The Ruby Range in Nevada is a remote and geologically interesting mountain range with significant karst potential. On a recent exploration trip, I was able to locate and document several new caves within this range, adding to the growing inventory of Nevada's cave landscape. The caves of the Ruby Range represent another chapter in the ongoing documentation of Nevada's subterranean world. Location remains undisclosed for protection and conservation purposes. If you are interes

As Vizzini once said — 'Inconceivable!' The Princess Bride Range in Death Valley has some very interesting canyons within a half-day's reach from a given trailhead. Each canyon is named after a theme from the movie, and this one holds a particular feel that begs the term. When you look over the edge of the final sequence it almost gives the impression that it's inconceivable to possibly get down — but the angles are not as bad as they appear and this canyon makes for a great

Lucky Nickel Cave is another newly discovered Nevada cave. The location is undisclosed — if you are interested in learning more about caving, please reach out or contact your local grotto for more information. This cave appears to have a collapse entrance but has over 300 feet of passage. The cave was initially walking passage and continued to meander around a breakdown mound. I did not see traditional speleothem formations inside this cave, but I did find a selenite crystal

Nevada is becoming a bit more karsty and interesting the more I step into its implied desolation. My curiosity brought me to an undisclosed range where I was able to locate 5 new caves: Red Star Cave (50ft den), Death Star Cave (room with passages), Hidden Star Cave (main cave, 700+ ft), Supa Star Cave (short air-sucker), and Stink Star Cave (60ft with a potential lead). Hidden Star Cave has many passages and takes on a maze-like configuration — over 700 feet surveyed. The Ro

Death Valley doesn't seem to have much in terms of life or activities for the outdoor-inclined, but within the barren desert and massive geologically ancient views are some fantastic canyoneering routes. The Black Range has some interesting routes accessible from the top with a shuttle or from the bottom by hiking up. Charon Canyon had been on the list for a while — a bottom-up hike was suggested as the best approach. The hike was steep — 2,800ft of gain — and we reached the

Losing over 2,400 feet of elevation in a mile of distance might not sound so bad — but after you have experienced the Grand Canyon and its tributaries, the formidable nature humbles the best of us and demands a kind of ad hoc agility that expands our very mental composure. Now add 30 lbs of expensive and delicate diving gear to your pack. The team of four that supported this dive effort included experienced cavers: Chad Dubberson, Jamie Goodwin, Astro Rosaire, and Jeff Harris

Combed by water and wind, sandstone has quite the mysterious way of sculpting some of the most intricate designs within the desert Southwest. Non-technical canyon hikes are good to grab from time to time. Round Valley Draw is a non-technical hike through some beautiful sandstone layers. There is some downclimbing involved but it is mainly a straightforward hike through some really nice narrows with wonderfully cut strata layers throughout the canyon. Continuing down the canyo

Mudstone and siltstone canyons are few and far between in the world of canyons. Arachnaphobia Canyon in Death Valley is a rare and unusual canyon carved from soft sedimentary layers — a unique experience that stands apart from the typical sandstone and limestone canyons of the Southwest. The geology tells a story of ancient lake beds and desert ephemeral deposits, sculpted over time into something truly one of a kind.

Christopher Creek is an excellent C-class canyoneering route that takes you through more of an open gorge-like canyon with jumps and waterfalls to negotiate. A thick wetsuit is what we all grabbed for this run down the canyon — a much-needed necessity. Faced with a few rappels and jumps, working our way down the canyon was like a waterpark full of slime and hopeful expectations. Plenty of areas to get out of the canyon to warm up if needed and enjoy just what you are going th

Fat Man's Misery — something about this place elevates the gravity to visit BOTH forks of this canyon. This is hard to come by when you know me well enough to know that visiting multiple canyons in a day is something I do not typically do. Both forks of Fat Man's Misery are worth doing — and the East Fork in particular delivers stunning Zion sandstone scenery, technical rappels, and cold water pools. Something about this canyon demands you do both. A classic Zion experience.

