Little Deadman Canyon
ACA Canyon
Rating –3A III
...however
95% of this slot can be visited via rope-less, all-fours climbing and
scrambling...
NEVER ENTER ANY
SLOT CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!
Yours truly below here...
ah... very thrilled with my surroundings
These
first three shots are Nate Bartnick photos of the slot canyon immediately below
the upper, very high rappels
The photo below is of
Nate shooting a photo my way in the upper portions of half-mile-long, Little
Deadman Slot Canyon
...a lonely stretch
within it’s middle portions...
...and an enlarged view
of this same place...
...standing in the
shadows...
down near the lower opening...
also shown in the photo below... you can recognize the same rocks in both
photos...
This is the downstream opening of Little
Deadman Slot
...and below is a photo of how these
canyons look from a distance...
beta facts:
name- Little Deadman Canyon
GPS coordinates- ±36°24.568’N 106°46.072’W
Length of slot- about a half mile
flow- intermittent
season to visit- drier months of the year,
like April, May, June, September, October… NEVER ENTER ANY SLOT CANYON WHEN RAIN IS IN THE FORCAST…!!!
accommodations- NONE –Chama Canyon
Wilderness Area
ownership- Santa Fe National Forest
access- is from Deadman Lookout Tower above
or downstream from Cupadero Road- see the map and description below
nearest town- Gallina is about 25 miles
southeast of here
fun fact- I need more day-light hours and
more stamina
essay bro
All three of these Deadman Canyons (Little
Deadman, Middle Deadman and Deadman Canyons) are reserved for the hardy... and
not for the faint of heart. They are
VERY REMOTE and have many dry falls as down-climbs and rappels. They can be partially visited without ropes
but the climbing out and around are steep, strenuous and dangerous. There are NO TRAILS in or around these
canyons.
Little Deadman Canyon is only a half mile
long, but it is a beauty... as seen by the photos above. This slot closes in and opens up a few times
throughout it’s distance. The lower
two-thirds is a difficult, non-technical
climb/scramble. We did not use
ropes. The upper canyon splits into two
forks, both having very high mandatory rappels of 200 to 300’... ! ! ! !
Access
The
Deadman Lookout Road (Forest Road 507) is accessed from Hwy 112 about 4 miles
north of LLaves, NM to Forest Road 7 one mile to Forest Road 6 followed by
about 4 miles to Forest Road 507. This
is where you have to be careful. Do not
take Forest Road 507. Instead drive a
few feet past it to a small 2-track “un-named” road and turn right on this
road. In less than a mile this small
2-track road will reach a flat place, that is actually a saddle, 500’ directly
below the Deadman Lookout Tower. A
gentle, quarter mile hike to the south-southwest will quickly drop into the
beginnings of the upper Deadman Slot (@ 36°25.405’N 106°46.187’W) which can be
done as an “all-fours” scramble without rope.
This
canyon is marked on the map below with the number 500 written in red. It is very steep and
involves a hands and feet -1000 foot scramble down to the canyon below. From here you will need strength, stamina,
perseverance and excellent topo reading skills to reach any and/or all of these
three wonderful Deadman Slot Canyons here.
Another way to reach these canyons is from
the bottom... walking along the Rio Gallina.
Chupadero Road access is three and a half miles up the Rio Gallina from
it’s Deadman Canyon Confluence. A map
showing Chupadero Road can be found by clicking this link: http://www.dougscottart.com/hobbies/SlotCanyons/Gallina.htm
- Gallina Canyon is a beautiful
creek-side stroll that will please and amaze you.
Click this link to
access a detailed topo map that shows this entire area: http://www.dougscottart.com/hobbies/SlotCanyons/Gallina.htm
Please be careful of the private here. It is marked as shaded gray on our map
below. It is easy to walk around their
fences.
DO NOT
TRESPASS…!!!
However…
A very pleasant way to maximize enjoying Gallina Canyon is to plan a
vacation at:
Gallina Canyon Ranch
…is
Amazing…!!!
They have
campgrounds and wonderful cabins “just for you” right in the middle of a dozen
slot canyons...! ! !
Click this link: http://gallinacanyonranch.com/
Forest Road 474, Abiquiu, NM 87510
(505) 490-3333
Gallina Canyon Ranch a great way to
visit and enjoy these amazing “slot canyons” of the Chama Canyon
Wilderness. Several amazing slot canyons
are easy to visit with normal hiking from here.
In fact, vacationing at Gallina Canyon Ranch will put you in the heart
of New Mexico’s best slot canyon country...!!! Gallina Canyon Ranch is truly amazing and is a great access to
this western portion of the Chama Canyon Wilderness.
Enhanced USGS topo map by Doug Scott
The thin Red Lines depict
sections of “slot canyons” and/or “box canyons” the thicker Red Lines show the boundries
of Chama River Canyon Wilderness Area
_________one mile_________
Back to New Mexico
Slot Canyons
Send questions and comments to dscott@themarblesculptor.com