North Fork of Abysmal Canyon, Death Valley National Park

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 from the bottom to eliminate the need for a shuttle. The North Fork was more accessible — 2 rappels dropping us into the main fork, while the South Fork has 5 raps. Both forks converge at the main fork where the big drops are: a 160ft to a large staging ledge, followed by a 250ft rap which was quite ledgy with small sections of vertical. The remaining canyon had drops under 100 feet, one after another. Finished in around 9.5 hours. Always replace webbing — lots of raps exposed to desert sun weather quickly.