Last week Tom and I hiked up a canyon that isn’t in any of our Death Valley hiking books: Sidewinder Canyon. Several people had recommended this hike and its companion Willow Creek Canyon. Both canyons are located in the southern part of Death Valley south of Badwater Basin and close to Mormon Point.

Sidewinder Canyon is the large canyon just south of the parking area. Avoid the foothills and narrow canyons just east of the parking area. Instead head uphill directly south around the foothills where it's a left hand turn (east) into Sidewinder Canyon in approximately 1,500 ft (457m). Mouth of Sidewinder Canyon. Slot.It 18mm sidewinder spur gears (ergal) are used for sidewinder motor setups where the motor shaft is parallel (or nearly so) to the rear axle. 'Ergal' is a trade name for 7075 aluminum alloy. This sidewinder spur gear has 32 teeth (32T). Selecting a pinion gear to mesh properly with Slot.It 18mm sidewinder spur g.

We drove to mile 31.5 and found the unmarked dirt road off to the left. After driving on that for just a few hundred yards, we came to a former gravel pit (Tom says everything here looks like a gravel pit so how can we tell?). According to the directions we were given, Sidewinder Canyon was to the right of the gravel pit and Willow Creek Canyon was to the left.

The hardest part of the hike was finding the right canyon. The instructions said to hike up the wash to the shallow canyon on the right. All the washes had run together and we could see three different shallow canyons. Which one was correct? We checked the topological map against the directions and decided to head for the farthest shallow canyon.

Just beyond the gravel pit we found an arrow made of rocks that pointed in the direction we were going. Just above it we could see a cairn and after that we followed the cairns to the mouth of Sidewinder Canyon.

Sidewinder Canyon is made of conglomerate rock, worn smooth in some places by the flash floods that come down Mt. Smith through the canyon. There are three slot canyons that branch off the main canyon. The last slot canyon was the most interesting as it got narrower and narrower until it ended in a rock fall that you could only climb up.

The canyon got its name because it winds from side to side as it goes up. The walls of the canyon get closer together until it almost feels like the canyon is turning over on itself as you climb. We also heard that it got its name because there are so many sidewinder rattlesnakes that live in the canyon, but we didn’t see any.

We hiked two miles into the canyon with a 900 foot elevation gain before we turned around to come back. Tom had been hoping to find a shortcut to Willow Creek Canyon, so that we could climb up and over, down into Willow Creek Canyon, and come back out down the canyon. He scrambled around for a while and probably could have done it, but it was more rock climbing than I can do. So we headed back to the mouth of the Sidewinder Canyon the way we had come in.

Sidewinder Slot Canyon

I am always amazed at how different the view going down a canyon is from the view going up. Going up I am focused on the next curve, the next turn, the next rock scramble up. Coming back down you can catch glimpses of the valley beyond the canyon and the mountains that surround everything. Going up I look at the particulars, the details. Coming down I see the bigger picture that always makes our climb seem insignificant in comparison.

The temperature in Sidewinder Canyon was 91, so I was hot and tired by the end of the four mile hike. We decided to save Willow Creek Canyon for another day. There are plenty of canyons to explore in Death Valley.

The highlight of our fourth and final day in Death Valley was hiking with our headlamps, at high noon, into the near-darkness of a deep slot canyon within Sidewinder Canyon.

We woke up on Hanaupah Canyon Road at first light and watched the sunrise for awhile from inside the car. There was a steady breeze blowing down the big valley and it was a bit cold. We decided to find sheltered spot to fire up the stove for breakfast, and drove down to Shorty’s Well, but there weren’t any good spots. And no well, either. So we got back in the car and kept driving.

Windy sunrise panorama video from our campsite

We blasted north on the West Side Road and had fun creating huge clouds of dust along the way. It was a great road to drive on. There were lots of high clouds forming in the sky, and the photography became better.

The road turned northeast and crossed the salt flats of Death Valley. The only plant that can grow down there is the aptly named Pickleweed, which can tolerate the exceptionally briny conditions. Life always finds a way to adapt. We parked at a turnout near the low point of the valley and checked out what looked to be a river of solid salt. I have a feeling that this was why they called it Death Valley. Even the pickleweed wouldn’t grow down there.

We hung a left and headed to Furnace Creek to top up our gas. We almost drove away hungry, but luckily remembered about the meal we put off due to wind. So we found a nearby parking spot that was sheltered by some large bushes and sat down at a picnic table. Civilized dining. We got out the stove and cooked some breakfast. Our stomachs really appreciated it. We were in much better moods after that. Cars and people both need fuel.

Then it was time to head south on Highway 178 for about 40 miles or so. We passed the sites we’d explored on our first day in the park: Artist’s Drive, Natural Bridge, and Badwater. Then I got out the GPS and navigated so we wouldn’t drive past the canyon like we did that first day.

In typical Death Valley style, a truly great spot was announced with a tiny sign and little fanfare. But the road was properly plowed, at least, and that’s also part of their style. We drove up the sandy road and parked in the relatively large dirt lot. At this point there were no signs whatsoever stating which of the canyons in front of us was Sidewinder Canyon. I hate to say it, but this was also their style. Luckily, we had gotten good directions from the interpretive ranger at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center. She knew what we wanted to see, and warned us not to take the obvious canyon directly in front of us. The one we wanted was over on the right side.

Sidewinder Slot Canyons

We parked the car and prepared our daypack with snacks, lunch, and plenty of water. It was looking to be a hot day, so we made sure to dress for the heat. There was only one other car in the parking lot, and it appeared that they had headed up the leftmost canyon. It looked like we would have Sidewinder Canyon all to ourselves! For a short time, anyway. Maybe keeping this area low-profile and poorly signed is a wise move on the park’s part, after all.

The trail up the sloping alluvial fan was fairly obvious and easy to follow. It went uphill, of course, and soon we were sweating. But that’s OK, as they say, because “it’s a dry heat.” We’re not sure if we agree entirely, although a muggy heat would undoubtedly be worse. Just the same, it was warm in the sun, and we were thankful for the breeze at our backs as we entered the canyon itself.

We decided to go directly to the second side canyon, because that was supposed to be the one with the headlamps and darkness. Of course, the canyons weren’t marked with signs of any kind. Luckily, I had my smartphone with the Gaia GPS app running, and I had pre-downloaded the Open Cycle Map layer. The three side trails were shown on that map. So we hoped the map was correct and headed for slot canyon number two.

And it was correct! But deceptively so. When we followed the canyon off to the right, it didn’t go very deep, and it never got dark. In fact, it was barely worthy of the name “slot.” So we came back out and checked the GPS. The trail on the GPS led to the left, not the right. But when we looked, there was only a pile of giant stone blocks on the left. It was a dead end. Or so we thought. Luckily, Vicki doesn’t give up easily, and she wormed her way under those chockstones and discovered that the canyon became more normal after that initial section. She had me pass her my backpack, and I crawled in, as well. NOTE: If you are obese, don’t bother trying to get through. But for everyone else, believe me, you really want to get in there. The slot canyon turned out to be excellent!

Sidewinder Slot Canyon

GoPro video of me scrambling through t