⊗ Silver on the Side Canyon

April 1, 2019 tarannosaurus

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Los Angeles Area → ⊗ Silver on the Side Canyon

⊗ Technical Route ⊗

Warning: Do Not Attempt Without Proper Training – click here for details

Location: Big Tujunga region, San Gabriels, Northeast of Los Angeles

Distance: 7.7 miles total, 1.4 miles technical (this is for the loop route via Mt. Lukens; a shortcut route and shuttle route also exist)

Elevation Ascent/Descent: 3300 feet/3300 feet (via the Mt. Lukens/Stone Canyon approach; the shortcut route requires only 1500 feet of elevation gain, and the shuttle route cuts the elevation gain to 1850 feet)

Time Required: 8-12 hours (via the longer approaches; much shorter if you use the shortcut)

Rappels: up to 11 depending on the approach; rappel lengths up to 180 feet

Red Tape/Notes: No permits or permission required; additional information on all the approaches including gpx tracks can be found on Ropewiki here.

What’s Nearby?: Mt. Lukens via Stone Canyon, The Huntington, Allison Mine Loop, Eaton Canyon (Hike), Eaton Canyon (Technical), Little Santa Anita Canyon, Bailey Canyon, Mt. Lowe Railway, Millard Canyon/Dawn Mine Loop

We knew this canyon wasn’t going to be as nice as some of the others in the area, but we hadn’t spent much time in the Big Tujunga region and I was interested in doing the Mt. Lukens hike, so this seemed like a good plan at the time. As I noted in my report on ropewiki, I feel like this canyon would be more aptly named “Booby Trap Canyon”. Conditions change, so this may have been a result of a various environmental conditions that will be different in 6 months, but I’m not sure I would recommend the upper portion of this canyon. The lower section might be worth doing, since the rock quality seemed better and less prone to landslides, but you should be very careful to check the anchor conditions and have the necessary skills and equipment to rebuild and replace natural anchors. We built a cairn anchor for the final 180 foot rappel, but it’s in the watercourse so it won’t last long. With that said, the approach up Mt. Lukens was worthwhile, and there were certainly some attractive sections on the descent.