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| Hiking | 5.65 Miles |
1,372 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.65 Miles | 4 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.53 mph |
| 1,372 ft AEG | 49 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Sidewinder canyon slots 4 and 5 on the right side when heading into the canyon were absolute gems. So happy to have hiked here! The 4th slot was quite long and an easy width to navigate with lots of twists and turns. There are some obstacles, but none too hard to get up or past. It helps that the wall material is fanglomate which is filled with a multitude smaller rocks. This results in a plethora of hand and footholds when climbing up and over dry falls and obstacles. It reminds me of the beginner wall at the rock gym which is absolutely filled floor to ceiling with an insane amount of holds, all crowded in. 
The fourth slot was our favorite due to all the fun twists and turns over its entire length. The Fifth slot is a close second. Also fun and full of twists and turns, this slot has some pretty arches and an abandoned tiny loop which is also neat. The Fifth slot is shorter and ends in a massive boulder fall that you can tell some people go up, but I think most people turn around here. The rock face material is crumbly which results in hand/foot holds that disintegrate when you put weight on them (!). Also likely a turn around point due to the height and exposure of the dry fall obstacle. It is a pretty end, though. Very grand and pretty in the sun as the area widens up in this section.
After the fifth slot, we continued up Sidewinder canyon to see the narrows of the main canyon. We didn't get to the absolute end of the canyon which also ends in a dry all, as my kids were ready to turn around.
Sidewinder canyon starts off very wide at its mouth and slowly gets narrower as you gain elevation going up Canyon. It remains relatively wide until after the fifth slot on the right side. Apparently there is another first slot on the left side before the first slot on the right side (going into the canyon), but we missed that and didn't find out about it until later.
The Sidewinder canyon floor is mini gravel, and gaiters would have been great to keep tiny rocks out of shoes, but mine were forgotten at home (Oops). Instead, I dumped my shoes a couple times. The gravel makes for slower going up Canyon while gaining elevation.
I took a quick peek and foray into the other slots on our way back down Canyon, but was not able to do any real exploring as my kids were done.
We very much enjoyed this hike due to slots 4 and 5. We didn't see too many people. 4 groups of 2 to 4 people over all. One dad and 2 young kids that we met when we were in the middle of slot 4 going up and they were coming down mentioned that they hiked across the top and dropped into the fourth slot so that they only were coming one way down the slot. That is an fun option, I think.
The weather was great for us, starting off cloudy and clearing up later.
The turn off from Badwater road to the Sidewinder canyon parking area is just after mile marker 30 on the left when coming from Furnace Creek, before reaching Mormon Point. Sidewinder Canyon parking is also the parking area for the Willow Creek/Canyon hike. The entry to Sidewinder is to the south of the parking area. |
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