Conditions:Salamander Canyon-20191215234759

Latest:	14 Dec 2019 (5 yrs, 5 mos ago)

Reported by:	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Low
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Special challenges
Time:	7 hours

Team: 2 people

Trip report URL:

Comments: Water flow is at a fun level with no class C worries. Water temp is cold; full body wetsuit required! Some surfaces are crazy slippery though, as both of us had our spills from lack of shoe traction. We spent about one hours on the approach, 3 in the technical canyon, and 3.5 getting from the last rappel to Chiqutio Springs Canyon, up it and hiking back to our vehicles.

All the anchors are good now, but much of the webbing is getting old. The tree at the bottom of the 160 foot drop survived and grew new limbs and has nice big leaves on it. It was hammered by last winter and looked like it was a goner.

Chiquito could use some pruning work, especially on the encroaching poison oak. It had a bit of running water here and there, yet many of its pools were quite full of water.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
27 Apr 2024		Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	Arial (3 reports)
Comment: Water still flowing but very friendly. Several salamanders spotted throughout! The 100' and 160' waterfall were particularly beautiful and some fun pools to jump as well. This was the first time through this canyon for everyone in our party. We exited via the Express Exit. Most of our party went straight up the shallow gully after R8, but one went up about 25' after the gully and found it slightly easier to gain up the initial hillside. The express exit has a faint trail that is easy to follow. The less fun part of this canyon was the MASSIVE amounts of poison oak on the way in and out.
25 Feb 2024	Amazing	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	8 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Waterflow was definitely way up compared to most run of Salamander (see pic), boosting it too an amazing "moderate" class C flow. No Salamanders were about, because it's still too cold. A few frogs were out and about. The anchors are still surviving, and we replaced the webbing on the big drop. The express exit is in good shape as hiker are using it to see the falls, and they are doing some work to maintain it.
14 Jan 2023	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	6 people	Willie92708 (997 reports),Freemont (12 reports)
Comment: This canyon is really great when it is flowing; the 160' waterfall rappel is among the best in SoCal IMO when it has a bunch of water going down it. You can really get in the main stream of it for 75% of the rappel. The first rappel is a great jump that is easily repeatable. There are several other smaller jumps / small slides. It was raining quite hard by the time we reached the big waterfall but it takes a little while for the canyon to be affected and we did not see any increase in flow while we were in there. The "express" exit route is a great way to cut hour(s) off the exit. It is very steep at first but quite do-able and there is a trail forming going up the initial steep climb. Once you get up the first steep section there is a very easy trail to follow the rest of the way out. There is pretty much no "bushwhacking", the steep part of the trail is mostly clear of plants and once you are above that there is a cut trail.
13 Nov 2022		Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	5 people Intermediate to Expert	Willie92708 (997 reports),Aquamoo (91 reports)
Comment: I enjoyed the first jump and the downclimb to the first/second rappel. The free hanging part on the big rappel was also quite nice. I found the rest of the canyon to be kinda meh. I bonked on the express exit due to a heavy pack, a fast group, and my cardiovascular system being in less than ideal shape right now. Willie: water temp was sub 50F and with a light breeze and cool air made for a chilly run (for those without a good sealing wetsuit). Anchor webbing is getting a bit old on some of the rappels and will need to be replaced soon. No frog or salamanders were to be found; it's too cold now.
5 May 2022	Good	Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	7 hours	4 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: We had a rather slow party member, especially on returning on the express exit (special challenges). But this gave me time to do some pruning on the approach (Hot Springs Creek bed), in technical canyon, and on the express exit. Waterflow is very low (see pic); still enough to keep the water clear and the 1st pool full. All anchors are in great to good shape.
1 May 2022	Good	Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	2 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Water temp in the first pool was surprisingly warm at 58F. Still it seems cold after a warm hike to the first rappel / jump. There is enough water flow that the final falls are still flowing a bit. We hiked in Hot Springs Creek bed and out the express exit.
27 Mar 2021	Good	Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	9 hours	4 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: We approached by the creek bed, but exited via the express exit. One member lost a pair of prescription sun glasses in the first pool (R1) which 2 of us went back to get, after we realized later one member had a pair of swim googles. The 2 of us split off the express exit back to R1, while the other 2 went directly back. That chewed up around 3 extra hours, thus the 9.5 total time for me. The water flow is barely up from my last trip (see pic); only noticeable because the pool at R4 is deeper. Plenty of frogs are out, but we did not see any salamanders.
