Deer Spring Canyon
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| Difficulty:3A II R (v5a1 II) Raps:3, max ↨300ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Required 7 min Vehicle:Passenger | |||||||||||||||
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Condition Reports: | 8 Dec 2015
"Night run. Anchors in good shape. Little to no bushwhacking. Small flow in Big Tujunga and still full of sand. |
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Introduction
Starts as a flat sandy canyon with progressively longer down-climbs and smooth granite that gets narrow and eventually gives way to a precipitous descent into Big Tujunga Creek. A unique and mostly brush-free route in the Big Tujunga drainage.
Approach
Park the exit vehicle at the Fall Creek Fireroad/Forest Service road 3N27 gate 34.2973077, -118.1698279 and then drive to the Hidden Springs Picnic Area/Trailhead at: 34.3156, -118.1362. It is just after the tunnel on the left hand side.
Walk North on the Angeles Forrest Highway. The highway crosses Mill Creek and bends sharp to the right. Enter the drainage on the North side of the highway around 34.3177, -118.1349 (Mill Creek). Head up this drainage staying on the left/West side and make your way up the ridge. Try and find the old trail as it climbs up the ridge (West). This area was burned by the 2009 Station Fire but the trail gets more defined on the ridge. GPS is helpful here.
Follow this trail over a few more ridges/drainages until you reach a kind of basin where 2 drainages join together and form Deer Spring Canyon. Drop-in at 34.3160133, -118.1466555 or anywhere in the area here that looks easy. It's a steep slope to a sandy creek bottom (likely dry most of the year).
Descent
The canyon is fairly sandy and easy going with not too much brush eventually giving way to more and more smooth granite bedrock. There are a few downclimbs that some may want to rappel as the canyon begins to narrow.
Rappel 1: 55 feet. Anchored to a bush DCR. This appears to be the first mandatory rappel.
Followed by two 30-40' downclimbs through a crack. Some may want a meat anchor for the last section of the first stage. The other option here is to rappel the entire length of the crack. There is a good bush RDC you can use for an anchor.
Rappel 2: 300 feet. Anchored from 2 bolts LDC. This anchor was originally off a bush DCL but appears to have been wiped out in the last flash flood. Somehow this canyon seems to have gotten a fair amount of water in the last storm, so be prepared to re-build all anchors. You should be comfortable building and rappelling on cairn anchors for this canyon. Nice views down into Big Tujunga Creek from the ledge (Eagle's Perch) DCL near the edge.
Exit
Head downstream (There is a large swimming hole shortly down canyon that you can cross DCL without swimming depending on water flow) until you reach the Fall Creek Fire-road/Forrest Road 3N27 at 34.2973077, -118.1698279 DCL. Head up the dirt road and back to your car parked at the white gate.
Warning: This exit could be more complicated after recent rainfall & swelling of the creek. The exit is downstream of the junction of Mill Creek & Big Tujunga Creek and is in a narrow part of Big Tujunga Creek, so just looking at the flow in Mill Creek at the start of the hike might not be sufficient. You can check the flow in the upper part of Big Tujunga Creek by stopping near the bridge on Angeles Forest Highway, just before the tunnel/Hidden Springs.
Alternate exit: It is possible to exit the route by hiking upstream and exiting in the Big Tujunga Narrows, if conditions allow. This alternate exit is described here: http://ropewiki.com/Rockets_Red_Glare_Gulch
Red tape
Requires Forest Adventure Pass to park.
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
Background
First known descent by Ben Pelletier, Ron Lebfrom & Alden Anderson on 04/23/14
The canyon was named after a small seep (spring) with lots of deer tracks around it (and in the rest of the canyon). A few deer were also spotted on a ridge near the canyon.