Black Void Canyon 3AII, Death Valley National Park

Black Void Canyon is a fantastic half-day canyon located within Death Valley National Park in the Grapevine Mountains, accessed via Fall Canyon — a fantastic canyon to hike in itself. There are some great canyons feeding into Fall Canyon with big views and rapid-fire rappels. My top recommendations from this range: Crater of Doom (#1), Black Void (#2), Deep Chasm (close third), and Dark Shadow (#4).

The trailhead starts from Fall Canyon parking and heads off-trail up the mountain with 700-800ft elevation gain. At the top, a cross-country hike leads around to the tail end of Black Void. Be certain you descend the RIGHT canyon — the wrong drainage could leave you short on rope.

The first rap is around 150ft into a deep narrow corridor — two tiers, so get the rope to the bottom with the first person. Next three raps are under 100ft. The second-to-last anchor needs to be rebuilt with webbing around the boulder. The final rap is 250-260ft — bring a 330ft rope. Always check ropewiki.com for current rope lengths and beta before visiting this canyon.