[John Morrow]

If anyone has ever done research on potential backpacking in Death Valley two things probably stood out: 1. Water???? 2. Something called the Cottonwood/Marble Loop makes a nice 3 day loop of a few canyons with 2 springs for H2O. However, high clearance is needed for the 28 mile loop w/o needing to hike 16 miles of road out and back. 3. Death Valley, despite nearly 3 million acres, is really known for its dayhikes. I am never one to enjoy a road hike so I wanted to devise a greater loop that left 2WD pavement and saw the highlights of the known route. I'll call this the: Unknown Canyon---E. Fk Cottonwood---Cottonwood---Marble---Deadhorse---Upper Cottonwood---Lemoigne Canyons Loop It goes like this: TH at Emigrant Campground/Ranger Station on CA Hwy 190. This made it about a 45 miler with about 5 miles of side trips. Unknowns: 1. Crossing the incised washes of three miles of bajada from the start. 2. An undocumented canyon climb to the crest of the Southern Ridge of the Cottonwood Mountains (We figured we could scramble ridgelines if the canyon deadended. Our canyon is noted for two white dot blaze rock forms visible from the campground and hwy.). 3. Would Deadhorse spring be flowing or would 7 liters (most we each carried) need to extend into a third day? Well, it goes great and I'd rate it a Classic!!!! Maps:

Loop

Day1

Day2

Day3

Day4a

Note: notations are for clockwise direction, we went counterclockwise. Day 1: From Emigrant Campground across the playa for three miles.

Starting From Emigrant Campground

Aim for the dotted white blaze

Cottonwood Mountains. Death Valley National Park, CA

Back across long playa crossing

Into our canyon with two dryfalls to negotiate, first being 12 feet of fine 5.0 climbing. Oh, I forgot to mention...both are bypassable up a spur bouldery gully.

Cottonwood Mountains, Death Valley NP, CA

Working out the first obstruction

Hauling packs over it

Easier second obstruction

A nice canyon

Then we climbed onto the spur of the Cottonwoods for some brown desert walking until we could descend the E. Fork Cottonwood to Main Cottonwood and its junction with Marble Canyon. We camped at the forks.

Death Valley Wilderness, CA

Crossed that

Onto the brown desert

Moving along

Into the E Fork Cottonwood

Striated walls

Junction Cottonwood Canyon

A fine camp 1

Day 2: Standard Route up Marble Canyon to Deadhorse Canyon to the divide with Upper Cottonwood Canyon. We also meandered, packless, through the fourth narrows of Marble and turned around to finish up Deadhorse. We camped with fine views at the divide. It was a good jumping point for Canyon BM 5890' in the morning. It is something called a DPS Peak.

Marble Canyon

Vic enjoys a camp sunrise

Marble Canyon. Death Valley National Park, CA

Moonset up Marble Canyon, Death Valley NP

First Marble narrows

Pretty Marble Canyon

Marble Canyon. Death Valley National Park, CA

Deep canyon

interesting

Marble Canyon, Death Valley Wilderness, CA

Death Valley National Park, CA

M1

M2

M3

M4

M5

Death Valley National Park, Death Valley Wilderness, CA

Goes on

Neat glueing

Death Valley Wilderness; Death Valley National Park, CA

Death Valley Wilderness; Death Valley National Park, CA

Love long narrows

Marble Canyon, Death Valley Wilderness

Marble Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA

beautiful Marble Canyon DVNP

M6

M7

M8

M9

M10

M11

Marble Canyon, Cottonwood Mountains

sidetrip into fourth narrows

Marbled

More fun

not as deep

crazy marbling

Day 3: Forgot the camera up Canyon BM, oops. Then down Cottonwood Canyon to a beautiful oasis of old growth Cottonwood forest and water!

Looking down Marble from Camp 2

Canyon Benchmark above

Heading down Cottonwood

Shadow line our route up Canyon BM

Descending

Old miners routes

Will head up over there

Oasis!

Here we filled up and left the main route heading up a southern valley of upper Cottonwood to the divide with Lemoigne Canyon.

Water?

Water!

Starting to Lemoigne Divide

A slightly wrong turn

Looking back at Cottonwood

Our mistake: need that wash

Death Valley Wilderness CA

Up to Lemoigne Divide

Big Joshua Tree Flat surprise

Fine camp 3, Upper Lemoigne Canyon

To our surprise we found a wonderful Joshua Tree Flat at the head of Lemoigne for Camp 3. That put us in position to walk up Panamint Butte 6585', another DPS Peak, in the morning. Day 3: Panamint Butte and a descent of Lemoigne Canyon withno difficulties. We even got a 4WD ride at the bottom to avoid the final 3 miles of bajada walking to our cars!

Starting up Panamint Butte

From Panamint Butte, thousands of feet above. Death Valley Wilderness, CA.

North ridge Panamint Butte

Big drop, Lake Hill far far below

Time for Lemoigne descent

Leaving the flat

Enter Lemoigne Canyon

A small narrow

some colors

Big vertical

Increasing depth

Death Valley Wilderness, CA

Lemoigne Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA

nice

twisted earth

a final narrows

almost out Lemoigne Canyon

Lemoigne Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA

I just couldn't have been more delighted how a trip into unknown terrain could work out! Go get it....

[ree]

Wow, I always love a DV trip report. Love your pictures. So are you using a guidebook to find some of these remote areas? Panamint Butte is not exactly on the beaten path. Esp. love the petroglyphs. I had to go on caltopo to see exactly where you were. I can see all the water routes. With recent storms, I wonder if those high elevation places are snow covered now.

[Pyrites]

Holey Moley. Trip had everything. Maybe sheep missing. A route that will last. Beyond being in the desert and having water concerns two short climbs will make for low use. They would stop me. Fun to see that people had lived there without benefit of modern foods and water containers. Did you see any new growing Joshua trees? Or were they all older? Any tracks at water hole?

[John Morrow]

[puzzlr]

Very cool trip! Except for the lack of water, I'd love to do this sometime.