Hike/Bike up Fish Canyon (Castaic)

[cougarmagic]

KitFox posted a TR a while ago about this place, and I've been wanting to check it out ever since. The strangely cool weather today made perfect conditions to bike the first couple of miles (on paved road, then partially paved/part dirt road) and continue on foot when it got too sandy with stream crossings.

Notable events: The canyon is paved with concrete for a while. Wall to wall! The best animal tracks I saw all day were immortally encased in it.



Also, it rained....and it was cold...????

The scenery here is great, and it feels like hardly anyone goes here. A big plus in my book. I expected great tracking, but didn't find it - just a little too late, and all the nice mud has turned to sand. Still, there must be some good wildlife here and I hope to see some on my next visit. Just got a ways above Pianobox Prospect before the going got too brushy to want to deal with anymore. (It really wasn't bad - just hadn't planned to be out all day, that's all)

[Johnny Bronson]

very nice scenery and trip,weird about the concrete ...like majority of places.

[AW~]

Nothing really to add here...but I think one of the walls in the short narrows has been bolted since this trip report....because its either too hard or to simple to take the trail back down for 5 mins after a 100+ ft climb, so lets install 9 bolts(2 every 20 ft or so) into the wall I did spot a couple short conglomerate waterfalls though, so that made my day.

I think I was fortunate to get to the Narrows with fading light and just before the leaves had fallen




Top set of bolts


Conglomerates...barely a trickle thanks to no rain.

[tracker]

Neat area. I go through there often. I was releasing three rehabbed bear cubs in the old Cienega campground the day my partners were shooting at Christopher Dorner in Big Bear.

The narrows was where excess concrete was poured during the making of Castaic Dam. It's 6' thick in some places. Every day the on-site batch plant would mix up more concrete than could be poured so they put it in the canyon bottom. The idea was to help ensure a possible escape route for the LADWP employees when Templin Hwy would slide. The FS maintained the road out to Lake Hughes Road until an interim District Ranger decided they didn't need to do it any more. I don't know that they ever had DWP employees leave the power plant that way. When Templin Hwy would slip, it was never bad enough to make someone drive through the canyon, all the way out to LH Rd.

[Hikin_Jim]

Six feet thick! No wonder it has survived.

HJ

[tracker]

It is showing the effect of time in a couple places. I think more water flows under the slab than over. A couple of the spots have re-bar showing.

[AW~]

Just found out that this area was actually closed. There was not one single sign about Fish Creek being closed. There were some signs that
Redrock canyon was closed...those signs being in a closed area already? They didnt say anything about a Powerhouse closure either.
Sincerely, the Invader(see article below)

http://scvnews.com/2014/01/12/didnt-you ... hellrigel/
"...Hundreds of people have violated the closure order since the fire, erroneously believing Fish Canyon and Salt Creek were not included in the order....There are others who don’t care what the Forest Service says, or even that the forest closure exists. These are the people who cause the most damage to the forest, and indeed, in time, I hope, may be subject to the $5,000 fine for invading the area and up to six months in prison. And if a group goes in, it is subject to a $10,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment. People who violate the forest closure need to rethink their own selfish motives and consider the consequences of their actions. Most of the entrances to the Powerhouse closure are marked with signs indicating the area is closed. Some of the signs have been removed by “ambitious” visitors...."

[Uncle Rico]

Made my way out to Fish Canyon Narrows on Sunday. After parking at the gate on Templin Highway, I made the dull road walk to the broad entrance to the canyon and started my way up. It's hard to call this a hike given the lack of elevation gain. It's more like a nice stroll through a pleasant canyon with your grandma. But I liked my grandma and I liked this "hike" so what else do you want?

As mentioned previously, the canyon floor in the lower section of the canyon is concrete for a good portion of the way which makes the going easy. Just before abandoned Cienega Campground, the path narrows and changes to mostly dirt. Cienega Spring is flowing enough to be useful.

Past Cienega, the scenery got better as the track narrowed to a single-track. About half-way to the narrows, I passed a group of about 10 oldsters like me who had already been to my destination and were on their way out. That left me in charge of the place which I didn't mind a bit.

Just before the narrows, I stopped to check out the Piano Box Prospect which is difficult to do as it is collapsed. I then entered the narrows which are entirely too short. I went up canyon a ways for a bit of recon for future missions and then retraced my steps to Cienega Campground for a snack and liquid refreshment. As I was sitting there being anti-social and enjoying the solitude, I heard the sound of motorcycles in the distance. I thought they must have been on Lake Hughes Road to the east, but noooo. A group of about 9-10 of them can blasting down the canyon and passed me at Cienega Spring. I didn't know if the canyon was open to such travel, but back at the gate, there was a sign indicating that motorized vehicles were not permitted. Oh well, what are you going to do.

A cool place that definitely is worth a visit. Some pics:

[Uncle Rico]

A couple of more pics.

[David R]

Its more fun when you hit Red Rock Mountain high point, I've been there three times for some odd reason. I also came up the other way and hit Warm Springs Mtn. I once tried the old trail up to Warm Springs lots of wash outs but the main pain was the yucca and brush so turned around.