Painted Canyon
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| | Difficulty:2A II (v1a1 II) Raps:0
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None | |||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 22 Nov 2020
"Dirt/Sand road in has soft sections, also when you arrive at trail head, park as soon as possible because road turns to deep sand by trail head. We |
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33.6191, -115.9991
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
Painted Canyon would be a rare semi-technical slot canyon in the Palm Desert, but ladders and ropes have been placed at the drops to allow easier access to the public, although dogs and small kids may have a hard time going down the static ropes. This is an extremely popular trailhead.
Approach[edit]
Take Painted Canyon Road, a fairly rough dirt and sand road off of Box Canyon Road, 4.6 miles to the parking area.
The parking area is just outside the canyon; walk up canyon from your vehicle to a large fork 450 ft from the parking area. Taking the left fork will lead you up onto the plateau above the main canyon while the much larger right fork is the main canyon itself.
Descent[edit]
Most parts of Painted Canyon can be traveled in either direction. The main attraction of this trip are the slot canyon sections, located off the main canyon. There are several routes possible, and all can be done one way or another, but remember that ropes are easier and less scary going UP. Both the Big and Short loop will take you to the most popular section, the Ladder trail through a small slot canyons 0.4 miles from the parking area off the main canyon one RDC.
- Big Loop: If following the LONG route suggested below, you will climb up the static ropes first and visit the ladder section last. NOTE: The entire route shown in the KML has not been verified. Specifically, it may not be possible to climb up to the plateau via the small drainage to the east of ladder trail. In this case, simply proceed down the large canyon and reverse the ladder trail section.
- Short Loop: If you are pressed on time, the short loop will allows you to go through the best and most fun slot canyon sections quickly
- Second Loop: this loop will take you to a less known slot canyon that has 3x more ladders. Less people visit this area, ladder conditions may be less than excellent, bring a handline and be ready to improvise.
Exit[edit]
Following the routes shown on the map will take you back to the parking area. It is suspected that many more slot canyons exist in the area, some may even have more ladders, but they have not been documented.