Sears Ravine
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| | Difficulty:3B II (v3a2 II) Raps:4, max ↨65ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Optional 15 min Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 3 Jul 2021
"Very dry conditions in July. Parts of canyon are entirely dry and river at end can’t be floated. Road before bridge has plenty of sharp rocks and po |
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| Best season: | April-June
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39.7021, -120.9289
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Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
A short, calm, beginner-friendly canyon, runnable earlier in the year than most canyons in the Sierras, and with enough going on to be interesting. A few rappels, and a number of moderate downclimbs. Fed by snowmelt, was running class B and warm in late May of a low-snow year. May reach class C conditions earlier in the season or in years with more snow, and may dry up later in the season. Waterflow can be estimated from the tunnel.
The canyon can be escaped at virtually all points, though some would be sketchy, and most but not all rappels can be bypassed (possibly all with effort).
Approach[edit]
From the town of La Porte take St Louis Rd (forest road 21N13X) until the bridge, where it becomes Port Wine Rd. Cross the bridge and park on the west side. Continue up the road on foot, taking a left at the fork. Be careful, the road is popular with OHVers who may not be expecting foot traffic. Roughly a mile from the bridge you’ll see some stone-lined paths on the left side of the road. These lead to the historic St. Louis cemetery, which is well worth a detour. Immediately after the entrance to the cemetery path, turn off of Port Wine Rd onto forest road 21N96B. Take this about a quarter mile to where it crosses Sears Ravine.
Alternatively, the road walk can be avoided and the approach can be done as a shuttle, leaving an exit car at the bridge and driving the rest of the way to the beginning of the cemetery path/forest road 21N96B. There’s space for several cars here, but the road quality between the turnoff and the bridge is poor (4WD), and the road walk isn’t difficult, so it’s likely not worth the hassle of a shuttle. You could also only park at the cemetery and do the road walk as part of the exit.
Descent[edit]
Rappel heights are approximate.
If wearing wetsuits, suit up before entering, where the road crosses the canyon. Scramble down either the main drainage or the side drainage RDC to the obvious R1, 65ft from tree back 30ishft LDC into a shallow pool. While the drop itself is only 65ft, the distance from the anchor to the bottom is 100ft, a 200ft rope was exactly enough. Some easy scrambling takes you to R2, 15ft from tree high LDC. Next is a downclimb, 8ft into a waist-deep pool, with good handholds LDC, or could be rigged as a rappel from another 10 or 15ft higher up. The canyon opens up slightly into a two-stage waterfall before bending LDC. The first stage can be downclimbed, bypassed LDC, or rappelled (25ft) from a small dead tree LDC. The second stage (R3) is 35ft from a pine RDC into a chest-deep pool. After a little more scrambling, you’ll arrive shortly at R4, 12ft into a shallow pool. This may require some anchor creativity or meat anchor + LAPAR partner assist; we used the small boulder in the watercourse with a meat backup. A pretty narrows section follows, with many small splashy downclimbs. Within sight of the main creek, a 10ft drop into a waist deep pool presents an obstacle. This can be bypassed LDC, or carefully downclimbed.
Exit[edit]
After the canyon empties into Slate Creek, continue downstream, floating if safe and desired. After approximately a mile, the creek will take a U-bend, and the easiest walking path will slightly diverge to the right from the immediate creekside. After the U-bend, look for a large log laying across the creek, and a tunnel entrance on the left side. Cross the log with a shallow water jump if desired. Travel through the tunnel, which exits immediately downstream of the bridge and your exit car. If you miss the tunnel you’ll wind up at the bridge anyway, but the tunnel is a slight shortcut and more fun. The drop out of the tunnel can be downclimbed on the right and gives an easy reference for Slate Creek flow.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
May 2020 trip report and photos by Quinn Shemet
Background[edit]
First descended May 2020 by Carly, Quinn, Niles, and Evan.
