Willow Creek Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3B III (v3a2 III) Raps:11, max ↨200ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle: Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 14 Feb 2026
"To say that this is one of the lesser Death Valley canyons would be a shame, a shying from effort, or a complete lack of timing for weather and spring |
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| Best season: | Nov-Mar (avg for this region)
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36.0489, -116.6886
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Introduction
Willow Creek Canyon is one of the most unique canyons in Death Valley for the simple fact that it has year-round flowing water. There are several avoidable deep pools and countless small to large waterfalls in the middle of a rocky, barren desert. While not technically difficult, this canyon is sure to please any desert canyoneer.
There is a road that goes right to the start of the canyon, and another road near the end. Using a shuttle is the preferred way to do this canyon.
However, if you don't have a shuttle, or prefer a strenuous approach, you can hike the approach, gaining a minimum of 3,ooo feet, or as much as 4,400 feet, all off-trail, depending on which gully you use to downclimb into the canyon. See the Approach section below for details.
Approach
The recommended approach is to use the two-car shuttle. This approach takes around two hours driving each way (4 hours total) which is quicker, easier, and safer than the foot approach.
However, if you are unable to do the shuttle, approach is possible on foot.
Start early (first light) to avoid the sun and ensure you won't be exiting in the dark.
From the parking lot, trek up on a faint trail towards the canyon. The mountains you'll need to ascend quickly come into view on the north side of the canyon.
Begin the steep climb up the mountains. There is plenty of sharp, loose rock. It's mostly a 45-degree angle. In general, just go up to the highest point, follow the ridge, go up to the next highest point. You're aiming for a saddle visible from the base, but then hidden on much of the climb. The climb should not exceed Class II.
Follow the GPS track up. Once on the ridge, in a saddle, before another big climb, you'll reach a point where you can look directly down a scree-filled gully into the canyon. This is the recommended entrance, called the Gully Entrance. This gully was first scrambled in February 2026, and is expected the become the 'standard' foot approach. Note that it does deposit you below R1. If you wish to do R1, you'll need to spend an extra two hours on the approach to climb another 1200' of vertical and descend an even larger gully just to get R1 and a ton of bushwhacking - definitely not worth it! Plus, the heart of the canyon is R2 onwards, not R1.
In this gully, rockfall potential is very high. It's best to sequence group members, which can make it slow-going. In general, begin going directly down the gully, and gently start contouring to the right (west) around halfway down to avoid a few obvious small cliffs. Nothing in this gully is death-defying. It's steep and filled with loose rocks, and all in the sun, but there is no massive exposure.
This gully deposits you into the canyon, with flowing water. A few minutes walk downcanyon brings you to R2.
Descent
As of 2026, all rappels are bolted. There are around 12-13 rappels, depending on what you choose to downclimb or rappel. There are a few tricky downclimbs where a meat anchor/human pyramid combo may be essential. In most spots, there is ample material for natural anchors in case floods wipe away bolts. Without posting too much beta here, the descent is quite straightforward without any abnormal difficulties.
Exit
After the final rappel, the canyon soon opens up, and it's a ~30-minute walk back to your vehicle, mostly down the initial part of the approach. Hopefully you started early enough so as to not be exiting in the dark.
Red tape
No permits are currently needed to go canyoneering in Death Valley, but please check their website before planning any trip.
Roads in Death Valley are occasionally closed for months, sometimes even years, after flooding. For instance, the road to Willow Creek Canyon was closed from November 2025-February 2026 due to flooding. Please check the 'Road Status' section of the Death Valley website before attempting this canyon.
Beta sites
BluuGnome.com : Willow Canyon- https://www.stavislost.com/hikes/trail/willow-creek-canyon
- Chris Brennen's Adventure Hikes (Southwest) : Willow Creek
- Super Amazing Map : Willow Canyon
- ToddsHikingGuide.com : Willow Creek Canyon
Trip reports and media
First Known Trip to hike up Willow from the bottom, and avoid the long shuttle option dated 2-19-2010:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=scott.swaney&set=a.10164491216522930
Background
Canyon was already bolted when descended by Mark Duttweiler, John Perry, Bob Greer and Chris Brennen in Jan. 2004