BACKCOUNTRY & 4X4

Posted by Last Chance Rand on November 07, 2001 at 17:04:54:

Trail Report for: Pleasant Canyon/South Park Canyon Loop

A strong but localized rainstorm over Labor Day did quite a number on a couple of spots, raising the difficulty level a notch. Pleasant Canyon hasn't been this tough in a long while!

The riparian section near the start of Pleasant Canyon was most affected. The stream bed was rearranged with taller ledge steps and many more loose and wet soccer-ball sized rocks. Compounding the difficulty was the severely overgrown vegetation filling one's windshield and limiting visibility to only a few feet ahead. Given the desire to maintain momentum, this gave little time for decision making and picking lines. I needed every bit of my rear locker for this stretch.

The cabin at the World Beater Mine is in great shape -- new floor, walls, roof, and quite clean. The rest of Pleasant Valley's cabins were so-so.

The upper stretch of Pleasant Canyon, around Rita's cabin, was well rain grooved down the center, but OK with high clearance. The ridge run to the south of Rogers Pass saw all tracks washed away.

South Park Valley's "runway" was terribly silty -- the kind of fine dust that completely envelopes a softtop vehicle and chokes the breath out of you. I strongly recommend using either of the two go-arounds on the north side of the valley, unless you truly enjoy cleaning your air filter.

Descending South Park Canyon was fine until the narrows below the Briggs & Thorndike camps. Here a few staircases were taller than usual and helper rocks were washed away. It would be a difficult ascent, as the sand is soft and deep in front of each rock stair step.

Surprisingly, the graded route from the canyon narrows to the Ballarat Road was also very beat up due to severe rain groves and washouts in the switchbacks. I used first and second low all the way to the valley floor.

Including a brief detour part way down Big Horn Canyon, the loop required nine hours to travel solo. I saw no other travelers that day, but missed Joel the Desert Drifter by only a few days.

DeathValley.com Trail Reports are provided without warranties or representations. Although our scouts are invited by DeathValley.com to submit trail reports, their accounts and findings are not necessarily verified. Any opinions they express are those of their own and do not necessarily represent the opinion of DeathValley.com. Visiting the backcountry of the Death Valley region can be dangerous without proper preparation, and driving on backcounty roads may cause damage to your vehicle. DeathValley.com and its trail scouts are not responsible for any resulting property damage, injury or loss of life.