Stone Plus One
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:17, max ↨136ft
Red Tape:Permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | |||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 17 May 2025
"Replaced webbing to All rappels but 2 (R3 & 14 need replacement soon).. Removed some unnecessary webbing from wrong/bad anchors.. Tightened so |
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34.2834, -118.2356
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Introduction[edit]
Stone Plus One contains a large number of reasonably-sized closely-spaced rappels; it could be described as a larger version of Little Santa Anita Canyon.
This canyon is notorious for rock fall after high winds and rain. Sharp rock can fall on webbing and cut it. Check all anchors thoroughly!
As with many canyons in the Big Tujunga area, canyoneers' help keeping access open is appreciated. This area is still recovering from the Station Fire in 2009 which means lots of invasive plants and overgrowth in general can quickly close off access to these areas and/or make your time in them miserable. Consider adding a pair of hand shears and/or small bypass loppers to your gear list when descending these places. There are many places online to learn how to prune constructively, and other organizations are helping with the effort.
Approach[edit]
Park in the Wildwood picnic area and find the small trail that heads up the ridge on the east side of Stone Canyon. Since the gate to the Wildwood parking area is posted as closing at 8 pm, it is tempting to drive into Vogel Flats instead, turn right, follow the road to its end, and park. Only park at the very end of Stonyvale Road. The property along this portion of the road is all privately owned.
Find the Stone Canyon Trail and follow it across the watercourse of Big Tujunga and up the mountain. At 3,015ft elevation, notice the large white rock face in the canyon as the trail turns to the right — this is R5-R7. After donning helmets, leave the trail at the drop-in at 3380ft elevation and proceed down loose scree for 120 vertical feet along a faint use trail. Full gloves are also advised to protect your hands from yucca spines.
Alternately, drop into the canyon earlier, saving 500ft of elevation gain and bypassing the first seven rappels.
Descent[edit]
The rappels begin almost immediately.
R1: 80' 2 bolts RDC (New webbing 5/25). There is an overhanging rock LDC that makes for a good picture spot.
R2: 130' Bush LDC (New Cyan 5/8" webbing MAR2025)
R3: 40' Small tree Center watercourse (New webbing 5/25). R3 can also be combined with R2 at 200 feet, or down-climbed RDC.(R2-R3).
R4: 40' Small bushes center watercourse (New webbing 5/25).
R5: 85' Tree LDC (New webbing 5/25). This is the first rappel of the sequence that is highly visible from the approach trail.
R6: 20' From wiggly tree sticking out straight toward drop, center watercourse (New webbing 5/25). Be careful, this rappel is slippery and awkward!
R7: 60' Tree right of center canyon (New Cyan 5/8" webbing MAR2025).
(R7-R8) There is a long walk in between R7 and R8 with a short downclimb (6 to 8 feet) with a big tree for hand holds and a super pretty waterfall; see pic. This is also where one would enter the canyon if taking the shortcut approach.
R8: 40' Tree center watercourse (New webbing 5/25).
R9: 45' 2 Bolts attached to a rock on the ground RDC. Canyoneers in the picture below are pointing to the bedrock where the bolts are located; these bolts often get buried in dirt. Sharp Edges exist on this drop so proper rope placement and care should be taken.
R10: 120' Huge tree high LDC, or a bush cluster after a 5 foot downclimb DCL (New webbing 5/25).
R11: 50' Tree Center (New webbing 5/25). This is the second stage of the same waterfall as for R10, and R11 could be combined with R10. (R10-R11) Combine as one rappel with two 200' ropes.
There is a "long" walk after R11 through thickets of canyon kelp.
R12: 140' 2 Bolts LDC. This is a two-stage rappel; 65' to the end of the sloping rappel that is probably down climbable in dry conditions, then the remaining distance over the lip is steep. Rope pull may be a problem! R12a: 90' 2 Bolts LDC (New webbing 5/25). Can be carefully downclimbed. R12b: 50' Tree LDC (New webbing 5/25)
More "walking" through thickets of canyon kelp.
R13-R17 are five back-to-back rappels, and some of them may be combined. If you are short on anchor material and are not familiar or comfortable with releasable anchors, consider your pull strategy carefully for these last five rappels.
R13: ~60' 2 Bolts LDC (New webbing 5/25)
R14: ~40' from bush center watercourse. (ghosted MAR2025) This rappel ca be combined with R13.
R15: ~25' 2 Bolts RDC (silver "Sun bleached" webbing MAR2025 - Needs replacement)
R16: ~70' from a tree center watercourse. This rappel could be combined with R15. A single 200' length of rope was just barely enough to combine rappels 15-16 (including pull).
R17: ~50' 2 Bolts RDC (New webbing 5/25)
Exit[edit]
Note: if you exit and cross the creek soon, there have been multiple attempts of setting traps. There is a small trail that crosses the brush and a sign reading "wolf crossing" there were several 2x4s with nails sticking out of them which looked intentional. 12/17/17
After packing up from R17, head back up the mountain to the left. Climb to the Stone Canyon Trail and follow that back to the Wildwood Picnic site. You will cross the creek once from the trail. Go left if parked in Wildwood or at the Wildwood gate. Go right after crossing the creek if you are parked at the end of Stonyvale Road.
Do not follow the small canyon out to your vehicle. I was recently shown where the property lines are. The property is privately owned and posted NO TRESPASSING. The private property extends up into the small canyon and up onto the lower portion of the mountains to the left. Respect the private property owners' rights. Recently the property owners have indicated they are not allowing any more trespassing on their properties due to crimes in the area. A short climb up is better than having a Misdemeanor on your record.
Red tape[edit]
An Adventure Pass must be displayed when parking in the Wildwood picnic area, and the gates to the picnic area may be closed at 8pm. There may be free parking available along Big Tujunga in exchange for a slightly longer hike and additional elevation gain upon exit. Be sure to check for signs around the area you choose.
The private property extends up into the small canyon and up on the mountain to the left just after you reach R17. The private property owners have posted NO TRESPASSING signs. Recently they have indicated they will not allow any more trespassing due to crimes in the area.
Beta sites[edit]
Chris Brennen's Adventure Hikes (St Gabriels) : Stone Plus One- Super Amazing Map : Stone Plus One
Trip reports and media[edit]
Note that solo descents greatly reduce ability to handle accidents and unexpected issues, and can therefore be much more dangerous than a more typically-sized team.
Background[edit]
Named by Chris Brennen who first descended it in 1997.
