Necrophilia Canyon

A very long walk to a canyon with minimal technical portions. The canyon is reminiscent of Titus Canyon in places (wide open, with grand tilted layers), and of the upper part of Fall Canyon in others (smooth, twisting limestone narrows). There are some fossils in the limestone. It is a very beautiful canyon, but you must love hiking, since it is really a very long hike with a brief canyoneering section.

From Stovepipe Wells, drive Cottonwood - Marble Canyon Road through the first narrows, and park. Deep sand in sections of the road mean it is really only appropriate for high clearance 4X4, but brave Subarus do it also. Follow track to walk up a wash for a . . . very . . . long . . . time. Took us 4:30 to get to the saddle. From saddle, walk downhill. It becomes a canyon, and eventually gets you to a rappel. (2:15 after leaving saddle to first rappel).

R1 (140 feet) from two bolts LDC. Drops a down a scenic, vertical limestone chute. Watch for horn coral fossils in the rappel. R2 (75 feet of rope over two short stages) is immediately at bottom of R1. We constructed cairn anchor. R3 (30 feet) counterbalanced rappel from a giant chockstone. Partner assist downclimb Technical part of the canyon took less than an hour.

Suggest using One Drop Canyon as the exit from Necrophilia, because this shortens the total distance. If doing that, about 15 minutes after exiting canyon turn right (south) at a confluence. Hike up hill to a saddle, then down other side. One Drop Canyon has one rappel (about 70 feet), and is just walking after that. After exit of One Drop, turn right (south) and hike up and down alluvial fans to get back to Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Road. Recommend not sticking too close to the mountain face, as this repeatedly leads you to cliffs in loose alluvium.