* ACA Rating: 3AIII
* Our hiking time: 6½ hours
* Our Hiking distance: 6.7 miles(est)
* Elevation loss: 2880
* Elevation gain: 2280
* Required equipment: Standard canyoneering gear 150ft rope, 150ft pull cord, 100ft webbing 6 quicklinks
* Rappels: 6-7 120ft largest
Acme Mapper
See attached file for Google Earth KMZ
Elevation profile
Photos
General description:
This is the lesser East fork of Delta Canyon... So named Bruin Highway because of all the signs of bear activity You Start in Tujunga in the city up Haines Cyn where the City of Tujunga Water works once stood, there where Homesteads up here starting around 1915,the first Patented claim by Frank Begue. I assume they where washed away/burned down in the 11/1933 fire and 1/1/1934 flood. Old Auto Club old Southern California maps I've seen call this area Azteca. Further on in Haines Canyon are more remains of the water works, and CCC era flood control structures
Trailhead*:
This trip requires a shuttle leaving a vehicle at the Delta Flats Day Use Area, then driving to the end of Haines Canyon Ave in Tujunga (Approx address 10510)
The Trip:
After setting up the shuttle etc...We got going shortly after 7am. Hiking the road took longer than expected but I'm used to hiking it without a load. At the first hairpin turn we took the spur road left (2812ft 1.4 miles) followed this to the end at a cistern (2913 ft 1.6 miles) here starts the Sister Elsie Trail (SET) we bore left at the signed junction with the Mt Lukens Trail (3270ft 2.0miles), the trail becomes increasingly brushy past here, but just past here is the second and final wet creek crossing.
You'll cross several CCC era weirs similar to the remains you'll find in other Mt Lukens south facing canyons but these are intact. About 0.1 miles past an intact weir (3751ft 2.5 miles) is a junction of sorts (3793ft 2.6 miles) There may or may not be a sign here, but bear left up the old dozer grade.
This is the final up hill segment, at 4019ft, 2.8 miles we reached the open Delta Cyn Saddle. I had scouted this a few weeks back and felt it would be relatively brush free and it turned out to be so.
We followed the distinct bear trails down canyon trusting our furry pals knew the best way..And they do for a Bear, they lead people right into the bushes...Darn bears.
We came to our first rappel at 3626ft 3.25 miles, 2:43 (hrs:min) after starting out. We did this out of an excess of caution, some may wish to down climb this but the rock here is poor (friable). The rappel is about 20ft we anchored canyon right on a bush.
The bear trails started a pattern that will be repeated all the way down canyon, they go around the rappels and reappear below.
I kept a look out canyon left for possible routes into the west fork below here and spotted a few starting around 3519 ft 3.7 miles. Looks like the bears are going over there...
Below here the canyon starts the familiar pattern of narrowing, twisting and turning until we come to an area where we are looking down canyon at blue sky! Ha! I knew there had to be some rappels here... At 3383ft, 3.9 miles, 3:22 (hrs:min) we came to a nice 3 stage rappel.
We setup an anchor canyon right on a bush, set a biner block on the 265ft rope and tossed the bag... Over Bob went, he went down the 20ft or so to the first landing and looked over the next drop. It's about 80-100ft to the next! When Bob got down we pulled the rope until we got to the middle mark making this 2 stage about 120 ft.
The next stage is about 20-30 ft, we anchored on a Sycamore tree on the large landing. Bob again went first, I followed using my famous over the saplings and through the bushes rappel technique. We figured we where the only ones to see this place in a long time. On the way down I spotted some old orange flagging tape, we surmise it was washed down from above.
There is a rappel at 3191ft 4.4 miles of about 15-20ft, the bear trail goes canyon left which I tried to follow, but it was too exposed for me with loose rocks embedded in the soil just waiting to give way
The next rap is at 2907ft 4.8 miles, we anchored around a Chamise bush canyon right, it is about 60ft and more of a cascade until the last 20ft or so. We stopped here for a break.
The GPS data indicates another rappel at 2850ft 4.9 miles I have no memory of it...
Below here are one or two more rappels but they are small 20-40 ft and easily negotiated, by all except maybe the extreme neophyte.
The canyon also becomes increasingly brushy with large patches of poison oak, the water flow in this canyon is too infrequent and weak to wash it out much so crashing through brush and boulder hopping was the remainder of the canyon.
There where a few segments I thought might hold a surprise or two yet but they amounted to an easy down climbs
We came to the confluence of the E/W forks at 2177ft, 5.9 miles, 5:48 (hrs:min) into our trip. The trip below here is a wide wash with much boulder hopping.
Take care along here and watch where you are going! One of our group took a nasty tumble along here. Fortunately no injury, resulted, just some bruises to body and pride
We met 2 people looking for gold at the Big-T river and related our trip to them...
We arrived at our shuttle vehicle (1697ft 6.72miles) @ 1:23 pm, 6:30 (hrs:min) after leaving our start point.
This canyon should be saved for a cool fall or winter day, when the leaves have fallen off the poison oak as you are less likely to contract a nasty case of poison oak from just the stems
What a great day for a canyon! Another successful exploration with good friends....
Thanks to Bernd & Bob my partners on this trip....This is a trip I've wanted to do for many, many years....
My thanks to you all
Matt
*Due to repeated auto burglaries at all Big-T trailheads it is highly recommended you not leave anything in your vehicle, not in the trunk or anywhere else, leave the windows down too...Oh the joys of urban canyoneering!
*See post: https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?t=985
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