Class:
4CIV
Gear:
Car Shuttle. Rope: 1 @ 200’, 2 @ 120′, 1 @ 60′, 50 of webbing, steel rappel rings. Mix of bolted (mostly bolted) and natural anchors at each drop but be prepared to build alternative natural anchors. Cold water canyon layers. Self rescue and group rescue gear with head lamps.
Expected Time Commitment:
Car to car for a small solid team 8 hours on high water days
Technical Obstacles:
Several long steep multistage rappels into moving water. One narrow two stage rappel through recirculating hanging pothole staying on rappel. Lots of down climbing.
Non Technical Obstacles:
Route finding, tripping and falling. Cold water
Recommended Time of Year:
Late spring, summer early fall.
Finding the Trail Head:
For the Takeout/ lower car park.
Heading north on CA-99 N toward Exit 132B.
Take exit 133 to merge onto CA-180 E toward Kings Canyon 3.4 mi
Take exit 60A to merge onto CA-168 E toward Clovis/Huntington Lake 32.9 mi
Turn left at CA-168/Tollhouse Rd 19.2 mi
Slight left at Huntington Lake Rd 2.9 mi
Slight left to stay on Huntington Lake Rd 1.7 mi
Slight right to stay on Huntington Lake Rd until it crosses over Big Creek proper.
Drop your car at a large dirt pull out closer to Pittman Creek.
Then Drive north on Huntington Lake Rd., 0.3 mi
Turn left to stay on Huntington Lake Rd., 0.4 mi
Turn right to stay on Huntington Lake Rd., 1.5 mi
Turn right to stay on Huntington Lake Rd., 1.3 mi
Turn right to stay on Huntington Lake Rd., 0.5 mi
Turn right at Huntington Lodge Rd,. 0.6 mi
Turn right and drive 300′ to a large dirt parking area.
The Approach:
Park here and walk a short ways down that dirt road until you reach a gate. cross around the gate and begin looking for a place to descend the steep earth slope on the left. Drop down the earth slope for about 300′ until it pops out onto a lower dirt road that has a large water pipeline running along its side. Walk this road looking for a safe but steep place to continue downward towards Big Creek. If you work your way down and to your right slightly at all times you should reach Big Creek at the end of a long left hand bend in the creek. Continue bushwhacking, wading, and down climbing along. favoring canyon right at the start then after a pool full of logs switching to canyon left. You will come to a large class section of class IV boulders. work though this maze that will end you at the first hard obstacle of the route.
The Canyon Descent:
#1 65′ 2 stage with bolts way up on the wall canyon right. (exposed up climb to get to the bolts)
Swim into tricky down climb over low angle water shoot
#2 120′ three stage bolts canyon right. Swimming on rappel
swim and hike
#3 30′ granite rock arch with webbing center of creek bed canyon right
Traverse over water into swim canyon right
#4 45′ bolts canyon right into swim then down climb into swim
#5 100′ from tree canyon left into swim
Hike, down climb, swim as canyon bends to the right you will come into view of the base of Kirchhoff Dome. Stay canyon right and begin traversing and climbing the ledges at the base of the dome until you reach a pair of bolts.
#6 150′ rappel onto sloping ledge, traverse on rope to the next bolted anchor
#7 120′ rappel into swim behind water fall.
Swim hike swim,
#8 110′ (at the top of the next water fall traverse canyon right up onto a large Waco pothole. Two bolt rappel into swim)
#9 65′ two bolts canyon left down long low angle slab into swim.
#10 swim out to a single bolt to clip to avoid beign swept or slipping over the next fall.
#11 70′ into stagnant water out of hueco just below #10
Traverse slabs canyon left
#12 150′ rappel off two bolts into long swim
Exit point possible by following obvious trail canyon right until you reach the two large water pipes that have steps leading back down to the road.
#13 180′ rappel into swim (can be done as single or two pitch rappel)
Massive route finding through house size boulder maze. Favor canyon left to start ending up canyon right at a sling for a short 15′ rappel. continue down canyon until you reach
#14 55′ rappel with exposed approach into swim/ wade.
Continue down canyon staying high on earth slopes canyon left until you you down climb / rappel a steep loose earth slope that leads to a place to cross the creek for the last time. continue down canyon on the right until you reach the road.
Optional Write Up
There is a substantial amount of route finding on the approach, once you first hit the canyon, and at the end that can take away much of you time. The first descent team did the route in 9 hours WCCM style. Another recent party had to spend the night.
