Typhon Canyon South Fork 3AIII, Death Valley National Park

Typhon — a serpent monster and one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology — spawned many famous monsters, and this canyon spins its own monstrous offspring in the form of canyon forks. A day full of downclimbs, sliding scree piles, rappels, and descent into the white lands below 0 elevation. There are three classic routes to Typhon Canyon with evidence of up to 5 forks within the reaches of this drainage.

Starting the day at the top of Dante's Peak gives way to incredible sunrise views and mountain range colors — some of the best in Death Valley. We chose the South Fork after hearing there was a natural arch to rappel through. After a few scree piles and some route-finding, we got into the South Fork.

The colors within the walls were striking — circular and wave-like patterns that appear hydrothermal in nature, likely from mineralized spring water millions of years ago. We found almost 20 rappels in total, changed some anchors, and refreshed material. The canyon had its narrow moments but stayed pretty open for much of the descent. The biggest drop was under 200ft. Nettle leaf was in full effect — some caught leaves in their armpits! Completed in 10 hours. A good canyon but I prefer Charon, Deimos, and Cerberus. Check Ropewiki for beta.