TRIP REPORT PHOTOS
Driving up Dedeckera Canyon to reach the starting point for the hike:
Here is where we parked and set up camp for the night, partway between Steel Pass and the Saline Valley warm springs:
The canyon mouth is seen in the center of this photo, taken the day before our hike:
The next morning we were up before sunrise and hiking towards the canyon:
This panoramic shows the sun rising on the Inyo Mountains over Saline Valley (click to enlarge):
Arriving at the canyon mouth at 6:45am:
Once we got into the canyon, the Inyos were no longer visible. But we had this nice view of the Saline Range:
The sun's first light on Saline Peak above Chalk Canyon:
A colorful red wall early on in the canyon:
Grand View Canyon has a mostly wide wash for the first 1 1/2 miles of hiking:
Up ahead, you can see that there will be a canyon split, with the main canyon turning left and a side canyon heading off to the right:
Looking up at some interesting formations on the hillside:
Notice how there is lots of plant growth within the wash:
The canyon appears to narrow down considerably up ahead:
The left canyon wall leading up to the 1st obstacle had a rugged texture:
Looking back down the canyon at Mel as he hiked through the brush:
And here is the 1st obstacle. Short narrows to the left and challenging dry cascades to the right:
Not knowing which way to go to stay in the main canyon, we first turned to the left:
These narrows were windy, tight, and choked with brush:
View back out towards the main canyon:
Gorgeous polished walls throughout these short narrows:
The variations in rock type and coloring were interesting through here:
The narrows also quickly grew in height:
A very tight, slot-like passage to squeeze through:
The slot dead-ends at this dry fall with no way to bypass it:
Thus, we turned around and headed back out to look for another way:
One of the things which really captured my attention in Grand View Canyon was the amazing rock designs and patterns on the walls, as seen in the next two pictures:
Back out at the junction again and looking up at the route to the right:
A few minutes later, we were staring up at this dry fall which looked quite challenging:
I managed to make it up and am now looking down at Mel as he prepares to attempt it:
From the top of the main 1st obstacle, this is the view looking back down canyon. We weren't looking forward to going back down the dry fall later in the day:
More dry cascades to climb through in the pretty 1st Narrows:
The blue coloring of these 1st Narrows reminded me of the Corridor Canyon narrows about 9 miles to the southeast, also in the Last Chance Range:
Most of the rest of the climbs in the 1st Narrows were fun and enjoyable:
View from the top of the 1st Narrows looking back:
Shortly past that last viewpoint is the steep and somewhat exposed spur trail to Grand View Arch. Due to space limitations, that spur trail is covered in a separate report. Over an hour later, we continued hiking up canyon as seen here:
It wasn't long before we found ourselves immersed in the world of the 2nd Narrows:
Check out the neat looking mosaic rock patterns in the next three pictures:
We timed our entry in to the 2nd Narrows perfectly, as the sun was not yet shining directly overhead. This allowed for better lighting:
I can't emphasize enough how beautiful these narrows were right from the start:
Notice how the canyon walls quickly grew in height in the next two photos:
Another fascinating mixture of colors and patterns:
Grand View Canyon even has its own small slickenside:
I haven't been this fascinated by canyon walls since I hiked Marble Canyon:
These aren't straight narrows like what is found in The Corridor, but rather narrows with many quick turns:
The sunlight was now reaching onto some of the walls outside of the narrows:
A very brief open area in the midst of the narrows:
Notice how the canyon walls are all leaning in one direction:
A beautiful November morning for hiking out in the Saline Valley area:
A small dry fall with a large boulder made up of similar rocks on each side of it:
Imagine the water and forces that it took to polish this rock down so smoothly:
There looked to be a breathtaking section of narrows ahead:
This is why I continue hiking Death Valley year after year, to find beautiful spots just like this that are undocumented:
Simply an amazing combination of colors and polished narrows:
View through the polished gateway of these tighter narrows:
A small gravel wash gives way to rock steps:
I already knew this place was special, but right about now is when Grand View Canyon jumped into my Top 5 canyons within the park:
A panoramic showing a dramatic bend in the Grand View Canyon 2nd Narrows (click to enlarge):
Around every bend I remained hopeful but knew inside that the canyon could end at a major obstacle at any moment:
Up ahead, there appeared to be an interesting feature in the canyon to check out:
However, I decided it was best to wait for Mel to catch up so we could get some pictures of each other. Thus, I stopped here for 10 minutes:
After admiring the beauty for 10 minutes, I happened to look up high above the canyon and catch sight of something interesting:
Zooming in, I was stunned to see what clearly looks to be a double arch:
The higher arch appears to have a dry fall which flows down into the lower arch. If I can somehow prove in the future that a small but clearly discernable canyon drains down through the double arch, I can actually get credit for finding a double natural bridge. That would be an amazing discovery if proved true. But for now, this is recognized as a double arch:
A picture of Steve in the 2nd Narrows with the double arch high above him:
Alternate view of Steve in the 2nd Narrows:
Around the next bend, we found this giant boulder which had fallen into the narrows and gotten stuck:
A picture of Mel underneath the massive wedged boulder:
Looking back from the same spot at the red colors on the canyon wall in the background:
As we passed underneath the wedged boulder, we found that there were two boulders and not just one:
The next three pictures show various views of the boulders and the narrows:
Another picture of Steve passing through the 2nd Narrows:
And the beauty of the narrows keeps on increasing the farther we go:
This picture shows the 2nd major obstacle, a polished dry fall with no hand holds. Previous hikers had stacked rocks here at the base to give themselves a boost:
Looking back from the base of the dry fall:
I made it up and over the 2nd obstacle dry fall. But the stacked rocks weren't much help and many people will have to turn around right here:
Just above is the 3rd obstacle, which is another dry fall, slightly easier but still challenging:
After helping Mel up the 2nd obstacle, he is now climbing up the 3rd obstacle:
We both made it up safely and continued on. Some of the most dramatic narrows were yet to come:
Mel stopping for a photo in a very impressive section of narrows:
A small boulder has fallen into the middle of the wash:
Canyon narrows don't get much prettier than this anywhere (click to enlarge):
This picture was taken at about 10:30 in the morning as the sun slowly crept into the narrows. Lighting can't get much better than this:
At this point, I realized we were well into the 2nd Narrows and had gotten much farther than I anticipated at home. I began wondering if we would make it all the way through:
In the next three pictures, notice the striking curves on the canyon wall and the light just beyond:
Once again, the walls were leaning over us as we passed through:
The canyon narrows turned into a slot once again with little room between the sides:
A picture of Mel and Steve at this very scenic spot:
More gorgeous narrows in the form of white marble:
Another dry cascade section reminiscent of the 1st Narrows:
Walking up a polished chute of immense beauty:
There are not many places which have impressed me as much as Grand View Canyon:
It is hard to believe that a place as special as this had never before been documented prior to this report:
But all good things must come to an end sometime, including this hike through Lower Grand View Canyon:
This huge boulder jam is the 4th obstacle and our stopping point for this hike. Above the boulder, we spotted a rappel sling somebody had left behind. On a future trip, I hope to come back and find a safe way to access the middle canyon:
Thus, we hiked back down and out of the 2nd and 1st Narrows. Near the bottom of the 1st Narrows, I cut over to a bypass ledge instead of attempting to climb down the difficult dry fall. This picture shows the bypass ledge that I came down. Other hikers will need to test it to see if it is a safe way to go up without exposure, as I only used a small part of it to get down. A short time later, we were driving out of Saline Valley:
