Best Canyoneering in California

Trying to find the best canyoneering in California? Bivy has great hiking, biking, paddling, climbing, skiing, riding and more, with hand-curated trail maps, as well as detailed driving directions.

1

Nevada, North Las Vegas

03 :33 hrs
5 mi
650.12354 ft
3

Hidden Falls Canyon is located in the Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area. The approach hike is about 3 miles and has fantastic scenery. The technical route offers some excellent rappels and downclimbing. There is about 5-7 rappels with the longest being 110 ft. There is a lot of bouldering and down climbing in the lower part of the canyon. There is a possiblity of small pools of water if water is flowing. Bring rappelling and anchor gear, rope for rappels to 120 feet, 30 feet of webbing and rapids for sling placement.

2

California, Inyo County

00 :48 hrs
2 mi
191.93372 ft
3

Darwin Falls is a rare stream/waterfall of greenery located on the west edge of the Death Valley desert. This route is one way and you will need to park a shuttle vehicle at the exit. The trailhead begins at China Garden Spring which is a natural spring that runs year round. This shaves just over a mile than the loop route that begins at the Darwin Falls Trailhead. The technical route down has 2 rappels. The 1st rap is anchored from a cottonwood tree and drops 110 ft. along a waterfall to a pool. The 2nd rap is anchored in vegetation by a tree and drops 50 ft. to a pool that is waste deep. The views at the bottom here are fantastic. This is where you will run into hikers coming to view the falls. Follow the hiking trail to your exit vehicle. Bring rappelling and anchor gear and 30 ft. of webbing. During spring and fall bring a wet suit. It is plenty hot without one during the summer months.

3

California, Inyo County

02 :44 hrs
6.8 mi
1789.5873 ft
3

Erebus Canyon is a popular and fun canyoneering route in the Black Mountains of Death Valley. It has unique and interesting rock colors. It has about 20 rappels with the highest being 135 ft. long. Bring rappelling and anchor gear for rappels up to 135 ft. and 100 ft of webbing. This route is one way so arrange for an exit vehicle ahead of time.

4

Nevada, Clark County

02 :11 hrs
4 mi
783.74866 ft
3

Mud Spring Canyon is a short but really fun route. It is much more enjoyable when water is flowing so spring is the best time to go. Vegetation at the top of the canyon can be thick but it gets better once you drop into the canyon. The lower section has some jumps and slides into pools that are a blast. There are places to bypass each jump or slide. There are about 8 rappels, with a few that drop into pools. After all the rappels the rest is rock hopping and down climbing. Bring ropes and pull cords for rappels up to 100 ft and 50 ft of webbing for sling placement. Wet suits if there is water flowing, they are only needed in the lower section of the canyon.

5

California, Inyo County

01 :47 hrs
3 mi
269.84924 ft
3

Darwin Falls is a rare stream/waterfall of greenery located on the west edge of the Death Valley desert. This route is a loop and begins at the Darwin Falls Trailhead and hikes up and around the top. The technical route down has 2 rappels. The 1st rap is anchored from a cottonwood tree and drops 110 ft. along a waterfall to a pool. The 2nd rap is anchored in vegetation by a tree and drops 50 ft. to a pool that is waste deep. The views at the bottom here are fantastic. This is where you will run into hikers coming to view the falls. Follow the hiking trail to your exit vehicle. Bring rappelling and anchor gear and 30 ft. of webbing. During spring and fall bring a wet suit. It is plenty hot without one during the summer months.

6

California, Inyo County

04 :17 hrs
5.8 mi
925.1238 ft
3

Sidewinder Canyon is a fun and popular route in Death Valley. It offers excellent canyoneering and has very unique rock. The lower section has conglomerate layer and is very scenic. There are several side slot canyons that are worth exploring. Bring rappelling and anchor gear, ropes for rappels up to 165 ft. and 150 ft. of webbing. Plan a whole day for this trip, there is so much to see.

7

California, La Cañada Flintridge

04 :51 hrs
8.4 mi
959.3142 ft
3

Suicide Canyon is a scenic canyon filled with shade and vegetation because of the small trickle of water that flows through most of the year. The approach follows the Mount Lukens fire road and is long and exposed. Plan on a full day for this adventure. The technical descent has 8 rappels with the highlight being a 190 ft. rappel which is known as “Lovers Leap”. Bring rappelling gear, a 200 ft. rope, 200 ft. recovery cord, 70 ft. webbing, 8 quicklinks. Shuttle a exit vehicle at the Stonyvale Picnic area.

8

California, Pasadena

05 :22 hrs
9.7 mi
500.1656 ft
3

Great Falls of the Fox is a classic canyoneering route and one of the best in the area. The approach hike is long and travels along a fire road before it drops into an unamed canyon. Here you will have to do some navigating and bushwacking. Once you reach the gorge plan on being wet for the rest of the trip. The canyon has a series of 7 waterfalls with the largest being 100 ft. Bring rappelling and anchor gear, two 150 ft. ropes, 150 ft. of webbing, 8 rappel rings, wet suit depening on temperatures and dry bags. This route can be done in a very long day. Because of the nature of the route breaking it into a multi-day trip is difficult because of carrying gear.

9

California, Pasadena

00 :42 hrs
0.9 mi
151.88141 ft
3

Josephine Creek offers a short amazing canyoneering experience. It can be done any time of the year. There is a 180 ft. rappel and one other 60 ft. rappel. There is beautiful scenery with lots of greenery. Bring rappelling and anchor gear, a 200 ft. rope, 200 ft. pull cord, 20 ft. of webbing and 3 rappel rings.

10

California, La Cañada Flintridge

01 :39 hrs
2.9 mi
377.7038 ft
3

Beginning right from the Angeles Crest Highway, CCC Canyon drops right from the highway. The canyon offers 11 rappels with several pools to swim. There is shade in the canyon but during the winter bring a wet suit. Once you leave the canyon into the Arroyo Seco you will hike down the wash and then it is a steep hike back to the Angeles Crest Highway. Bring rappelling and anchor gear, 160 ft. rope, 50 ft. webbing, 5 rappel rings, drybags and a wetsuit during the winter.

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