Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2007: Death Valley National Park bikepacking / Day 6, morning: A walk down upper Monarch Canyon to Monarch Spring for drinking water 19
Dramatic views down into Death Valley from above the drop-off at the end of Monarch Canyon reward those who persist in pushing their way through the head-high grasses around the spring on the way there.
Looking down Monarch Canyon from the drop-off at the end of the road by my campsite
At the bottom of the the drop-off in Monarch Canyon, I look back up the trail that I came down
Standing at the bottom of the first drop-off in Monarch Canyon
Interesting drainage erosion in Monarch Canyon just below the first drop-off
Another view of drainage and rock layers in Monarch Canyon
A little further down Monarch Canyon
I pass the old Indian Mine site on the way down Monarch Canyon017-indian-mine
Close-up of what remains at the old Indian Mine site
Descending Monarch Canyon beyond the Indian Mine site
Me, trying to figure out how to get through or around the thick brush that engulfs Monarch Spring
I climb the rock wall a wee bit as I try to squeeze past and above the reeds
You can't see it here, but there's a thin layer of water on the ground under all the grass
Coming out of the reeds at Monarch Spring for a moment to look back up-canyon
Bushwhacking my way through more reeds
Once beyond the bushwhacking zone, I note that some of the brush looks greener than the rest
The end of upper Monarch Canyon overlooks Death Valley below
Looking down the 100-foot drop-off at the end of the Monarch Canyon
Having now seen the entire stream from Monarch Spring, I start walking back and stop at the best spot that I saw for pumping water
The stream from Monarch Spring should provide fairly decent drinking water once filtered