Conditions:Monkeyface Creek-20230514231842

Latest:	13 May 2023 (25 days ago)

Reported by:	Teamsnuggle (7 reports)
Quality:	Amazing
Waterflow:	High
Wetsuit:	Full wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	5 hours

Team: 3 people with experience level Intermediate to Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: Fun day in Monkeyface. Anchors were in great shape, flow was high, fun but not too pushy.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
13 May 2023	Amazing	High	Full wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	Teamsnuggle (7 reports)
Comment: Fun day in Monkeyface. Anchors were in great shape, flow was high, fun but not too pushy.
30 Apr 2023	Amazing	High	Full wetsuit	Advanced	6 hours	6 people Intermediate to Advanced	David (6 reports)
Comment: Ran this canyon on 2023-04-20 with Austin3623's crew. The flow is now considerably higher than it was 10 days ago. Still very fun, but definitely not for new canyoneers or those without solid class C experience. Algae is everywhere and extremely slick. Use extreme caution when approaching anchors and when working near the edge.
20 Apr 2023	Amazing	High	Full wetsuit	Advanced	4 hours	8 people Intermediate to Advanced	Austin3623 (11 reports)
Comment: Scoped the falls out from the parking area, and was immediately clear it was going to be a High flow day. The first two rappels were surprisingly tame (C1/moderate), but don’t let that fool you. R6-9 in the money section will take you for a ride. Flow was heavy (C2), but manageable for experienced Class C/swiftwater canyoneers. Algae was slick and present on every rappel, but we were expecting a nightmare (so less than expected). Monkeyface falls itself (R9) is absolutely prime right now. Trip leaders, in current conditions, do not let anyone join your group who is either new to canyoneering or new to Class C.
25 Mar 2023	Amazing	High	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	3 hours	3 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: There was no snow on the ridge climb up, but a solid snow layer descending into the canyon. Fortunately the snow was perfect for "kicking steps" which made the descent easy for anyone with that type of mountaineering experience. Flow was "high" C2, a bit forceful in some of the waterfalls; nothing crazy though (see pic 1). Water temp was 46F, and we were head to toe thick neoprene. Everyone stayed warm. The second to the last rappel on DCR side (rabbit hole is DCL side) is no longer dry; in fact, most of the water flow that way now (see pic 2). Also, the algae and slime is super slippery on much of the granite; be careful getting to some anchor stations! All the webbing is OK (some is getting a bit old now), bolts with chains are all OK.
4 Feb 2023	Great	Moderate High	Thin wetsuit	Advanced	7 hours	5 people Intermediate to Expert	Texasjeepney (1 reports)
Comment: Lived up to the hype. Approach was like a free solo which felt like 45-60 degree angle. Pics by John Gray.
4 Feb 2023	Amazing	Moderate High	Thin wetsuit		5 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	Austin3623 (11 reports)
Comment: Same crew as the previous report—adding a few more notes about the conditions. Water flow had tapered slightly from a report I’d heard in January referencing high (C2) flows and extremely cold temps. Snow level is barely above the top of the route, approach was smooth. Water is clearly cold and warrants a wetsuit, but not as frigid as expected. Most of our group had 4/3mm plus neo socks & rain jackets and were comfortable. I had a good quality 3/2 with a jacket and was comfortable as well with one exception: LAMAR on the shelf between R7&8 was absolutely freezing (think Wim Hof with a water canon). Could have been a concern if not for the sun shining directly on us most of the route. Yes that’s right—at its current position, the narrow hallways of Monkeyface get directly sunshine during midday. Thank you, sweet baby Jesus. Whole group had an amazing day. Go get it while the flow is high!
3 Dec 2022	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	2 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: Flow is nice (see pic) but the water is 50F, so a full-body wetsuit, neo socks and gloves are needed to stay warm. Anchors are good. There is a newly fallen dead tree below the rabbit hole that makes that drop a mess now. You can use the big tree DCR, skipping the rabbit hole to avoid the mess.
16 Oct 2022	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Kristoffer (5 reports)
Comment: First time for us through this canyon. Water was a bit chilly, but I was comfortable in a 4/3 full wetsuit. Should have brought neoprene socks. Partner was comfortable in a 3/2. I was apprehensive about the waterflow due to rains yesterday, but the flow was quite low after all. Could have been quite a bit higher and still been very safe.
16 Oct 2022	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	4 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: We started hiking up at 10:20AM which put us at the money drop when it was in full Sun at 1PM (see pic). Water flow is good, but not significantly higher, despite all the thunder storms in the last few days. Water temp is cooling down for the Fall, so wetsuits are needed now and neoprene socks too.
4 Sep 2022	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	2 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: We hit R7/8 at the perfect time of day (see pic). Waterflow is good, and a bit chilly, thus wetsuits were a good idea.
20 Aug 2022	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	5 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: Water flow is still respectable (see pic). Water temp is a bit chilly for no wetsuit; we all had wetsuit. Anchors are good. The trail down the earthen slope at the drop-in needs some pruning.
31 Jul 2022	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	3 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: Monkeyface still has surprising decent waterflow, considering how dry a year this has been (see pic). The rain the last day or 2 reduced the dust on the approach to zero, and reduced the sliding problems. Air temp was pleasant with some cloud cover. Water temp likely about 60F. Anchors are all good.
16 Jun 2022	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	3 hours	1 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: I checked out the upper 2 falls by climbing up a gully directly across the creek from the earthen trail drop-in end point. The gully is steep, but not exposed and the animals clearly climb it regularly. I angled right into a sub-gully, topped out on a small ridge, then traversed up to another ridge above the upper falls themselves. 2x 60 foot rappels put me directly on top of the upper 2 falls. I rappelled the 1st falls from a large tree root DCL, and the 2nd falls (low angle) from a log wedged with rocks. Then came the wade through thick stinging nettle in shorts (special challenges) back to the normal drop-in point. It's a nice one hour "add on", but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble. Rest of Monkeyface was normal with decent flow (see pic)
10 May 2022	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	9 people Beginner to Expert	Hillbelfi (25 reports)
Comment: Georgia Tech canyoneers out for a SoCal canyon tour! Thank you Todd Kolberg for the expert guiding. Vegetation has improved, making the approach hike a little better. Skipped R1 and used the ridge approach. We did this canyon during a cold snap and were pretty chilled by the last 3 raps even in wetsuits. Air temp around 60 degrees F.
16 Apr 2022	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	3 people	Willie92708 (770 reports)
Comment: Water is low (see pic) and chilly 50F. Air temp was cool, but the Sun was strong and we hit the canyon money section around noon. All the anchor webbing is quite new now and I replaced the handline in the rabbit hole. The algae slime factor is building up again as it does every spring.

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