19 Feb 2021	Good	Very Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	2 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Water flow is enough to keep the R1 pool full, but not R4 pool. Water was cold at 46F and there was even ice on some puddles on the approach. We saw one salamander and many frogs; rather surprise for a winter run. All the anchor webbing is OK (replaced last season), except the last rappel which has 2 old pieces. We did not do the last rappel because we took the express exit. We did replace the webbing on the 160 foot drop R6, because all 3 pieces were getting quite Sun bleached. Blue Jay campground is open again which reduces hiking time for non-shuttle runs (what we did). Overall a good run and nice day!
19 Apr 2020	Amazing	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	4 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Waterflow was still holding on to class C, which made the big falls and other waterfalls amazing (see pic). And thanks to the new express exit, we made it back to our cars in 2.6 hours even though we had to park outside Blue Jay Campground since it's closed for COVID-19. We saw a few Salamanders on the approach down the creek bed, and a few in Little Chiquito on the exit, but I think we not looking in the canyon proper.
13 Mar 2020	Amazing	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	4 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Thanks to all the rain, the flow was way up! (see pic) It was drizzling on and off all day, so we were comfortable moving in full body wetsuits, even a bit chilly at breaks. No Salamanders are out yet, although I did hear a frog or 2. All the anchors are good, although the webbing on the tree at R3 and the final could use replacing, but both anchors have redundant pieces. I swapped out the hexentric on R4 for a better size (#7). We used the secret sneak approach, and exited Chiquito Springs. Overall the borderline class C flow made for an amazing trip!
5 Jan 2020	Good	Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	3 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Air was chilly in the morning and the water cold all day. It was noticeable warmer in the lower creek bed; even some frogs jumping about. Flow is mellow, but pretty (see picture). R1 webbing does not seem to get any Sun, so it's holding up well. The nut I placed for R2 is still there, welded quite well in position with SS quick link directly on it for the rope. BTW, R2 is damn slippery! I extended the webbing on R4 and placed a large Hex to backup the single small nut. R6 still has new'ish piece I installed recently and the year old piece. R7 webbing should be much longer if you leave a block on the rope (single strand it instead of double). We replaced the webbing on R8. R3 and R9 webbing is old, but there are 2 pieces in both locations. We exited Chiquito Springs.
14 Dec 2019	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	7 hours	2 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Water flow is at a fun level with no class C worries. Water temp is cold; full body wetsuit required! Some surfaces are crazy slippery though, as both of us had our spills from lack of shoe traction. We spent about one hours on the approach, 3 in the technical canyon, and 3.5 getting from the last rappel to Chiqutio Springs Canyon, up it and hiking back to our vehicles. All the anchors are good now, but much of the webbing is getting old. The tree at the bottom of the 160 foot drop survived and grew new limbs and has nice big leaves on it. It was hammered by last winter and looked like it was a goner. Chiquito could use some pruning work, especially on the encroaching poison oak. It had a bit of running water here and there, yet many of its pools were quite full of water.
21 Jun 2019	Good	Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	4 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: This was basically a recon trip and mostly just jumping into the pool at R1. We also rappelled R2 and climbed back up. Water is still flowing (see picture), which is pretty surprising for the beginning of summer.
13 Apr 2019	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	4 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Water flow is much lower than earlier this year. Still great fun though! Salamander are out in force, mostly swimming around in the pools. Frogs are out too. We replace one (green) webbing loop around the big rock horn for the 160 foot rappel, so now there is 2 black pieces (one fresh, one a year old). We exited via Chiquito Springs, which is still flowing nicely.
9 Mar 2019	Amazing	Moderate High	Full wetsuit	Normal	11 hours	5 people	Willie92708 (997 reports)
Comment: Awesome water flow level thanks to all the recent rain! We jumped into the first pool from a ledge about half way down the rappel, after I moved a log stuck in the pool. We used the boulder in the water course for the 2nd rappel anchor, and I cleaned it and used the fixed line on the slope around the corner easily accesses by a shelf canyon left. On the big drop, 3 members used a guide rappel, avoiding the brunt of the main falls. We used the Chiquito Springs exit which is flowing nicely too! Picture of the big drop and the one below that.

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