Baby Colby Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A I (v3a1 I) Raps:1-2, max ↨90ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Granite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 23 Oct 2022
"Did it right after doing Colby canyon. 10 left and 6 stayed to practice Multi-pitch rappelling and then some Top-rope climbing. |
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| Best season: | Year round
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34.2708, -118.1393
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Introduction[edit]
> Please carry your favorite Gardening tools to every canyon (Folding Saw, Pruners, Loppers, Machete). We all need to help with trail and canyon maintenance on every trip.
“Baby Colby” is a tributary of the well known Colby Canyon and the waterfall is right at the beginning of the entry/exit trail to Colby on your left side. This waterfall is also known as R11 of "Brennen Canyon". It’s a super short canyon, but worth it for:
1. First time or Beginner canyoneers - A great spot to experience and practice your canyoneering skills.
2. Nicely setup to practice the technical side of a multi-pitch rappelling without the distractions of long-hikes, height and discomfort while hanging (there’s a nice ledge to stand on).
Evidence shows that it was once bolted by rock climbers for 2 pitch lead-climbing. The bolts at the very top are in good shape, however when I did it with the kids in June 2019 I saw the condition of the bolts in the middle and had to go back and replace them on 11,16,2019. See more under "Trip reports and media"
Approach[edit]
Getting There: From the 210 Freeway take exit 20 for “CA-2/Angeles Crest Hwy” toward La Cañada, Flintridge. Drive 10 miles on the Angeles Crest Hwy to the trailhead and parking lot on the left (north) side of the road. Entering “Colby Canyon Trailhead” on Google maps will take you right to the parking, or enter: 34.269683, -118.140695
Approach: Short class 2-3 approach with a little scrambling to the drop in point. Watch your step from the drop in point to the bottom of the canyon! I’ve done a little trail-work there but much more is needed.
Descent[edit]
The Canyon: Once on the canyon floor, you will pass two 5’ down-climbs and get to the main waterfall. The entire thing is about 90’ and you can do it in one rappel. However, if you want to practice your multi-pitch rappel skills, there’s a 2 bolt belay station in the middle.
Waterfalls:
| Number | Tiers | Total height | Anchor (looking down stream) | Anchor Gear | Rope* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 25’+65’ | R - 2 Bolts | 5-10’ Webbing or rope | 200’ |
- Rope - Recommended length based on rappel height and distance between tiers (when applicable) and to anchors x 2
Waterfall notes:
1. As mentioned above, can be done as one 90’ rappel of broken to 25’ and 65’ rappels.
Exit[edit]
From the bottom of the rappel it’s a very short walk back to the car.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
On June 14, 2019 I took the kids to practice Multi-pitch rappel for their first time. I then saw the condition of the bolts in the middle and decided to go back and replace them. That happened on 11,16,2019. As you can see in the pictures below, whoever placed these bolts put them right in the course of every rock that is flying down the waterfall during a flood. As a result both bolts: 1. got flattened by the rocks, and 2. The bolts even started to get pulled out of the rock. On top of that, since the pool was full of water that day, we had to do some nice acrobatics to get around it dry to the belay station. When I went to replace the bolts, I also learned (with help from my hammer) that the rock they bolted into is all hollow. While I wasn't able to pull the old bolts out (and will have to go back better equipped to do that), I did install a new 2 bolt belay station on the other side of the pool where there's a nice ledge to stand on and where I believe they will not get hit by flying rocks. We'll find out after the next winter...
Rock Climbing:
Either water and rock or (more likely) someone pulled the bolts that were installed for lead-climbing out. However, they took the bolt hangers and left the sleeves in the rock, so you can now see a bunch of rusty circles where they were.
Since it looks like a nice 5.7-5.8, it is my intention to go back and re-bolt this to have a nice place to teach my kids and others lead-climbing.
