Alpine Canyon Exploration (CA-39)

[Sean]

I drove up the North Fork of San Gabriel Canyon along Hwy 39, looking for something new to do. Alpine Canyon fit the bill. It runs below Pigeon Ridge, between Maple and Cloudburst, two other canyons that still need exploring. There is a turnout where the road crosses Alpine.

The start of this XC adventure offered a mildly frustrating bushwhacky maze, as I tried to decide which direction would offer the least resistance. The streambed was mostly a mess, so I spent a lot of time on the banks and ridges, where faint use trails could be found.

Up on the southeast ridge, I got a good view of the area, including an impressive waterfall up-canyon a bit.

I was on the ridge between Maple and Alpine. Ahead there was a large flat, but it was covered in rocks and dead trees.

From the road, Alpine Canyon goes up eastward before bending northeastward. Same with the parallel ridge I was on. Unfortunately the ground from the flat onward is absolutely covered in big rocks. It was a true boulder-hopping experience.

I went up to a ridge junction around elevation 4760', where I could check out the massive headwall below South Mt. Hawkins.

By this point I had already become obsessed with reaching the waterfall, so I left the upper canyon for another day. Here I turned left onto a subsidiary ridge leading down to the falls area.

Soon I started to hear the flow of the stream not far below. Then an opening in the vegetation provided a sideview of the waterfall.

I searched for a way to drop down and eventually found a steep, rocky slope that proved manageable. It sent me into the narrow courseway dense with plants and boulders, where a nice little stream moved along its way. Apart from the evidence of illicit farming activity, this place was super cool--a tranquil hideaway.

It took some class 3ish scrambling to get around the brush and a cascade, in order to reach the base of the main falls.

It seemed about 80 or 90 feet high, with a sweet vertical drop into a tiny pool. I had about an hour more before dark, so I decided to get going after only a couple minutes of rest. The farmers had left enough of a trail that I was able to get out fairly easily. Still, there was much bushwhacking, and I spent the rest of the evening picking bits of thorns out of my hands and shins.

[dima]

Cool find! When you check out unknown canyons do you pretty much EXPECT to find signs of past grows? It feels like the norm now...

[Sean]

When you check out unknown canyons do you pretty much EXPECT to find signs of past grows? It feels like the norm now...

I guess so, though I don't think about it much while I'm hiking. I focus on my personal goals until I come across trash, equipment, man-made paths, etc. Then I go into CSI mode. At first I was picking up cans along the ridge route. They were mostly old cans, one was a pulltab. But I did find one Monster energy drink, so that had to be more recent. I figured maybe hunters following the deer trail like me, or inconsiderate scramblers mostly interested in drinkin' and litterin' in isolated areas. But when I dropped into the stream, I found a relatively new black hose and broken clippers. There was also a farmer's trail along the hose line which stretched unbroken for quite a distance. It appeared they had been moving water from the falls to a south-facing bank downstream. After leaving the falls I was more alert, but I didn't expect to run into anyone for several reasons. Wrong time of year, lack of fresh trail and trash, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they plan to use that site again, though. Most sites I find have been abandoned for years. This one looked like it could have been used last year.

[Sean]

I forgot to mention perhaps the most interesting aspect of this canyon. It contains one of the largest and oldest landslide features in the Gabes. You've probably noticed it while driving up the 39, but here is a closer look.



You can see how the left side of the upper canyon suffered a major geological event. According to this site, it happened a long time ago during the Pleistocene epoch.



If I knew more about rocks and landslides, or the Pleistocene era, I'm sure I'd have something more interesting to say right about now. But I don't.

[Sean]

Here is an even closer look at the landslide area.

It appears that there was so much debris that it spread across the entire width of the canyon and piled over the floor maybe 150 feet high. Since then water and gravity have shifted much of the material further downstream.