Typhon — a serpent monster and one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology — spawned many famous monsters, and this canyon spins its own monstrous offspring in the form of canyon forks. A day full of downclimbs, sliding scree piles, rappels, and descent into the white lands below 0 elevation. There are three classic routes to Typhon Canyon with evidence of up to 5 forks within the reaches of this drainage. Starting the day at the top of Dante's Peak gives way to incredi

Visiting the Grand Canyon can be quite the experience when traveling its less-than-occupied entry points. Some of these roads take you to places people may not even know exist. Viewing the Grand Canyon is such a dynamic experience that it could take years just to get a realistic perspective of its presence. Some may never know its many personalities. Twin Point is one of those places that takes quite some time to access — 90 miles of dirt road stretching from St George to thi

Nevada has had many cave secrets locked away for some time. A number of caves were lost in archives and documentation was vague on the whereabouts of many caves until recently. I was able to relocate Charley's Folly Cave, which led to a number of new discoveries in the region — Cine Shaft, Old Glory Hole, Hiko Sink, Lava Dreams Pit, Lucky Nugget Pit, Twin Pits, Angel Lake Pit, Cirque Cave, Lost Hope Cave, and more. Lavender Cave had been one of the more elusive — many attempt

Have you ever arrived to run canyons in a Prius and wondered where you could access a canyon that only takes a couple of hours? Fry Canyon on Cedar Mesa is one of the most accessible canyons in southeast Utah. We literally rolled out of the car into the canyon from the highway — my hat even blew into it from the car. Immediately we encountered a short but scenic section of narrows requiring no ropes. We went under the highway bridge and the canyon opened back up. There's an e

The Ibex Dunes are located in a remote region inside Death Valley National Park territory — surprisingly close to a main road, yet packed into a corner of a mountain range that makes them pristine and overlooked by the casual visitor. About 8 miles of combined 2WD high-clearance dirt road leads to a parking spot, then a hike across the desert to the dunes. The old road leading right to them has been left unmaintained to filter out more visitors, but the determined are rewarde

The day is young as we lift our unusually light backpacks and head down into a canyon where no technical equipment is required. Hiking down into White Canyon, the varnished walls and cream-colored sandstone characterize this region with amazing vibrance and solitude. An overcast of hazy clouds brought some question to our pursuit — we waited on a ledge to observe the cloud cover so we wouldn't be caught in a flash. Weather reports said no rain, but what was above us told a sl

Continuing on our Prius canyoneering tour, we stopped off the highway and got into Morocco Canyon — possibly one of the shortest canyons I have visited. Don't let that sway you away. For its relative shortness, the scenic and straightforward rappels make this one a must-stop along the way. The approach was only a few hundred feet of gain and the raps were short. There are small sections of beautiful narrow corridors and an interesting arch right in the middle of the canyon. D

Red Hollow Canyon can be done as a non-technical canyon hike from the bottom or as a technical canyoneering route descending from the top. The headwall is a beautiful 300ft drop into the canyon itself — this particular drop will wake up any jaded canyon junkie, as the wall bells out just 20 feet under the lip. I went into an awkward spin and ended up twisting around the rope at least 20 times. What was left of the canyon had some scenic narrows — short lived — then opened bac

Looking down our route into the canyon, the descent is further than the horizontal distance to travel. The sun gives way to radiant heat while the shadows provide free air-conditioning at this time of year. Wear proper clothing to contain the warmth you produce. Although I am drinking less water in the usual attempt to cool down, we still need to find a seep or pothole filled with water. Once we stepped down into the canyon we shouted for joy as the twisting walls became thin

Sneak Peak Cave is a sneak peak into the region's underworld as a small concentration of caves were discovered in this area. This cave is over 100 feet in length and opens into small decorated rooms with leads continuing further. A promising area for ongoing Nevada cave exploration.