Tunnel Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A I (v3a1 I) Raps:3-7, max ↨200ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 22 Oct 2021
"This canyon has a lot of challenges compressed into a short length. It feels almost like a Death Valley canyon with the quantity of drops jammed in. U |
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| Best season: | Anytime
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34.2427, -118.0981
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Introduction
This is a chute starting from San Gabriel Peak and ending at Mueller Tunnel. It drops 800 ft in 0.16 miles
Approach
From Red Box take Mount Wilson Road to the parking area at the top of Mount Lowe Road. Take Mount Lowe Road approximately 0.5 mile through Mueller Tunnel to the pass. Now take the trail to the right (north) up to a junction and turn right for the final leg to San Gabriel Peak. Drop off the peak to the east to enter the chute.
Descent
The chute drops 800 feet in just 0.16 mile in a series of drops, steps, and slopes. We had 300 foot ropes and did three long rappels. 200 foot ropes would certainly work and shorter ropes may work also. The canyon ends by the southern end of Mueller tunnel.
One possible sequence of rappels is as follows.
R1: 50' - bush DCR. There's another anchor before this one, very close to the drop-in, but the slope it protects can be downclimbed.
R2: 90' - bush high DCR
R3: 165' - bush DCR
R4: 145' - cairn, likely to get washed out whenever there's a storm
R5: 50' - deadman. Note that performing this last rappel is likely to knock rocks down onto the trail next to the tunnel so it's recommended to run the canyon at a time where the trail will not be crowded.
Exit
Go through Mueller tunnel for a quarter mile to return to your car.
Red tape
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
Background
This canyon was first done by Daniel Evans and Sam Serna on August 30, 2015.