Beveridge Canyon Hike

[Beardilocks]

This is actually an amalgamation or two hikes I took in Beveridge Canyon in Feb 2018 and Jan 2019.  An absolutely incredible place and a wild wet oasis for the Death/Saline Valleys.  Definitely on a very short list of hikes that involve getting completely drenched.  Lol.


I was chased across Saline Valley in Feb 2018 and sought shelter from the 50mph winds up Beveridge Canyon.  It was definitely calmer up at the old camp than down in the valley, as long as you weren't right in front of the opening to the narrows where the wind was screaming out at crazy speeds. The sounds it made were really haunting. The ensuing dust gave the old camp at here very post-apocalyptic feel that was more than a little unsettling for my first time in Saline Valley.  









Saline Valley is out there somewhere...





Home Sweet Home for the night.


The first fall takes a bit of a walk on a slippery ledge to get around.


The next fall is MUCH higher and requires a long loose scramble to bypass.


Looking back to Saline Vally from near the top of the scramble.


At the top looking back.  I can see my house (truck) from here! 


First small narrows.




A cute little grotto here that will stop anyone not willing to climb a bit.  I don't usually trust any rope left in place, but this one looked fairly new So i gave it a whirl.  It's not a huge climb by any means.


The stunning wet narrows.  I had to do a bit of will-it-or-wont-it get over the top of my boots wading to get here.  I brought water shoes the next year.


First pool that you have to 'swim'.  It was definitely deeper than crotch deep and it was COLD.


Hiking partner coming through.


Next set of obstacles.


Ladder Falls.  The "ladder" has long since aged past usefulness.  But the Goonies-style handholds cut in the rock allowing you to climb up the actual waterfall are stunning.  It had me wondering if I was still deep in the Inyo Mountains or at Pirates of the Caribbean adventure park in FL.  The temp of the water reminded me of EXACTLY where I was.  Lol.  





End of the hike.  I read that the chock stone is climbable at the right skillset but we called it a day.


On the way out we found an old automobile graveyard in a wash.  Nothing really salvageable at this point...

[Daymoth]

Woah.
I was expecting a zombie to show up in some of those photos.
Amazing.

And then it becomes so lush!

[TacoLand]

Had a great time camping at Beveridge with friends a few years ago. We did that hike right up to the chock stone you stopped at. We had a warmer day and it was pretty pleasant all around. I ended up doing all the water portions barefoot to avoid the wet boots issue. Spending the night at Beveridge was a total trip ... definitely got that Saline Valley vibe going on.

[MojaveGeek]

Great pix. It is amazing to be in such a wet place out there. I got stopped by the grotto falls but it was still really fun exploring. Nice job(s)!

[GowerGulch42]

Incredible stuff. Looks like a good time!

[netllama]

Wow, so much water! Thanks for sharing this old hike.

[DeathValleyDazed]

An absolutely incredible place and a wild wet oasis for the Death/Saline Valleys.  

This is one of the most mystifying and captivating trip reports I've seen and I bet you did not even capture half the highlights of your adventure. I loved all of the images but the one with the children's swing set captured my heart the most. That's the first I've seen of any DEVA artifacts dedicated to the children of the old time miners. I hope others exists. My experience with DEVA old relics is minimal at best.

I appreciate whoever took the time to hack out those hand and foothold out of solid rock. I have mixed feelings about leaving a rope behind like those who preceded you. Above Artist Palette to the southeast is a major dry fall draining half of the Borax Benchmark. From above I scrambled downstream to peer over the narrow lip of the chasm only to find a heavy duty strap wrapped and rotting around the last choke stone. I suppose canyoneers had left it after their decent down the fall. It was not only unsightly but now unsafe due to weathering. Oh well?

I noticed that netllama has cross posted this loverly thread over at r/DeathValleyNP for more lovers of the park to enjoy.