The Maiden Voyage aka The Red Dihedral

The Maiden Voyage is straightforward, is not very sustained or long, has good rock, and has incredible views. It's both a great first taste of the Black and also an anomaly for the canyon.

Reach the base by heading down the Cruise Gully to shortly past the second rappel. Look for the prominent Checkerboard Wall to the east (upstream). The route ascends the narrow west face of the wall (in other words, not the main, namesake face), in a prominent, continuous crack/corner system, the whole length of which lies just left of the wall's SW corner/arete. Bushwhack up from the Cruise Gully to the base, and start in thick trees and bushes.

NOTE [2025 edit]: I originally described this in the traditional six pitches -- five to the walkoff ledge plus one to the summit. That's how I originally did it in the days of 50 meter ropes. I climbed it again in 2025 and have updated the description to reflect how it's commonly done these days (in three pitches to the walkoff ledge), noting the old optional belays.

P1: identify a dirty wide crack that starts the system. Start about 25 feet left of this, and climb the face up and right until it is easy to get into the system. Continue to an overhang (optional belay) stem over (crux), and continue up a right-facing corner and easier cracks above to a good belay ledge below a splitter wide crack, 5.9-, 55 meters.

(The first part of this pitch has cleaned up remarkably over the years - it was dirty and loose when I first climbed it in the late 1990s or early 2000s.)

P2. Ascend the obvious, wide crack with ample face holds, then go around either side of a roof, and continue to a stance below steep double cracks (optional belay). Climb these excellent cracks to the next suitable belay ledge, 5.8, ~50 meters.

P3. Continue up the large, easy corner to the walkoff ledge, 5.7, 30 to 40 meters depending on where you belayed. 

Optional P4: starting from the left side of the summit block, climb up and right to the top, 5.6, 30+ meters. Rappel from a two bolt anchor back to the walkoff ledge. Tie knots, and watch the ends if using a 60 meter rope; a short downclimb may be necessary. 

The best way to finish is to traverse the walkoff ledge climbers' left to King Me, and climb that route. If not doing King Me, continue the ledge until you can get in the left of two wooded gullies and follow it to the rim. 

If you don't mind a bit of 4th Class scrambling and routefinding (and want to avoid much bushwhacking), it is also possible to take the ledge leading left from the base of the gully, and then scramble up a fun 3rd/4th Class ridge to the rim.

Another alternative for more climbing is to rap the gully left of the Checkerboard Wall (three raps with a 60m rope), and finish on a route such as Leisure-Summer.

A standard rack to a #4 Camalot.