Charon Canyon 3AIII, Death Valley National Park

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 top end of the canyon in about 2.5 hours. The canyon had over 15 rappels and we were quite impressed with the narrow sections and colored walls. Big views and colored walls are typical of the Black Range but this canyon was more narrow in nature.

I found this canyon to be one of my favorites in the Black Range — probably top 5 best in Death Valley. The biggest drop was around 145ft with numerous drops at or over 100ft. The canyon dropped fast with a lot of boulder hopping and steep downclimbing. Never got redundant. Made it back within 9 hours.

Bottom-up appears to be less work overall — the exit back to the car was only 0.3 miles, avoiding a lengthy shuttle. Having everyone carry a length of rope and extra webbing allows for more efficient canyoneering. Best time to visit is winter months — it gets hot by April. Put Charon on your Death Valley list!