Conditions:Tongva Canyon-20220424025429

Latest:	23 Apr 2022 (3 yrs, 5 mos ago)

Reported by:	Jcsjcs (130 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Dry
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Special challenges
Time:	3 hours

Team: 2 people

Trip report URL:

Comments: Most of the use-trail was easy to follow but the going became steep and rough closer to the drop-in. Approach took 1:25. The canyon was charming, shady, and easy to walk down with some interesting downclimbs. We rebuilt the cairn at the 280' rappel and used a fiddlestick. If you can set the knot about 110' below the anchor there's a ledge that makes passing it easier. This was an awesome drop, one of the tallest in the San Gabriels, and I could see this canyon becoming much more popular if the approach was easier to follow.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
9 Nov 2024	Poor	Dry	None	Special challenges	5 hours	2 people Intermediate to Beginner	Carter (1 reports)
Comment: Mixed feelings on this route, as well as a free rope at the top. Started the day off by looking for an easy canyon to do mid day. found this one and saw the 2 hour trip report with two rappels and thought it was perfect. It was anything but perfect. The erosion over the years has caused the approach to become very difficult. We had cell service for all but the last 100 meters of the approach. We tried to follow the beta for the bushwhack trail but erosion had made the cross portion at the top of the slope to dangerous and steep to navigate. We went to a higher point on the hill side to cross over and were crawling under the brush. Spent 1 hours to move and navigate the last 500 meters of the hike. Once in the canyon it was easy to get to the first real obstacle. My partner body rappelled off me for a 20 foot wall and I down climbed the same 20 feet with out issue. Once we got to the start of the main rappel we assumed from the beta that we could stop on the ledge below, pull the rope and rappel the second part. I tied a 15 foot anchor off a bush and sent my partner down to the ledge below. Once their she was unable to identify a good spot for the second anchor mentioned in the other trip reports. Erosion had changed the landscape and the only object was a bust in a dangerous part of the slope on very loose rocks. I rappelled down to meet her to check on the situation and see if something could be used, finding none I ascended the rope and set it up to leave behind. Once at the bottom of this primary rope (70 meters) we could not find a second place to rappel off of. I tied the backup rope (100 feet) to the first and we rappelled to the ground with 10 feet to spare. The rock was very loose and both of us would need to stand clear to avoid rock fall when the other was on the line. The location where to knot was between the two ropes is a great ledge to stand on, to the point I was off the whole system walking around on the plateau. Total rope length 330 feet. At this point the sun had set and we abandoned both ropes in place and bush wacked out of the canyon. It is 0.3 miles back to the parking lot but the first 100 yards are very overgrown. The next morning we returned and ascended the rope back to the knot. I brought a new 70 meter rope and was able to retrieved all the gear from the knot down. If someone wanted to bolt the route it would be a good route. There are two great spots to stop with no natural protection. It is possible some climbing nuts may work in both locations but fixed gear would be a good solution to make the canyon a bit better. The approach is another matter. There is not trail and the hillside approach is quite dense. So use caution if you want to do this canyon. Also, I do not intend to retrieve this rope. I do not know if it can be done safely. Maybe with a fiddle stick and a 330 foot tag line but I worry about the friction. Better canyoners than myself may be more willing to go for it. Hiking in and out may prove really difficult if you want to get this rope because of the difficulty of the approach. It is a 10 mm static that is rather old and I do not have much love lost for it. I feel much worst about the litter.
23 Apr 2022	Great	Dry	None	Special challenges	3 hours	2 people	Jcsjcs (130 reports)
Comment: Most of the use-trail was easy to follow but the going became steep and rough closer to the drop-in. Approach took 1:25. The canyon was charming, shady, and easy to walk down with some interesting downclimbs. We rebuilt the cairn at the 280' rappel and used a fiddlestick. If you can set the knot about 110' below the anchor there's a ledge that makes passing it easier. This was an awesome drop, one of the tallest in the San Gabriels, and I could see this canyon becoming much more popular if the approach was easier to follow.
14 Jan 2016	Good	Dry	None	Special challenges	4 hours	2 people Expert	Mark9fiji (29 reports)
Comment: Spent too much time finding a non-brushy path on traverse. Had to roll rocks from higher up to build cairn for final drop. On the approach: Once we were on the canyon face side of the mountain we followed a faint use trail south(opposite of what the 1/14/16 .kml shows) that became very sand and really loose. Due to the loose sand, we ended up rapping off off a tree to finish the approach and into the bottom of the canyon