TRIP REPORT PHOTOS
Waking up to our campground at the Saline Valley Warm Springs. This was our first time actually camping there:
Parking about 10.5 miles up Steel Pass Road past the springs. The drive took a little over one hour from camp:
Zooming in on a distant peak we had driven past earlier. This unnamed peak is about 4.1 air miles north of Warm BM:
This is how the route to Chalk Canyon looks at the beginning of the hike:
A panoramic of the fan and mountains surrounding Chalk Canyon (click to enlarge):
The white hills of Chalk Canyon are very distinct in the distance and thus it is easy to find your way on this hike:
Looking to the north farther up Steel Pass Road. The hills on the left are actually in the Tafoni Canyon area:
Looking back to the east into the Last Chance Range while hiking up the fan:
Dry Mountain is faintly visible during the hike up to Chalk Canyon. It doesn't look like the highest point in the range, but that is an optical illusion:
Notice how we were hiking on the hillside up above the main wash. Perhaps, in this case, the terrain was better down below:
This "chalk" hillside is the first landmark which hikers head toward:
At the high point of the hillside we were walking along, this old miners trail leads down into the wash:
Now in the main wash of Chalk Canyon. The hike to this point had been a steep and challenging one mile:
Tobin took this picture of me heading up the beginning of Chalk Canyon:
Interestingly, the beginning of Chalk Canyon contains hillsides of tafoni formations:
Tobin heading up the canyon with the Last Chance Range in the far background:
The tafoni formations were neat, but on our next hike we would be stunned to see these on a much more massive scale in nearby Tafoni Canyon:
Notice how the tafoni formations (weathering features which look like small caves or alcoves) continued all the way up the canyon wall:
Off to the left, we spotted the beginning of a slot canyon which cut into the tafoni walls:
The slot canyon (which we are calling Chalk Slot on our map) started out shallow with mostly white-colored walls with some off-white colors:
The slot had steep terrain and continuous small climbs:
It also had some very beautiful sections of narrows:
Notice how the walls of the slot kept growing in height:
One of the most photogenic spots within Chalk Slot:
In Chalk Slot, hikers are truly immersed in a world of white, with white walls, hillsides, and boulders:
The texture of the slot walls is rugged with tafoni features throughout:
Even the small side drainages out of Chalk Slot have interesting scenery:
As you can see, the walls are extremely weathered and that has resulted in the unique look and shapes:
There are a few low to medium difficulty climbs such as this one:
There aren't many long straightaways within the slot canyon:
A visually beautiful contrast between the high slot canyon walls of white and the white clouds with patches of blue sky above:
Looking carefully, it is evident how pieces of the canyon walls can break off and become boulders in the wash at any time:
A magnificent side canyon dry fall which pours into Chalk Slot:
As the slot continues, the scenery gets more dramatic on a larger scale:
Here we have an overhang, a rare flatter section of wall, and more tafoni weathering:
A polished dry fall with a groove cut into the rock with tafoni formations next to it:
Looking back down the slot after we had gained significant elevation:
Zooming in on an arch high above the canyon:
Strange alien shapes and formations seen along the canyon wall:
Heading back down Chalk Slot now after having an enjoyable hike through it:
Back in the main canyon, a massive white-colored hillside can be seen in the distance:
White walls began to take shape on both sides of the wash:
This view shows the first junction of Chalk Canyon. The main canyon heads right and a side canyon turns left:
However, this major chockstone obstacle in the right fork prevents immediate passage:
Instead, all hikers must take the left fork and climb over this smaller boulder blockade:
Looking back down at the beautiful walls of the junction area:
We decided to continue heading up the left fork side canyon to see what was there:
The very low walls had colorful patterns of peach on the white background:
Passing through shallow narrows which were still interesting and fun:
Notice there were colorful patterns on one side of the walls and solid white on the other:
Much darker hillsides could be seen in the surrounding area:
A wall of the side canyon which has completely collapsed and formed a maze of massive boulders:
Notice the distinct lines and patterns which have been revealed at this area where part of the original wall has fallen off:
These walls have a very rough composition with boulders above ready to roll down into the wash:
The top of the white hillsides seen high above the canyon wash were over 600 feet above us:
