Kamikaze Canyon 3AIII, Death Valley National Park

Kamikaze Canyon is a remote Death Valley canyon on the west face of the Cottonwood Range. Access is down the Racetrack Playa road and across the alluvial fan to the bottom of the range. I want to thank Scott Swaney for pioneering the first descent and providing beta for the second descent — our group's visit was only the second time anyone had been down this canyon in over 5 years. All anchors had to be rebuilt.

We headed out around 0830 and made a steep 2,300ft ascent to the top of the second escarpment to gain canyon access. Steep Death Valley hikes are common for accessing canyons and this was no exception. Once at the top we had a fantastic view of the Sierra Nevada and Whitney from our first drop — around 170ft and nearly all free-hanging.

The canyon narrowed up surprisingly with interesting colors and scenic value. Leviathan Canyon feeds right into the same drainage but we didn't have enough time. Hiked back to the cars in around 6 hours total. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars — worth a drop. Refer to ropewiki.com for accurate beta.