During each of my visits to Death Valley during the year, I try to spend a few nights attending the excellent ranger programs and slideshows at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. Charlie, Alan, and the other park rangers have put a lot of work into sharing some of their stories and photos with everyone. During one of the slideshows, I saw that Sidewinder Canyon was one of the park locations featured, and it inspired me to take my friend Brandon and go check it out during my trip last October. There is actually a handout that you can get at the Visitor Center if you are ever interested in visiting this location. After leaving our car at the parking lot, which is about 10-15 minutes south of Badwater, we hiked up towards the canyon, as you can see in the map picture. We visited three of the slot canyons, and let me tell you, some of them are pretty intense. When Charlie told me to bring a flashlight with me, I was a bit skeptical. But I decided to listen and was glad that I did. You definitely need a flashlight to get through some of the passageways, which are pitch black. During the first visit with Brandon, we only did the first official slot. So, in March of 2009, I returned with my wife Daria, my youngest sister Tiffany, and a fellow hiker so that we could finish the second and third slots. It was during this second visit that we accidentally discovered the Elephant's Head, as revealed in some of the pictures below.
The red arrows show the correct route from the parking lot into Sidewinder Canyon:
Somewhere in Sidewinder Canyon is the Elephant's Head, something which we did not discover until our second visit:
A close-up of the trunk of the elephant. As you can see, this formation needs to be protected, so that's why we have decided not to reveal the location of the Elephant's Head. I will say that it is extremely difficult to find:
Steve resting on the trunk of the Elephant's Head in Sidewinder Canyon:
This is a view of the opposite side of the Elephant's Head:
Near the beginning of Sidewinder Canyon:
The third slot on the right which we passed on the way up was actually the 1st official slot according to the park handout. This one was challenging to get in, as we had to climb and crawl through a boulder jam:
The 1st slot canyon had some dark areas right from the start:
But it was near the end that we entered one of the darkest canyon passages we had ever encountered in Death Valley:
Looking up in this passageway we could see light and the sky above us, just barely:
Steve pushing on to try to reach the end of this slot:
Yes, the light was needed to make it, otherwise you could trip over obstacles and dry falls in the first slot while trying to reach the end. It was pitch black in here:
This is the entrance to the 2nd slot. It has a very menacing look to it right from the start:
We immediately passed through some very narrow and high walls:
The next two pictures show you what it is like to look up at the small openings high above you:
The next two pictures show the Spring flowers and greenery which were present in Sidewinder Canyon in between the 2nd and 3rd slots:
Tiffany tired after a long hike, as she rests on a rock outside of the 3rd slot of Sidewinder:
The next two pictures reveal the narrow, high, twisty walls which were present in the 3rd slot:
The 3rd slot also had some doorways and inside loops which were fun to experience:
Looking up at the sky from inside the 3rd slot:
Steve and Daria sharing a moment outside of the entrance to the 3rd slot:
The next three pictures give you some of the views of upper Sidewinder Canyon, after the 3rd slot:
Tiffany and Steve together once again in Death Valley. There's something special about being with dear family members which makes trips here the most meaningful:
It is definitely worth it to continue up Sidewinder Canyon after the 3rd slot, as the canyon was really narrow and interesting. This picture was taken very close to the end of the canyon:
Here in Sidewinder Canyon we found the first Desert Five-Spot of the season on March 14, 2009: