Alder Crag, the largest unknown crag of the Angeles

[Matthew]

Where do I even begin?

Back in 2020, I got really into rock climbing and exploring the ANF during the pandemic while everything was closed. I scoured mountain project for crags and bouldering spots but something really intrigued me about climbing out here. Everyone always tells me that there's no good sport in LA County other than malibu and texas canyon. People always tell me that the gabes are just full of choss and theres no good rock. Why are there not any newly developed crags that are post 2010s? So I began searching!

I found this big shadow of something at the connection between chilao creek and alder creek that looked like something. I remember doing a scouting trip with a long lens to pacifico mountain road to try and get a better shot of what this shape was but it was too far. I could get a small glimpse of a big rock but the quality was up in the air.

What deems a crag to be climbable?
This is probably on everyones mind so i'm going to try and explain this.
1. Not chossy - choss is broken and loose rock. you can't climb on this stuff without fear because theres a big chance you will loosen up a large piece of rock to fall on your head.
2. Rock that has crack systems - crack systems allow you to place cams or passive gear into. These are the pieces of gear required to climb a rock that has no protection already in it. The gear is easily removable but if placed right, can take thousands of pounds of downward force with ease.
3. Accessible - you want to be able to hike a relatively short distance to the crag because the weight of the rope and gear is heavy. personally, I could care less. I backpack with a 30 pound pack long distances so climbers just gotta think a little harder about all of that.


Back to the crag!
I found some aerial images from a secret site that shows the crag in all of its glory!

Now this thing is big and it has potential but the distance required to travel there is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. I have made 3 previous attempts to reach this thing and each one failed miserably. Check out this map of each attempt made by me. My buddy Mikey Wally made an attempt so his track is in purple. The red one coming from chilao fire station was our successful push! More on that in a bit.


Now time for the trip report!
Nate, Dima, and I were ready to make an attempt on this 85F Sunday to hopefully reach Alder Crag. Nate proposed descending down a steep canyon from Chilao Fire Station down to meet alder creek, with a short hike down to the crag.

We began at 7am Sunday morning with LOTS OF STOKE down this side canyon. The brush was light at the start but it began to get heavier as we descended. Although the route down the canyon was short, it would be a very hard climb back out in the blazing heat to come.

We avoided a sycamore grove and moved onto a ridge that brought us right down to alder creek below Loomis Ranch and we got our first glimpse of Alder Crag.

As my excitement arose, it became clear that we were definitely going to finally reach this thing. Moving down the canyon from this point was pretty easy and nice, especially since it was hot and we were next to a creek the whole time. As we turned our final corner, there it was in all of its glory!!!

As we entered Chilao Creek, we passed by some massive pools. Nate and Dima decided to stay back and relax while I pushed up the canyon wall to the crag for some scouting.

Now remember earlier how I was talking about 3 things a crag must have? Well this bad boy was not chossy and had crack systems but is very very hard to reach, which is OKAY for many reasons. This place is a gem. You've got big pools for swimming in with lots of boulders and froggys everywhere. It's unlike most of the scenery you'll find on a day hike and contrasts all the landscape around. Here are my pictures from the base of the crag.

I descended and took a much needed dip in the big pool at the base.

On our way out, the temps rose and we began to take our time. We decided to avoid the side canyon and take the old Alder Creek Trail out towards Loomis Ranch and out on their road. This decision allowed us to make the trip a loop but also to scout out a very very very very very very good route to the crag! With a bit of fixing up, the trail from the Loomis Ranch road to the crag would be about 2.5 miles of easy terrain with a constant water source the whole way. Once you're on the road, things get a bit more exposed but deal with it.

Other routes that are maybe possible here are coming down Chilao Creek with ropes and creating permanent wrap points and then ascending your way out after climbing, but this would be long and tedious.

Anyways, there you have it! We broke our backs finding a new crag for the gabes and it all payed off. I can't wait to FA this thing!

[Sean]

Pretty sweet. Thanks for the report. So, there are no major obstacles going north from the crag to the Alder Creek Trail?

[Matthew]

Pretty sweet. Thanks for the report. So, there are no major obstacles going north from the crag to the Alder Creek Trail?

Not really. There’s just brushy sections and a creek crossing or two. I can’t really explain the brush around the creek but it’s super thick but easy to push through

[dima]

Thanks for the stoke, Matt. It's contagious!

The route we took on the way in worked ok, but it wasn't "good". The gully got steeper and more brushy as we descended. Eventually the brush got really thick:





And we then escaped to the adjacent ridge. This was much friendlier. We more or less took this ridge all the way down to Alder Creek.



Alder Creek has water. And it's a much wider drainage, leaving plenty of room to walk along the bank. We got here below where the Alder Creek trail connects, but it still felt like we were walking on an old trail. We followed Alder Creek down to the crag, and it was pleasant and easy. Approaching...



East Fork Alder creek (next to the crag) is full of nice pools to swim in:



Nate and I stayed back while Matt went to check out the crag. Any thought we had that we were the first people here was shattered when we found an old pair of jeans next to the pool. Plenty of animals know about this place too. The pool was full of water striders and various insects and tadpoles. Some dragonflies were flying around, and I chased them with the camera for a bit







A fat rattler was hanging out nearby



And we eventually realized that the smaller rocks sitting on the boulders were actually an army (that's the proper term!) of frogs. They're everywhere.





We hung out by the pool, for a while, playing with the frogs



Eventually we left. Like Matt said, Alder Creek turned out to be an easy hike all the way to the road. Before Alder Creek trail there's an occasional bit of brush to deal with. But once the trail comes in:



it becomes a highway. The trail along the creek and along the Loomis ranch is in decent condition. The road is gated, but that's in great condition too, and is easily bikeable. Looking forward to hearing about the first ascent!

[Nate U]

CRAG ATTAINED


It was an honor to be member of Matt's crag search team and finally reach the fabled Alder Creek Crag. It was a glorious spot, Matt! Worth all the failed attempts!

Notes:
• Coming down our drainage, it was a fun but challenging scramble hopping from boulder, to ledge, to boulder. Lots of time spent with 3 points of contact on the rocks. My upper body is soar today, which is usually not the case on a hike! Like I said very fun, but not something I would recommend to anyone not into this sort of x-country boulder hopping. Definitely not easy.
• but then we hit a big mess of blowdowns, poison oak, shrubs, willows with still lots of boulders. Just a really debris-filled canyon that was some of the most difficult terrain to scramble through I've ever encountered. So after about 1/10th of a mile of that we bailed up onto the ridge to try our luck in the chamise instead, and although still thick, it was infinitely better going for the last push down to Alder Creek.
• Alder creek is a gentle and sand-filled lovely wide canyon in this area, and served as welcome respite from the challenging scramble down. My suggestion of coming back up it to Loomis ranch for our exit strategy instead of retracing our steps up the drainage was quickly agreed to.
• The crag was glorious, and we spent more than an hour playing in a cold and refreshing pool below it. The army of frogs camouflaged as the tonalite rock they congregated upon was super cool.
• We traced an intermittent old path up Alder Creek until we connected with the old Alder Creek Trail, which was in surprisingly good condition, following that around Loomis Ranch (cool spot) until we got to the Loomis Ranch road for the very hot but easy climb back out of the canyon to Chilao flats and our cars. You don't even need to trespass!

With 100% certainty the best route to the Alder Creek Crag is the way we came back. With the gate past Chilao campground, it needs some road walking or biking, but then you just follow the Alder Creek Trail and old intermittent path along the chill Alder Creek bed right to the crag at the east fork confluence. With a bike it will take you maybe 90 minutes to get there, if that? Can't wait for the first ascent up the crag!

7 miles, 1879ft of gain.

A tonalite frog!!! How cool!

Loomis Ranch building. Cool isolated spot! They even had their own wifi signal!

[JakubRZ]

This is awesome and why I joined this forum. Congrats.

[wesweswes]

Alright, it's time to get a bolt drill I guess; doing it by hand would be wayyy slower

[Matthew]

Any recs?

[Sewellymon]

Holy Moly. the San Gabriel's Last Great Problem.

[Matthew]

Holy Moly. the San Gabriel's Last Great Problem.

Ah there you are! I referenced this post in another reply. Does this one look familiar or do you know anyone who's climbed it? I am going to learn how to drill bolts for that NE face that's all smooth. The other angles of the rock look protectable but hard and I still need to explore the western sides of it.

[Sewellymon]

Nobody in my circle made it down that far. You very likely have vrigin rock.

[Matthew]

Nobody in my circle made it down that far. You very likely have vrigin rock.

Good to know. That's crazy

[Sewellymon]

me old and slow, but just got an eMt bike... when cooler, will ride down below Loomis Ranch just to vibe. Always wanted to get down there...

[Matthew]

me old and slow, but just got an eMt bike... when cooler, will ride down below Loomis Ranch just to vibe. Always wanted to get down there...

This fall, come with us down to the crag! Do it for the culture!

[AW~]

Nobody in my circle made it down that far. You very likely have vrigin rock.

Well, there were plenty of people before your circle..but they werent busy ruining places.
Is there fixed anchors anywhere in the chilao wilderness?

[dima]

There WAS an old pair of pants by the crag (that I hauled out), so people have certainly been there before. I wouldn't be shocked if yall find a bolt or two also.

[Matthew]

Nobody in my circle made it down that far. You very likely have vrigin rock.

Well, there were plenty of people before your circle..but they werent busy ruining places.
Is there fixed anchors anywhere in the chilao wilderness?

Didn't see any bolts but I gotta do a full walk around next time I get out there. If you want to come, the more the merrier!

[tekewin]

Congrats on getting there! And on finding a better way for the future.