Death Valley's canyons hold more than geological wonders — some contain rare and significant rock art. This technical canyon descent revealed petroglyphs and a distinctive figurine carved into the canyon wall, likely created by indigenous peoples who traveled these desert drainages hundreds or thousands of years ago. Encountering rock art in a technical canyon setting underscores how important it is to move through these places with intention and care. Every rappel, every foo

Lookout Cave is a 60 ft cave that just leaves the light zone in the desert Southwest. This is not much of a cave in terms of cave length, but it is indeed a cave and it may have been used for shelter purposes by Native Americans. There are a few caves in this area and this one in particular is quite broken up. Worth noting for documentation purposes.

The Caves of the Eastern Sun are a new grouping of small caves and shelters found in the desert Southwest. I wouldn't have even given these features a name if it wasn't for the last shelter found in this grouping. The last shelter was highly decorated — quite possibly one of the most decorated shelters I have found. It never left the light zone but for cave documenting purposes, it is notable. The ascent was quite steep — one of the more rugged approaches in the Southwest. We

Cueva De La Sol is a new Nevada cave — one large room that is quite decorated with interesting geology toward its floor. There is a dry bed where a small body of water once existed. Within that dry bed are some interesting relics of the past and clues to how our ancient predecessors existed. Formations, flowstone, and some larger decorations coat the walls and ceiling within the corners of the cave. The name came from the sunbeams that illuminate the large room — a stunning n

Big Spring is one of the larger springs in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. It's a deep, clear, warm spring home to some species of fish including pupfish. Water boils from the bottom of the spring up into this cauldron and creates a stream flowing from its resurgence — a rare and beautiful natural phenomenon in the Mojave desert landscape.

Looking down from our starting point: a beautiful beach, clear flowing water, and the sun's reflection off the riffles. The UPS trail is quite steep but straightforward as you lose more elevation than distance. We hiked around and down to the beach by late morning. The team headed back up to check out South Canyon narrows while I stayed at the beach to enjoy some solitude and relaxation. The following day we crossed the Colorado River via pack raft to gain 29 Mile Canyon. We

Death Valley canyoneering is always a great winter option when every other canyon within hundreds of miles is snow-covered. The Black Range provides great canyon options for big views and a relatively easy approach — as long as you select the canyon with a shuttle. Hades Canyon starts at the top of Dante's View — you literally get out of your car and start heading down toward Badwater Basin. The Black Range canyons start to all blend in together after you've done over 10 cany

Nevada holds a lot of secrets, especially under the surface of its bold and rugged terrain — 314 mountain ranges and caves continuously being discovered. Room with a View Cave has a small hole leading to one decorated room. To enter you have to downclimb an 8ft somewhat sketchy entry into this one terminal room. This is a great cave to start with when visiting this region, as other decorated caves exist nearby including Lair of the Minotaur, Icarus Cave, and Sneak Peak Cave.

Group intends to RAPPEL! Some might notice this insistent statement when in receipt of this right of passage into the gates of this sacred landscape. I am humbled to live near a place where inverse stone walls made of our own world's history protect and contain their unyielding enchantment, to allow the fierce from within to run free — as most of the world watches from above. Some places are so remote they are not announced. What is in a name given to a destination? A questio

Abysmal Canyon is a Death Valley classic located in the Black Range near Furnace Creek. The Black Range provides great canyon options with big views and different perspectives of Badwater Basin. Death Valley canyons tend to mix in visual aesthetic — come with a particular interest in geology, ancient geologic history, and baron big-view desert and you will be rewarded. Abysmal Canyon has been on the radar for a while due to the 250ft drop encountered within. We approached fro

Icarus was one of the builders assigned to create the labyrinth that the Minotaur was brought to dwell. Icarus Cave is another Nevada cave within a couple hundred feet of Lair of the Minotaur. We have been unable to connect these two caves together despite exploration efforts, but we have found over 100 feet of decorated passage with a potential lead continuing further. The area is proving to be a highly promising Nevada cave cluster.

The Lair of the Minotaur is a new Nevada cave located within a couple hundred feet of Icarus Cave, Sneak Peak Cave, and Room with a View Cave. The entrance is quite decorated — a rare occurrence, especially in Nevada. This cave is quite decorated throughout its 300+ feet of passage, which is quite significant for Nevada. One of the most interesting features is an in-cave pit called 'Beyond a Shadow of Drop Pit' — around 50ft deep — leading cavers down into a decorated room, t

Eye of Goliath and Sling of David are two newly discovered Nevada caves found in close proximity to one another. The Eye of Goliath features a distinctive large oval entrance that frames the desert landscape — hence the name. The Sling of David cave nearby continues the biblical naming theme for this cluster of desert cave discoveries. Both caves have interesting geological features and represent continued exploration progress in Nevada's desert cave landscape. Location remai

The Southwest desert continues to yield secrets to those willing to search. This particular cave had been previously documented but lost to time — no active survey, no known location in modern records. Finding it again required cross-referencing old geological survey notes with field work on the ridge. The cave interior showed evidence of both natural formation processes and prior human visits. Formations inside remained largely intact and the passage structure gave good clue

Nevada caving! A vast desert country full of geologic and ancient history. Caves within the borders of Nevada are usually quite small but quite decorated in nature. An interesting fact about Nevada is that most of the state is yet to be discovered within the caving community. The secrecy within the caving community and other organizations remains at a stalemate. I can only hope that one day we will be able to work together as a unified community to continue to preserve and co

Red Breaks is a beautiful non-technical canyon in Escalante, Utah. Swirling red/orange narrow corridors and beautifully sculpted walls make this a must-do in the region. There are multiple ways to enter Red Breaks — one is the traditional route from Harris Wash up to the canyon. You climb as high as you can and head back when you've had enough, or make it to the end. Another route is from Spencer Flats, where you cross-country to the top of Red Breaks and descend down into th

At 114 degrees, David Harris and I set out to find a sinkhole in the desert which appeared to have features suggesting it could be at least a sinkhole. Once we got there, we confirmed it — a sinkhole with shade! Much-needed relief from the brutal heat. We got into the sink and found a room just inside the bottom. We immediately started to hear a loud rattle. A Grand Canyon rattlesnake appeared and looked quite displeased with our presence. The passage appeared to start to clo

Hanging from a cliff, I looked down and noticed what I had seen from below — a grassy landing with a sloping lip that led to a vertical fall of hundreds of feet. I knew I was in the right place. As I bent around the corner and got off rope, my anticipation skyrocketed. It was everything any cave explorer would want to see: new passage, walking passage, no sign of previous visitation, and a gaping hole as far as I could see. Running down the sloping walking passage, my light a

Hog Canyon is a short dry canyon near Parker Canyon in Arizona. The first sequence of rappels has a nice entry into the canyon, followed by some scenic pinks and reds in the wall. The loop makes this an easy canyon to complete within an hour or two. Make sure your orientation is accurate and that you go down the right drainage. No shuttle is needed. I wouldn't call this a destination canyon but it's a good filler for an hour or two of fun. Check beta websites for more accurat

Last canyon on this trip and it featured a scenic two-stage rappel entrance drop into the canyon. The views were nice and the drops were dramatic, but graffiti in the canyon was not great — a contrast from the other canyons and a reminder of how technical competency and community culture play a part in protecting canyons across the canyoneering world. There were a few sections where the canyon became scenic but overall the entrance rappels were the best part. A good contrast