Crescent Creek (Sequoia National Park)
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| | Difficulty:3B IV (v3a2 IV) Raps:15, max ↨240ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Required 45 min Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Granite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 26 Jul 2020
"This is Morgans job :) , since I built the main page.. I give it "amazing", well, because the technical section and views from it are amazing (see |
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| Best season: | May-Oct
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36.5448, -118.7578
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
Given all the class C river canyons in Sequoia NP, this "canyon" is a vastly different experience. It more like a mix of a Utah slot canyon and SoCal's Monkeyface, or at least through the extensive chimney system at the top of the technical route. Although the FD was in very low water flow, in May or June (even July on a wet year) the water flow could easily be class C and make for a wild ride down the chimney system, even dangerous consider its narrow width and numerous chock-stones and shallow pools. If the flow is too high, the chimney system can be bypassed since there are hugely wide slabs on right side. If you enjoy chimney climbing, much of the chimney is perfect width for butt to feet stemming, and or wide leg stemming and thus can be down-climbed easily in the dry spots, and carefully where wet. Although there is no brush issue in the technical section (except one rappel through a bush), the approach once you leave the trail has quite a bit of brush (no poison oak though), and the exit has a ton of brush, and lots of poison oak. I will say that if you stay in the Moro Creek exit water course, you will avoid most all the poison oak, and get to do many short down-climbs and wade through pools, some chest deep.
Approach[edit]
Park the lower shuttle vehicle at the trailhead beyond Buckeye Flat campground, or if the gate is locked at Hospital Rock parking lot. Drive the other shuttle vehicle to Crescent Meadow parking, East of Moro Rock. From Crescent Meadow parking head South West 0.5 miles on Sugar Pine Trial, then go cross country when the trail diverges from the creek bed. Following the Crescent Creek bed for another 0.5 miles through brush and trees, down slabs and a few short downclimbs you will reach the top of the descent with a spectacular view.
Descent[edit]
Start by down-climbing into the top of the lengthy "slot canyon" Chimney System until you get to small pool and where down-climbing below is obviously wet. Below which you will want to rappel, unless it's totally dry as the chimney is super slippery any places that is wet. On the FD we used:
- R1 ~20' nuisance rap from submerged rock in watercourse
- R2 ~100' tree DCL traverse out to the tree, then rappel back into the chimney
- R3 ~100' pinch watercourse
- R4 ~100' wedged stick behind a horn DCL and level with top of chimney
- R5 ~45' DCL stick pinched above large chock-stone spanning chimney
You may want to break up the longer rappels in the chimney, because the pulled rope can easily catch on the various chock-stones and rocks. On the FD, we got our rope stuck in one spot, and had to chimney climb back up to free it. There is one pool in the chimney that is surprisingly chest deep, so plan accordingly for gear and clothing will get soaking wet!
This is the end of Chimney System and a good place for Lunch. Below this location, all the rappels are down the head-wall slabs and shallow troughs in and out of the water flow.
- R6 ~200' off bush anchor over a drop-off angling up right (serious pendulum issue)
- R7 ~150' off webbing high on a pine tree just DCL of the water course with thick big bush directly below
- R8 ~140' big oak tree 140' well DCL on a ledge
- R9 ~95' from slung boulder DCL
- R10 ~140' from a large Manzanita bush DCR down to several small ledges in the water course under a small overhang. The top ledge under the overhang has a ravenous rope eating crack. All ropes lowered, tossed or pulled from this side will end up stuck in this crack. One can continue the rappel 240' to a large ledge, but the last person MUST stop here!' The rope will get stuck here when pulled.
- R10 Alternate ~240' Use trees or other anchors on DCL.
- R11 ~100' Sling the flake forming the ravenous crack. Have fun getting rope out of the rope eating crack in the pool.
- R12 ~100’ rock cairn DCL on big ledge DCL down a flat slab to a shallow pool. There is an easy down-climb around R12 DCR through the brush.
- R13 ~185' from a slung rock chock DCL after a bit of down-climbing from the pool above.
- R14 ~80'ghost from tree down to the thicket below and the end of the head-wall slabs.
Once in the creek bottom, do not got down the water course. The brush is insanely thick and there is a steep V trough with chock-stones below. Instead, climb up out of the creek bottom DCL onto a narrow shelf that traverses out to 2 trees, one dead, one alive
- R15 ~150' ghost from the 2 trees
Below this it's easy enough to down-climb DCR over a big boulder and to much easier terrain below.
Exit[edit]
From the last rappel, head down Crescent Creek with some boulder hopping, short downclimbs, using animal runs (mostly DCL) and sometimes well above the creek level, and try to avoid the poison oak. Soon you will reach slabs DCL that are easy to walk down to a short dropoff. You can rappel this dropoff, or go back up DCR to a downclimb. Below this you are in Moro Creek, and it's a combination of brush, poison oak, downclimbs, pools to wade through. I generally found the creek bed itself to have no poison oak, but sometimes thick brush and plenty of downclimbs, some on slippery rock. Thus, choose your poison wisely! :) In one mile from the last rappel your will reach an open area and wide slab with the creek running through slot. At the bottom is a short dropoff (downclimb DCL) and a rock wall DCR below. This rock wall marks the exit trail. Hike up the trail 500 feet (horizontally) to the trailhead parking lot.
Red tape[edit]
Since this is inside Sequoia NP, you need to pay the entrance fee to get in/out of the park during business hours.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
https://www.facebook.com/groups/583118321723884/permalink/3133753843326973
Background[edit]
Rick and Dominik had eyed this route in years past, but never got around to running it, mostly because it's normally class B or even A in a dry spell.
