Clark Gulch
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| | Difficulty:3B V (v3a2 V) Raps:8-14, max ↨160ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | |||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 24 Apr 2021
"Cloudy over East Fork at the 630 start time but turned into a beautiful day as I went higher up Iron Mountain. Reached the summit and took a short bre |
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34.2893, -117.7179
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Introduction[edit]
The gulch itself has a lot to offer. There are several unique falls including a 150' in the upper segment of the gulch and a 200' two-stage (60' and 140') in the main branch. Most of it was done at night, so not many good pictures and height estimates can be a bit off. Amount of rappels, down climbs, and order of these are subject to be incorrect. When night was upon us, I went into focused mode and didn't take any notes. Do not underestimate this trip. The canyon itself is pretty straightforward, but the approach and exit require a huge commitment. It's ~15 miles total, ~7mi for the approach with a 6.4K gain, ~1.5mi for the gulch, and ~6.5mi on the exit. You will hurt.
Approach[edit]
2014 first descent: There are a couple approaches to choose from but we went with reaching the gulch from the top. We opted for a loop from Heaton Flat, up the Heaton Flat trail and up the ridge to Iron Mountain. Do not underestimate this hike with packs full of rope and gear. It took us 7.5 just to reach the top at what I consider a fairly slow pace. Once at the top you'll come a flat area and walk north west towards the north side of the mountain. You can drop in from here or head down a little further on the ridge and choose one of the many gullies. I don't think our drop in was ideal as it was long and precarious. This is in orange on the map. Rocks and boulders are delicately stacked throughout, until you get closer to Clark and there's more vegetation. We set up one rappel on this gully, there are several dry falls that we down climbed on the right. For this reason I suggest dropping directly into Clark at the top, even if rope is required. The bottom of Clark Gulch will be evident for some time and will seem to never get closer. Shortly before this gully and Clark Gulch, there will be water running under the rocks and you'll come to a small fall with water dripping out of rocks. Here, the gulch is lush with vegetation but requires no bush whacking. Upstream of this point there is a 15' fall.
2021 second descent: dropped directly into Clark from just south of the summit. Nontechnical at first although the steep scree slopes can get tricky. First technical obstacle is at 6000' (see 'Descent' section).
Descent[edit]
Upper Branch This is the branch you take if you drop directly into Clark from just south of the summit.
- R1: 150' dry falls, partially free hanging. Cairn material in watercourse. Possible to bypass DCR.
- R2: 30' tree DCR just before the intersection with the fork that the first descent party came down.
Main Branch
The gulch had some running water and some minor down climbing will lie ahead. A short distance of this drop in will be the first substantial obstacle. Rappel numbers reset below.
- R1: 25' from rock above lip. It is an awkward start and a slight overhang. (This is the banner photo)
- R2: 30' from tree high DCR. A small chute that juts out to a sloping rock and to a pool. You can avoid all water DCR.
- R3: 20'
Two 15' or so falls follow that we down climbed.
- R4: The big rappel. This is a beautiful fall and a shame it was already dark. The first section is anchored from a tree in the water course. It is about 60' down a narrow chute/slide enveloped by chasm-like rock walls, to what may have been a pot hole at one point. Here, debris has accumulated and the canyon makes a sharp almost 90º turn to the right. With a little maneuvering around the debris, 4 people can easily wait at this mid way point. From a large wedged rock, rappel the remaining 140'. From the top of the chute, you can see the bottom of the mid way point and should be able to make out debris. If it all washes out, there are no easy anchors here. The alternate would be to roll some rocks down first for a cairn.
Info from second descent, April 2021: re-measured both pitches, turned out to be 60' and 140'. There were plenty of anchor materials at the 90° turn and I used a wedged rock backed up to a large tree stump.
- R5: 25'
- R6: 35'
- R7: 120'
- R8: 45' Down a chute with pool at the bottom. Hard to avoid getting wet, but doable.
- R9: 25' with seep DCL
Notes on R5-R9 from April 2021 descent: I did three raps in this segment, all in the 30-40' range, low angle, and anchored from trees. The canyon downstream of the money rap was a mess of mostly dead brush and not easy to move through. The number of raps you have to do will depend on your downclimbing abilities and how much debris is present to hold onto.
First descent time line:
- 0500 - Parking lot START
- 0730 - Allison Saddle 30 min break
- 1300 - Iron Mountain Summit 30 min break
- 1330 - Drop in Start
- 1615 - Clark Gulch
- 2130 - East Fork San Gabriel River 30 min break
- 0200 - Parking lot END
Exit[edit]
Once at the confluence of Clark Gulch and the San Gabriel river, it is ~6.5 to the parking lot. The first ~1.5 before reaching the bridge to nowhere has no distinct trail. This will have several river crossings. From the bridge, the trail is established on an off getting lost when it goes down to the river.
Red tape[edit]
Vehicle requires an Adventure Pass.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Gallery November 22, 2014 by Christian Lupercio
