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Secret Place #9 (Coffee Canyon*)
*
Alias, not found on any map.
Summary: |
Two short side-by-side tributary canyons with some decent
scenery that can be descended by climbing and rappelling. The first canyon
can be done without any technical gear, but a rope would be recommended for
those not comfortable climbing with exposure. The second canyon will
require: a 200' rope (or 1x100' and a 100' pull cord), webbing, harness,
descender & carabiners. |
Road
Conditions: |
High Clearance Vehicle |
Navigation: |
Easy |
Length: |
Each canyon will take 2-3 hours |
Date
Hiked: |
August 2003 |
Weather
Conditions: |
Hot & sunny |
Required Skills: |
 |
Hike
Description: |
Canyon #1: Park where the road makes a dip into a rocky
depression. Walk east from this point and you will soon enter a shallow
drainage. The drainage soon meets up with another shallow wash which enters
from the left. Rock hop your way down canyon and soon a trickle of water
will appear and soon after that a drop off of about 80 ft. You can down
climb a series of ledges on the left with some exposure to negotiate this
obstacle. Just below is another 80 ft falls which can also be down climbed
on the left with a 6 ft jump at the bottom. It's easy walking below this
point to the confluence with the main canyon. Turn left and walk up stream
to a prominent trail which will return you to the road, which you can follow
back to your car.
Canyon #2: Park at the trailhead mentioned above and walk
back up the road to where it makes a right turn at an earthen tank. Turn
left past the tank and find your way into the bottom of a shallow wash. Head
left and begin boulder hopping your way down canyon. The drainage becomes
steep and water appears, soon you will reach a very nice if short drop into
a series of plunge pools. Here's where you'll need your rope. You can either
climb down into the drainage (a bit of a tricky climb) to rap right through
the pools from a large chock stone, or work your way right to rap off a
prominent tree situated on an awkward slope. The chock stone would be the
cooler rap, but since I was alone I opted for the easier to get to tree. The
rap from the tree is about 80 ft. Below this obstacle is a short wade and a
few down climbs before you arrive at the second rappel. I used a tree
located to the left of the drainage to complete this 60 ft rappel which was
down a series of ledges with water trickling down it. Once down, it's a
short walk to the main canyon with a campsite. The camp makes a convenient
location to remove your harness and take a breather before climbing up the
steep trail back to your car which is located just upstream. |
Rating
(1-5 stars): |
 Canyon
#1
 
Canyon #2
The author completed both these canyons solo in about 2 hours each. |
Photos: |
Click picture for larger
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The technical
section in Canyon #2. |
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