Conditions:Pitman Creek (Sierra National Forest)-20170807174042

Latest:	6 Aug 2017 (7 yrs, 10 mos ago)

Reported by:	Elenius (7 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Moderate
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	7 hours

Team: 3 people with experience level Beginner to Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: Fun, pretty, and varied canyon. Lots of fun but fairly easy downclimbing in the early part of the canyon. The longer raps go down vertical granite walls that are kind of cool and unique.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
13 Jul 2024	Great	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	10 hours	9 people Brand new to Advanced	Boof (31 reports),Sanazestan (11 reports)
Comment: Great day at Pitman. This was a group of 7 beginners (6 of which had never been canyoning before) and 2 experienced leaders. We started early and took our time. The canyon is at great levels for those new to class C right now - still fun, but not pushy. We had one person slip on a slippery section and slide a good ways down the creek before stopping, but luckily there were no major injuries. A good reminder to always have capable shoes and watch where you are stepping! There are also a couple bolts that could use a tighten if someone wants to bring a wrench next trip (there was at least one good one at each, so we weren't too concerned).
15 Jun 2024	Amazing	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal		6 people Beginner to Advanced	Kirbside (98 reports),AngHar (1 reports)
Comment: A beautiful canyon with stunning granite rocks. I am an intermediate level and this was my first time visiting Sierra mountains. Here are some pointers for the Sierra first timers and intermediate level. I hope this is helpful. 1. Granite are very slippery even with the special Class C shoes (I was wearing Palms). Be careful where you step and be mindful of the surrounding. I was traversing 6 feet on dried part of granite floor and my shoes lost grip and I skidded down about 15 feet or so. Luckily I eventually stop about 5 feet away from a waterfall. If the downhill continued down the waterfall, I don't know what would have happened. It took a few minutes to bring my heart rate down but I was not injured. 2. This canyon is a physical canyon with lots of technical down climbs. When I read the beta, I didn't fully understand the extend so be mentally and physically ready. 3. All rappels were on the side waterfalls and pretty straight forward, but requires swimming. This canyon is not for none swimmers.
10 Sep 2023	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	7 people Intermediate to Expert	Ameister (43 reports),Hillbelfi (31 reports),Kirbside (98 reports)
Comment: Great day in Pitman! Air temps were in the 70s with clouds and breeze so a thin wetsuit + rain jacket was helpful. Anchors are different from the beta but didn't pose any challenges.
7 Sep 2023	Great	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	3 people Beginner to Advanced	Adam Haydock (24 reports)
Comment: Great canyon. Lots of fun raps and nice waterflow. There is a bottom-up approach that allows you to get into the canyon without a shuttle.
12 Aug 2023	Great	Moderate High	Thin wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	4 people Expert to Beginner	PMartzen (2 reports)
Comment: I had forgotten what a pretty canyon this is. Super fun downclimbing! Water flow was good but not too much, around 10 cfs, I think. Look at the small drops by the take out bridge to estimate flow. We went quite slow, then had overcast, then thunder and some rain. We skipped one usual rap, because of rain concerns. Rappelled the slabs instead of staying in the watercourse because it was getting late. Got to bottom at sunset. Would like to return with an earlier start, warmer suit and stay in the water course more. So pretty! But also tiring.
11 Jun 2022	Good	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Easy	3 hours	4 people Beginner to Expert	Danielson (93 reports)
Comment: Rick was right for once. This canyon sucks. 3 required rappels. Idk wtf the beta is talking about.
30 May 2021 Trip report							Johnbcaves (160 reports)
Comment: This area was burned over. Expect burned trees and deadfall in lower creek section and exit hike. See photos taken from Big Creek approach.
21 Aug 2020	Amazing	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	9 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Even though the flow was low, Pittman is a amazingly pretty canyon with many beautiful waterfalls, easy pothole escapes, plenty of fun down-climbing, and a few short slides and jumps. We were in no hurry and did each rappel one at a time, thus the 8 hour time. All the anchors were good, except webbing at one pinch point in the water course that was bunched and shredded. I replaced that webbing which went right through an ant nest, making for interesting exercise. After the last staircase rappel (see pic), we followed a light use trail DCR for long ways, only briefly forced back to the creek bottom where there is a short dam with intake, then we used the trail DCR all the way to the road.
26 Jul 2020	Amazing	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	8 people	Freddy (51 reports)
17 Aug 2019	Great	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	6 people Beginner to Advanced	Xenonrocket (102 reports),Morgan (103 reports)
Comment: Replaced webbing on several anchors. Perfect conditions at the last jump.
20 Jul 2019	Great	Moderate High	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	6 people Beginner to Advanced	Rodtel314 (36 reports)
Comment: Had a great day in Pitman. Flow was strong for this canyon, flow in neighboring Big Creek looked runnable too. The rappel that puts you directly in the flow was tricky as there was a recirculating piece that everyone got floated around before managing to make it over the lip. Whiteout spray conditions on this rappel. Another rappel DCR almost provided a difficult pull. Everyone wore 4/3 or similar, I was a bit cold at the beginning of the day and dumping water down my suit by the end. Loved the jump at the end, perfect end to the day.
18 Aug 2018	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	4 people Brand new to Advanced	Johnbcaves (160 reports)
Comment: Very low water, fairly chilly. Great beginner trip for visiting friends. I still want to try sliding the big slide that ends in a 20'(?) vertical drop into a pool... maybe some other time?
28 Jul 2018	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	6 people Intermediate to Expert	Dangel (157 reports),Xenonrocket (102 reports),Morgan (103 reports)
Comment: Water levels were very low and friendly. Blackberries were ripe and delicious. The final jump has a very nice winch rope hand line in place. One of our group was happy in his 3mm farmer. But mostly everyone wore 3mm full suits.
24 Sep 2017	Ok	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	5 people Brand new to Expert	Johnbcaves (160 reports),Randy88fj62 (13 reports)
Comment: Long day in cold water. Everyone got cold with only 3-4mm wetsuits. We skipped a lot of jumps/slides due to the cold water. Randy and I added a few bolts where only single bolt stations existed. We chose to make the chocks simpler to inspect, as Pitman is gaining a reputation as a beginner canyon. We left one bolt whose hanger spins that will be pulled and replaced in the near future (likely next year). Only one single-bolt anchor persists, and that rap is optional and short.
17 Sep 2017	Good	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	Ameyer17 (2 reports)
Comment: We were a small group of 4 spending a relaxing day in the canyon taking pictures, practicing skills, and admiring the changing colors reminding us that fall has arrived. One particular slide was fun for the entire group. Water was a bit chilly. We added webbing to one anchor as a backup. There is a lot of driftwood in the canyon from the harsh winter and we found one fairly fresh deer leg during our exit. Overall, fun canyon with a great group of friends!

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