Salamander Canyon
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| | Difficulty:4B IV (v4a2 IV) Raps:5-7, max ↨160ft
Red Tape:Closed to entry Shuttle: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 27 Apr 2024
"Water still flowing but very friendly. Several salamanders spotted throughout! The 100 and 160 waterfall were particularly beautiful and some fun po |
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| Best season: | Winter
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33.6440, -117.4830
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
This rugged section of Lower Hot Springs Canyon takes its name after the red/orange salamanders (technically California newts) found in the canyon waters. California tree frogs are also plentiful in wet years. To protect these creatures and their habitat, please tread carefully in the larger pools and avoid stirring up too much sediment.
When flowing, this is a wet canyon with deep pools and even some jumps. The deep pools can be avoided with average rock climbing skills but some wading in waist deep water is still mandatory. Hence wetsuit are recommended if the temperatures are below 80 degrees.
The technical section of the canyon is in the first 1/3 of the route, hence some people prefer to deploy static ropes on the way down and once reached the end of the technical section just ascend back up the canyon.
Approach[edit]
The Falcon Jay Campground near Lake Elsinore is the best starting point, park in the vicinity and follow the shown route down into the canyon. At the beginning you will be hiking on a faint trail that follows the stream but after a while you will reach the start of the technical section. Note: the trail has plenty of poison oak lurking about.
Descent[edit]
There are 7 mandatory rappels, but others can be bypassed or jumped. Some of the rappels are straight into the watercourse, if the flow is too strong you may have to improvise anchors on the sides. One shorter rappel will require a stone or preferably knot chock if not in place.
R1 Approx. 30' into a deep pool. Can be jumped as long as there is any exit flow, thus the pool is full. Pool depth is 10 to 12 feet on the deep side DCL. Check for debris (logs especially) before jumping! R2 follows immediately after another lower pool and a trough.
R2 A narrow trough called the "single-track" leads to a short rappel off of a horn DCR about 20 feet back from the drop. This horn has a climbing nut and quick-link underneath it. The 25' rappel is super slimy and lower angle, so be careful not to fall over and bash yourself. If the flow is too high this rappel and the trough leading to it can be bypassed DCL on a shelf around to a big boulder with a hand line going down the face. NOTE: NOV2022 hand line is gone.
R3 100' beautiful two-stage rappel anchored from a tree. The landing zone is blind from the anchor.
30-45 minutes of hiking follows.
R4 <80' rappel into a pool. The current anchor is a climbing nut jammed in a crack DCR, and a #7 hexentric. This rappel can be down-climbed in low flow, but be careful! This rappel also has a fixed line buried in the waterflow.
R5 not sure what happened to this rappel! :) There is a pool you can jump into along the way, but it's before R4
R6 <50' from pinch point DCL Short rappel just before the big one.
R7 The big one, 160-170' off of a large (straight up) protruding horn. The rappel starts to the side of the water flow and gradually moves under it for the last 30'. If you try pendulum over and stay out of the waterfall, you will slip and fall into it. A guided rappel can easily be setup using the R8 tree as lower anchor.
R8 ~50' Anchored from a small tree DCL with a LONG webbing extension, which is needed for rope pull. In the past this was anchored from a knot chock high on the wall DCL. Alternatively with a 220' rope on R7, continue all the way down. The shallow gully to the Express Exit is DCL just beyond the bottom of this rappel.
R9 ~50' square rock horn DCL that has a small slot to feed the webbing around.
R10 ~50' pinch point under a large boulder DCR.
A section of down-climbs over boulders follows before the stream levels out. DCR you will see the last rappel in http://ropewiki.com/Axolotl_Canyon, and you can add on Axolotl canyon by climbing up the scree and talus chute to the right of the Axolotl big waterfall. Also, you access the Express Exit here by climbing up the exceedingly steep slope DCL (see exit info below). If using the Chiquito Springs exit, watch carefully for the Chiquito drainage entering on the left, about an hour of travel past the technical section. As of 13MAR2020 it is marked with a piece of green Astroturf hanging from a tree limb. If using the shuttle/Lazy Z exit, it's a 4 to 5 hour hike back to the car; be sure not to miss the exit onto the camp road.
Exit[edit]
The usual exit is proceeding hiking down canyon to the car parked at the exit. Some people prefer to ascend back up the canyon once reached the end of the technical section. This option should be chosen ONLY if everyone in the team is proficient ascending the rope and water flow is low (ie: there is a 160 overhang drop that is straight in the watercourse).
Spring 2018 (April 7th) - The hike down to the Lazy W Ranch has a small trickle all the way through it, resulting in an overabundance of Poison Oak. If it's comfortable enough to keep wetsuits donned, there are many opportunities to jump in a few pools on the way out rinse off.
Chiquito Spring Exit[edit]
As of 19FEB2018 the "possible exit" on the map was validated, climbing up Chiquito Springs Canyon to the San Juan Trail in 1:40 hours: http://ropewiki.com/Chiquito_Spring_Canyon
Express Exit[edit]
This exit takes you straight back to BlueJay Campground in about 2.5 hours. This saves hours of hiking in the creek bed either to the all the way out to Lazy W Ranch, or up Chiquito Springs canyon. As of 5JAN2023, the Express Exit has been added to the KML file. The easy way to access this exit is to climb the shallow gully directly after R8 (the 50 foot rappel that immediately follows the 160 footer). Climb the gully angling right a bit, then traverse over to the rock horn once you have it in sight. You can also rappel R9, and still climb up to the top of the shallow gully, but with more difficulty and exposure. If you do R10 (the last rappel), then proceed down stream 300 feet where Axolotl canyon joins, then pick a line up the exceeding steep rocky and moss covered slope with some 4th class exposure. Climb carefully to avoid 5th class, and once you are up ~200 vertical feet, traverse under the rock horn, then climb up about 50 more vertical feet to it. Alternately, you could fixed ropes on R9 & R10 and ascend back up the ropes to access the shallow gully up to the rock horn.
Ask me (http://ropewiki.com/User:Willie92708) if you need more info; I need to add a few pictures about how to use this exit.
Red tape[edit]
You need to buy a parking pass or have a Federal Land Pass displayed if you park inside Bluejay Campground.
As a result of the Airport Fire Closure this area is closed by the Forest Service from Oct 5th, 2024 to Oct 4th, 2025. See Forest order No. 02-24-29. Also closure map.
Beta sites[edit]
SummitPost.org : Hot Springs / Salamander Canyon
Trip reports and media[edit]
Trip Report from First Descent
DominikN & Dangel video, 2011-10-00
Background[edit]
First canyoneering descent: 4/7/07 led by Verdi Tanrierdi.
This canyon has been published probably at least since 1988 in Afoot and Afield Orange County by Jerry Schad where it goes by the name Upper Hot Springs Canyon. Use trails and trash increasingly became more common in the late 90's especially more than a mile above the main falls while the last mile had correspondingly less traffic and impact. All of the waterfalls above the main 160' drop can be bypassed without a rope by a sufficiently skilled person. Although this was not very commonly traveled in the early 90's, by the end of the decade it was not uncommon to encounter another party at some point during a visit. The visit in 2007 was not the first descent.