Tar Creek
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| | Difficulty:3B III (v3a2 III) Raps:2, max ↨200ft
Red Tape:Closed to entry Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | |||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 9 May 2021
"The forest service is back to issuing temporary closure orders with $5000 fines. The boundary starts at the tree about 1/2 way down the trail. In ad |
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34.4903, -118.9284
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Introduction[edit]
===Tar Creek is currently CLOSED=== There are multiple reports from 2020 of cars being ticketed and towed at the trailhead. The current closure order expires on September 13, 2025 and can be found at this link. A map of the closure area can be found at this link. A description of the closure area can be found at this link.
Future notices will likely be posted here
NOTICE: This canyon is currently closed for Condor Rehabilitation, see the Red Tape for more details. Tar Creek is a wet canyon with two excellent waterfalls, and many many pools for jumping and sliding. The current closure notices should be reviewed to determine their current status before descending this canyon. If you choose to use a shuttle and exit via the Sespe, please do not cross private property without permission. In particular the last house which sits dcr from Devil's Gate is sensitive about trespassers.
DO NOT INSTALL ANY WEBBING IN THIS CANYON. Doing so may lead to the canyon's permanent closure to canyoneering.
Approach[edit]
Follow the trail initially leading up hill. It becomes smaller and rough after a while, but should remain obvious until the intersection with Tar Creek. Some groups descend one of the gullies down to Tar Creek to shorten the approach slightly.
Descent[edit]
Follow the water course to the Sespe. Rappels are generally necessary at the upper and lower falls, and possibly at the cascades and below the lower falls depending on the group. Webbing is actively removed from this canyon, so it is likely you will need to make your own anchors. It is mandatory not to leave webbing behind; see the Red Tape section.
R1: Recommended to set a rope from the trees next to the boulder. Do not install webbing. This descends the dry pour-over just to the left of the waterfall. There are 2 rapides to extend the rope for a perfect pull.
R2: The lower falls rappel requires a full 190ft of rope .
NOTE: Use the trees set back from the edge. Do not install webbing. This will place you just to the left of the largest waterfall, and allow you to descend in the flow or along the edge of it. There are two rapides installed to facilitate an easy pull. (Or you can up-climb the scree RDC, and retrieve your rope as you retreat the canyon back up to your car.)
There is a third rappel after this one, just downstream, about 30 feet and directly in the watercourse off a large tree.
Exit[edit]
The exit described in the statistics for this canyon is up a trail back to your vehicle. To take this route, travel up the Sespe briefly until you reach a sandy beach camp. The trail is not initially obvious, but it proceeds up hill from this camp.
It is also possible to exit by traveling down the Sespe to a shuttle car; this route removes almost all the exit elevation gain and adds a 15 minute shuttle. You can shorten the exit by at least a mile of dirt road by gaining permission from the property owner to drive almost to Devil's Gate. Currently his tenant's say he declines permission except for conservation efforts.
The third, and by far the easiest, is to climb up the scree dcr of the last rappel, and retreat back up canyon the way you came. When you get to the area of the first rappel there is a trail along the dcr edge of the cliffside that takes you back to the watercourse. You can play again in the pools as you leave, or just head back. It takes about an hour and a half to return.
Red tape[edit]
Tar Creek is currently CLOSED
The current closure order expires on September 20, 2023 and can be found at this link.
Future notices will likely be posted here
Due to a concern for the condors in the area, no webbing, cordage or similar material should be left behind in this canyon. If webbing is installed in the canyon, and becomes a concern as it has in the past, the canyon could be permanently closed. Both drops have single bolts installed. DO NOT ADD WEBBING. ALL rappels in this canyon can be walked around on the right side of the canyon, with a little bushwacking and scrambling.
Public visitors to the Tar Creek area (within the Sespe Condor Sanctuary) expose the condors to human food, microtrash and direct human contact. This exposure increases the risk of injury as documented by the death of a condor in 2008. To address these concerns, the Los Padres National Forest reauthorized the closure of the Sanctuary to public entry except in designated travel corridors. Failure to adhere to this closure may result in a citation which carries a penalty up to $5,000 and/or six months in jail.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/lpnf/home/?cid=stelprd3820413&width=full
Beta sites[edit]
Chris Brennen's Adventure Hikes (Southwest) : Tar Creek
