Necrophilia Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A IV (v3a1 IV) Raps:3, max ↨140ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance Rock type:Limestone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Nov-Mar (avg for this region)
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36.7160, -117.3383
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Introduction[edit]
A very long walk to a canyon with minimal technical portions. The canyon is reminiscent of Titus Canyon in places (wide open, with grand tilted layers), and of the upper part of Fall Canyon in others (smooth, twisting limestone narrows). There are some fossils in the limestone. It is a very beautiful canyon, but you must love hiking, since it is really a very long hike with a brief canyoneering section.
Approach[edit]
From Stovepipe Wells, drive Cottonwood - Marble Canyon Road through the first narrows, and park. Deep sand in sections of the road mean it is really only appropriate for high clearance 4X4, but brave Subarus do it also.
Follow track to walk up a wash for a . . . very . . . long . . . time. Took us 4:30 to get to the saddle.
From saddle, walk downhill. It becomes a canyon, and eventually gets you to a rappel. (2:15 after leaving saddle to first rappel).
Descent[edit]
R1 (140 feet) from two bolts LDC. Drops a down a scenic, vertical limestone chute. Watch for horn coral fossils in the rappel.
R2 (75 feet of rope over two short stages) is immediately at bottom of R1. We constructed cairn anchor.
R3 (30 feet) counterbalanced rappel from a giant chockstone.
Partner assist downclimb
Technical part of the canyon took less than an hour.
Exit[edit]
Suggest using One Drop Canyon as the exit from Necrophilia, because this shortens the total distance. If doing that, about 15 minutes after exiting canyon turn right (south) at a confluence. Hike up hill to a saddle, then down other side. One Drop Canyon has one rappel (about 70 feet), and is just walking after that. After exit of One Drop, turn right (south) and hike up and down alluvial fans to get back to Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Road. Recommend not sticking too close to the mountain face, as this repeatedly leads you to cliffs in loose alluvium.
Red tape[edit]
Roadside camping in Cottonwood or Marble Canyons requires a permit for a designated campsite. Backpacking the Cottonwood-Marble loop also requires a permit. If you choose to do this as an overnight, you probably don't need a permit, but wouldn't hurt to call the park and ask.
It is illegal (now) to place bolts in Death Valley National Park unless you are replacing unsafe pre-existing bolts.
Beta sites[edit]
Super Amazing Map : Necrophilia
Trip reports and media[edit]
Trip Report on 3-24-12:
Background[edit]
Explored Scott Swaney & team on 3-24-12. However, this was not a first descent. They found two bolts at LDC above the big rappel.
Hikers call this Big Fall Canyon.