Church Rock Canyon
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| | Raps:4, max ↨70ft
Red Tape:Permit required Shuttle:Required 20 min | |||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 31 Dec 2021
"Rented a plane at Santa Monica and flew to Catalina; there was a nasty downdraft just before the runway threshold. Bike ride over to the drop-in took |
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33.3121, -118.3247
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Introduction[edit]
Church Rock Canyon drops down from one of the high points of Catalina Island near Los Angeles to an inaccessible beach on the far side of the island from Avalon.
Approach[edit]
The hike begins at Wrigley Gardens, but transportation must first be arranged to Avalon. This is typically via the Catalina Express which leaves primarily from Long Beach. Once on the island, walk or take a taxi to Wrigley Botanical Gardens; an entry fee may be required. Follow the Garden to the Sky Trail then continue west toward Renton Mine and the lighthouse until you reach the drop in point. Follow convenient game trails down the ridge until you are just up canyon of the first rappel. Bushwhack down the ridge to the canyon bottom just above the first rappel.
Descent[edit]
The descent is straightforward and dry (class A). This is an infrequently-visited canyon, so bring plenty of webbing and/or be prepared to use retrievable anchors as there are some minor anchor challenges. The final rappel can be anchored from a chockstone, but the entry for that anchor is awkward.
Exit[edit]
The unusual exit is the main attraction of this canyon. The canyon empties onto a very small, isolated beach with large, awkward rocks upon which the waves break. What makes this canyon a class C is that you will need to swim out from this beach and the entry into the water can be tricky. To be clear of all the dangerous rocks, you will have to swim a few hundred feet into the ocean so life jackets and wet suits are recommended.
Boat[edit]
If you are lucky enough to have a boat waiting (one can be chartered from Snorkeling Catalina), simply swim out to the boat and return to Avalon. If you need to wait for your pickup boat, there is a larger, safer beach a few hundred feet to the east that you can swim to. It is composed entirely of rocks, so you may need to use your equipment to make the ground comfortable to sit on.
On foot[edit]
Exiting the canyon on foot without a boat adds 1670 ft of elevation gain and many additional miles of hiking, and it is not recommended. To take this route, first swim to the safer beach to the east. Then, scramble up the scree slope on the west end of the beach to a small saddle where you can descend back to the canyon bottom above the last rappel. Proceed up canyon to the third rappel. This rappel can be bypassed by climbing its right side (LDC), but the climb is crumbly, exposed, and somewhat difficult. Continue up canyon until just short of a prominent gully on the right (LDC) and scramble up the LDC side of the canyon to the fire road 250 ft above. Follow the fire road up to a Y where you can either go left (west) to retrace your steps or right (east) to descend to a different part of Avalon.
Red tape[edit]
A hiking permit from the Catalina Conservancy, but they are relatively inexpensive and easy to get online beforehand.
