I went to Piru Creek for the first time on Saturday with a friend who's been going there since the early 80s. We saw quite a few cars at the trailhead but we soon learned that most of the people must've went to Slide Mountain or Piru Ponds.
We had the creek to ourselves except for a couple groups of people who only went a mile in. There was also an old timer who was wading through the creek looking for frogs deep in the canyon.
According to my friend, the creek was unusually high and the current was unusually strong. He suspected it was due in part to water being let out from Pyramid Lake.
The crossings required some strategy and concentration. There were some pools of calm water though. It was quite cold but refreshing on a hot day.
I can't wait to explore further, possibly on an overnighter.
You can go all the way to Piru Lake which is much easier when the water is low. I was there three weeks ago and did Slide in a drenching rain storm. The little falls by the fishing area was thundering.
David R wrote: ↑You can go all the way to Piru Lake which is much easier when the water is low. I was there three weeks ago and did Slide in a drenching rain storm. The little falls by the fishing area was thundering.
Yeah, we got about 3 miles in. It took a while. I'd love to go steeper and stay overnight.