 reports) | |
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| Quality: | Great |
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| Waterflow: | Dry |
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| Wetsuit: | None |
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| Water temperature: | ||
| Difficulty: | Special challenges |
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| Time: |  13 hours
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Team: 2 people with experience level Intermediate
Trip report URL:
Comments: This canyon has a lot of potential. The vast majority of real rappels occur in the lower half of the canyon (around ~1500ft elevation) which is fairly near the confluence of the Typhon forks. I would highly recommend updating the recommended beta to be a 50% sneak: 1. No shuttle - just hike up to R6 roughly at 1500ft elevation. (TODO: update KML) 2. Hike up a bit to drop down into R6 or look for a decent R0 to drop in.
The full canyon report (completed bottom up).
- Ascent is challenging; took us 4 hours.
- LOTS of downclimbing in the upper 1500ft (R1-R5) - none of these are counted in the 19 rappel count.
- After R6, the rappels are much more frequent.
- Nearly all "necessary" anchors are in good enough shape. Many are very marginal so INSPECT and BACKUP 100%.
- There are a few sketchy setups that look like 2 stage rappels with awful rope pull. It's possible we just missed the lower anchor. But be prepared to (1) re-build anchors and (2) down-climb exposed >10' feet ledges. Down-climbing saves time but anchors save lives so prepare accordingly.
- Webbing was in good shape.
- This was after a day of 1" rainfall so a few puddles here and there but nothing unavoidable. Normally I'd expect it to be 100% dry.
- Most rappels have bushes or good natural anchors but some small ledge areas DO NOT. You may need to build a rock or knot chalk.
Again, a sneak to R6 will cut the time and effort in half while likely giving you more time to setup rappels in the second half. After 10+ hours, we found ourselves taking exposed down-climbs instead of building anchors.
For the approach and exit, I recommend parking directly at the "wash" of the canyon if possible - this has a lot fewer rocks then the rest of the valley.
All condition reports
| Date | Quality | Waterflow | Wetsuit | Difficulty | Time | Team | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great | Dry
| None
| Special challenges | 13 hours
| 2 people Intermediate | Jhoffer (4 reports) | |
Comment: This canyon has a lot of potential. The vast majority of real rappels occur in the lower half of the canyon (around ~1500ft elevation) which is fairly near the confluence of the Typhon forks. I would highly recommend updating the recommended beta to be a 50% sneak:
1. No shuttle - just hike up to R6 roughly at 1500ft elevation. (TODO: update KML) 2. Hike up a bit to drop down into R6 or look for a decent R0 to drop in. The full canyon report (completed bottom up).
Again, a sneak to R6 will cut the time and effort in half while likely giving you more time to setup rappels in the second half. After 10+ hours, we found ourselves taking exposed down-climbs instead of building anchors. For the approach and exit, I recommend parking directly at the "wash" of the canyon if possible - this has a lot fewer rocks then the rest of the valley.
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| | | | 11 hours
| 11 people | Cheveran (97 reports) | ||
Comment: Great day out in Typhon (top down) with a rondy team. We replaced webbing where needed.
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| Amazing | Dry
| None
| Special challenges | 12 hours
| 4 people Intermediate to Advanced | Dfreeman1232 (5 reports) | |
Comment: Wow! What a beautiful canyon! The colorful rock formations, ample number of big drops, and fun downclimbs make the North Fork one of the best canyons in the Black Mountains. We got an early start and were on the trail by 6:04a. The approach is a grind on the knees. We arrived at the technical portion of the descent at around 10:00a after having some food and relaxing a bit. 19 rappels were set up (even though a couple of the raps could be downclimbed) and the anchors are currently in great shape. Kudos to whomever set them up recently as all are fully inspectable and strong despite the marginal nature of the set ups: cairns, several rock chocks, a nut, and even a knot chock. Some big drops in the canyon including a 200' that is every bit of 200'. The canyon is one of the best out there, in my opinion. The canyon slots up at times and then opens to amazing views of the basin (and even Lake Manley). The geology is the true wonder though. So many colors, so many beautiful veins and formations. Just stunning.
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| Good | Dry
| None
| Normal  | 10 hours
| 5 people Intermediate to Advanced | DMonroy (188 reports) | |
Comment: Beautiful views from Dante this year. Absolutely gorgeous. We could see the mirror like reflection of telescope peak and the clouds in the lake that is currently in front of Badwater. The first rappel we did not replace the old webbing as we down climbed instead. There was a deadman at the bottom of the canyon that we tried and failed to dig up to replace. So that needs attention. We made a retrievable webbing loop on a horn for one of the lower section rappels, so another group will find nothing there. There is also a chock knot that is super sketchy, so back EVERYTHING up. Otherwise it's ready to go. (we installed about 14 new webbed anchors.)
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| Great | Dry
| None
| Special challenges | 11 hours
| 5 people Beginner to Advanced | AZ Advocate (59 reports) | |
Comment: Excellent canyon - incredibly beautiful and diverse rock formations, engaging and fun rappels, and spectacular scenery. Typical DEVA anchors; large cairns, knot chocks, and other such monstrosities, so bring your nerve and enjoy the sketch.
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| Amazing | Dry
| | | 11 hours
| 9 people | Sri (31 reports) | |
Comment: Spectacular canyon in the black mountains. Beautiful smooth polished slots and narrows. We replaced all the webbing in the upper section, the lower section had more recent webbing below the confluence with the south fork.
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| Amazing | Dry
| | | | Abby Wines (52 reports) | ||
Comment: We hiked down from Dantes View. I had forgotten how beautiful this canyon is, with really nice sculpted sections that were quite extensive. Long day, but worth it.
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