A large cave has formed at this spot along the canyon wall:
Reaching a minor junction in the side canyon with what looks like a tough obstacle in the right fork:
Looking back and seeing Tobin peek around the corner as he hiked up the side canyon:
The next two pictures show views taken in the left fork just past the minor junction:
A small pretty dry fall which matches the surrounding color and texture of the canyon walls:
Hiking in narrow trenches similar to Indian Pass Canyon, except these have the white "chalk" rock instead of breccia:
Standing at the spot in the side canyon where the color transitions from light to dark:
Above this area was a tremendously colorful and beautiful hillside with streaks of maroon red and light green:
Panoramic showing the colorful cliffs which rival Red Amphitheater for beauty (click to enlarge):
Heading back down the side canyon through narrow trenches of white:
There were some really beautiful sections of shallow narrows in the side canyon:
Check out the minimal support that this giant boulder has while sitting on a conglomerate rock display pedestal:
Wave-like curves on the canyon wall with dark rock in the background:
At the bottom of the side canyon, it is necessary to turn left here to complete the bypass over into the main canyon:
Now heading up the main canyon just past the chockstone obstacle:
The main canyon hiking resumed with an area of narrow trenches covered in white:
Slowly, some of the walls of the trenches grew in vertical height:
Also, the darker colors would completely disappear at times, leaving only white surroundings:
Tobin standing at an area where the canyon mostly disappeared and it was simply the merging of two hillsides:
Looking back down a long straight portion of Chalk Canyon where the walking path is more of a hillside bottom:
The white terrain was interrupted by this area where darker boulders are attempting to roll in and dilute the color:
A narrow passage with higher walls abruptly formed once again:
Passing by some huge boulders and slabs of black rock:
Areas where direct sunlight was on the white rock and hillsides contained almost too much brightness for regular eyesight. So sections of shadows were welcomed:
It almost looks like a white walking path has been poured through here. You could say that this is Chalk Canyon's answer to the Yellow Brick Road:
Hillsides like this look like they are completely covered by powdery "chalk" and no doubt contributed to the canyon name:
Endless hillsides of white could be seen ahead:
One of several frozen tinajas (or potholes) which we passed by in Chalk Canyon:
Zooming in on the small frozen pond of water. Perhaps this will melt in a couple of months and provide some water for passing Bighorn sheep:
This very distinct dark vein of rock is clearly visible on satellite imagery of Chalk Canyon:
More beautiful narrows made of solid white rock:
The "chalky" hillside extends toward the wash with Tobin hiking ahead in the distance:
One of the keys to hiking Chalk Canyon is to hike up canyon as far as possible, because it just keeps getting better:
In the upper canyon, the walls are no longer shallow but take on some significant height:
The light and shadows create completely different shades of white:
In this picture, Tobin's head is barely visible. That should give you an idea as to the great size of these narrows:
The canyon had fully transitioned into towering narrows of solid white:
These high narrows in the upper canyon are the true highlight of Chalk Canyon:
We were now fully enclosed in shade due to the sheer height of the walls:
A good view showing how the canyon walls transition to huge cliffs high above:
Notice how some darker colored rock has been washed down the canyon in flash floods:
A beautiful bend in the canyon with polished sections of wall:
There is something quite special about being completely enclosed by towering white walls:
The only non-white color visible in this picture is the blue sky:
Tobin snapped this picture of me hiking through the upper narrows:
If you look at the bottom of this picture, you can follow the flow of the wash as it drops down and makes a dramatic bend in the canyon:
The upper narrows were fairly steep to climb through:
More darker veins of rock extending high up the canyon walls:
These two polar opposite shades of color provide a striking contrast in the canyon:
Another look at the largest appearance of the darker rock:
Sections of darker rock were also prominent high on the hillsides:
But the darker rock was the exception, not the rule. This shows the most common view in the narrows with nothing but white walls:
There are some sections of very tight narrows in the upper canyon:
This view shows the second major junction in Chalk Canyon up ahead:
Both forks looked promising. This shows the left fork. Due to daylight concerns, we soon headed back out of the canyon:
