TRIP REPORT PHOTOS
This is where I parked for my hike toward the mouth of Nova Canyon. It was in the wide bend on Hwy 190 as marked on my included map:
After parking, I headed southwest toward the dark hills in the background:
Getting there was easier said than done. It was nonstop hiking across small drainages and through a minefield of loose rocks which are painful to walk on:
However, once I reached the dark hills I did indeed find a nice wash to walk in for a while located directly next to the hillside:
Eventually I came out of the wash and angled toward the left of the small hill on the right side of the picture:
The ups and downs got more intense and tiring by the time I got to this spot. Here I can finally see the wash of Nova Canyon. It is visible only in the right 1/3 of the picture and running left to right. If you're having trouble seeing the wash, it actually crosses past where the large drainage flowing down on the right side of the picture ends:
First look up toward the mouth of Nova Canyon:
Looking back down toward Panamint Valley and Panamint Dry Lake. A hiker coming up to Nova Canyon from the other route would have started near the closer side of Panamint Dry Lake:
A very short distance into Nova Canyon, a critical junction is reached. The wider wash goes straight ahead, but Nova Canyon actually turns to the right here:
Making the turn to the right and entering into the 1st Narrows of Nova Canyon:
The 1st Narrows are composed of conglomerate rock walls, very similar to what is found in Sidewinder Canyon:
Some huge dirt boulders and formations are sitting in the middle of the canyon wash:
Looking back down the 1st Narrows of Nova Canyon with Panamint Valley still visible far in the distance:
Along the right side of the 1st Narrows there were a lot of fluted mud hills reminiscent of Nemo Canyon:
This massive pinnacle rises up, separating the 1st Narrows from the Ridges Section:
The canyon makes a sharp left and heads into the Ridges Section, which goes on for about 1 1/2 miles:
The Ridges Section contains sloping hills going high up each side of the canyon. The hills are divided by drainages and provide for interesting scenery:
Looking down the Ridges Section from a vantage point up high. Look to the left and right sides of this picture and you can see how this is an area of small divided hillsides:
Looking up canyon from the same vantage point. Notice the beautiful ridges in the hills along the right side of the picture heading up canyon:
One more look directly across the wash at the Ridges Section before heading up canyon:
Up ahead the ridges end and the canyon closes in:
Entering the 2nd Narrows of Nova Canyon. The canyon doesn't get extremely narrow until you reach the Gorge Area (for those who can):
First sign that the canyon won't be all conglomerate rock and dirt hills, but that there is actually solid rock here:
As you can see, Nova Canyon is starting to get very pretty and a lot more interesting:
The farther I progressed up canyon, the narrower it was getting:
A pretty combination of orange, red, tan, grey, and other colors:
That's one of the things I really liked about upper Nova Canyon -- the variety of colors on display in the canyon as seen in the next three pictures:
According to my map, the canyon took a sharp right turn here. There was only one problem. A 40 foot high major dry fall was blocking the way:
Two pictures of Steve being dwarfed by the only major dry fall in Nova Canyon:
At this point, it was time to check out the potential bypass route. I headed up the hillside before the dry fall and took this picture looking back down canyon. This is a good spot to turn around and head back down canyon for those who are not comfortable doing treacherous bypasses:
This is the view to the left from the top of the bypass. As you can see, it is not easy to safely scramble down to the top of the dry fall:
The option to the right is even steeper and has loose scree and small boulders. I went this way because there was less exposure and I somehow managed to work my way down. You can see why I rate this bypass as hard in difficulty:
Once back in the canyon, I breathed a huge sigh of relief and went to look over the edge of the major dry fall:
A picture of Steve looking over the edge of Nova Canyon's only major dry fall:
Up ahead is what I call the Gorge Area of Nova Canyon:
The Gorge Area cuts through a section of high cliffs made of solid rock:
Steve in the narrows of the Gorge Area. This is a huge contrast to the dirt hillsides of the lower canyon:
Notice that the rocky hillsides are colorful and full of outcroppings and boulders:
This mixture of red, tan, and black was particularly pretty:
Steve pictured next to an interesting rock formation in the wash:
This was the canyon wall on the left side as I headed out of the gorge:
Looking back, you can see the height of the gorge which I had just passed through:
A mixture of various rock types from the upper canyon:
Massive boulders have rolled down the hillside and reached the wash through here:
Yet another nice looking area to hike through with various types of rock:
Nova Canyon continued to keep my interest as I went higher up in the northern Panamints:
Notice that the hillsides are now transitioning back into dirt from rock:
Up on the hillsides there were still rock formations but to a much lesser degree:
Beyond this spot, the canyon fully changed into uninteresting dirt hillsides. Thus, I turned back. If someone doesn't feel comfortable doing the bypass in Nova Canyon, they can still see the entire canyon by hiking in from the top:
The final four pictures were taken in the midst of nice lighting through the gorge:
