Brown Dam (via Ken Burton trail)
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:1, max ↨65ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 10 min Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 25 Dec 2024
"An interesting day out! Did the loop option and parked at the bike trail parking lot shown in the beta. Followed the trail up (shown as the descent pa |
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| Best season: | AVOID in Summer
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34.2379, -118.1815
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Introduction
The Ken Burton Trail connects the top of the Brown Mountain fire road to the bottom of the Arroyo Seco above JPL. This trip accesses the top of Brown Dam in the Arroyo Seco in a very indirect way by climbing up to, and then descending, the Ken Burton Trail. This would likely be an unpleasant hike for just a single rappel, but the trip is an excellent mountain biking route with an opportunity to rappel Brown Dam with your bike.
Approach
Park at the shuttle location on Windsor next to JPL. This is a popular parking lot for many nearby trails, but there is plenty of street parking if the lot itself is full. If doing the route as a loop, start riding north along the Arroyo until a fire road branches off to the right headed uphill. If doing the route as a shuttle, drive up to the top of Chaney Trail and try to find parking. If you are successful finding parking, ride briefly up the paved fire road then turn left to descend to Millard Campground, then proceed up the fire road. If you cannot find parking (parking is very limited in this location), drop everyone off except for the drivers and have the driver proceed down to the parking lot for Millard Falls/Campground. Meet up on the fire road at Millard Campground and head up.
With either approach, continue up the fire road as it becomes single track until you reach the highest point with a sign indicating the Ken Burton Trail. Follow the Ken Burton Trail down the side of the mountain until it joins the Gabrieleno Trail at the Arroyo. Turn left to follow the Gabrileno Trail downstream until, at the marked location, turn right off the trail into the watercourse.
Descent
Ride in the watercourse for 800ft to the top of Brown Dam. There are numerous good natural anchors, but try to choose one close to the edge and high up on a tree to make rappel entry easiest. Watch out for the underhang a few inches below the lip of the dam, but then enjoy the perfect 65ft bike-friendly rappel that keeps you slightly away from the wall most of the way down.
When packing for this trip, remember not to skimp too much on canyoneering gear as you should still be capable of self-rescue.
Exit
Follow the Gabrieleno Trail down the Arroyo. This section of trail is much faster than much of the earlier trail and eventually turns into a paved fire road. Upon reaching a normal road, look for your shuttle car on the right.
Red tape
An Adventure Pass is required to park on Chaney Trail or at the Millard lot.
