Trip report
Dec 18, 2020 — Ryan Benchmark is a somewhat forgettable summit just off Furnace Creek Wash Road. The views from the top are nice and the approach is pleasant, it's just not that interesting. I parked on the side of the road since I found no good turn-offs and headed through the desert to what appears on a topo map as a squiggly-looking drainage. I followed this drainage the whole way, encountering some Class 2 boulder-hopping. A few hundred feet up the drainage the route takes a right through a narrow section, where three Class 2+ dryfalls provide some fun obstacles. The rest of the route up to the saddle just east of Ryan Benchmark is straightforward, and the final push to the summit leads to black boulders and a nice viewpoint toward the surrounding peaks.