Eaton Canyon

Angeles National Forest, CA San Gabriel + San Bernardino Mountains

Trip stats

Distance
7.4 mi
Net Gain
1,900 ft
Time
6-8 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 2
ACA Rating
3 B/C
Longest Rappel
80 ft
Route
Loop

Ratings out of 10

Effort
4.5/10
Personality
7/10
Beauty
7/10
Solitude
3.8/10
What do these mean? →

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

34.191790, -118.107180

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Technical canyon warning

This is a technical canyon requiring canyoneering skills and specialized equipment. If you are not experienced with building anchors or using the gear required for technical canyoneering, do not attempt this route.

May 2, 2024 — Eaton Canyon is an easily accessible oasis just outside Los Angeles' metro limits within the San Gabriel Mountains. The Eaton Canyon Trail is a short and popular hike leading to the base of the last waterfall before the canyon opens up and drains south, while the upper miles of Eaton Canyon provide a locals' favorite technical canyoneering outing because of its many waterslides, seasonal flowing water, and gorgeous narrows. Additionally, a trail leads all the way to its head, so unlike many of the canyons in the San Gabriels, bushwhacking and poison oak are less of a pain. The canyon's length and wet conditions can pose challenges for groups lacking experience and preparation. During high-flow conditions, Eaton Canyon can become a challenging Class C adventure.

After a wet winter, we figured the water levels would be high enough to be lots of fun, but not too dangerous. Chris was driving through Las Vegas, his presence pulling me out of work mode and prompting an impromptu trip that Tyler quickly jumped on board with. We got a hotel near Eaton Canyon to avoid morning LA traffic, which felt like the right choice. Rather than park at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and hike the additional miles of trail, we started from a neighborhood and used a public access gate off Pinecrest Drive. We dropped down from the suburbs and crossed over Eaton Creek, briefly observing the water flowing over the dam and finding it was moderate/high flow.

We hiked along the dirt Mount Wilson Toll Road up to Henninger Flats Campground, took a shortcut that navigated various trails and dirt roads through the campground, and then continued ascending above the marine layer on the dirt road. We crested a ridge and started descending west away from Mount Wilson Toll Road for about a quarter mile before the unmarked and unmaintained Telephone Trail popped in on the right.

The Telephone Trail was overgrown and had occasional encroaching poison oak, descending gradually before crossing a flowing creek, and then contouring along an old carved powerline track that heads north. This stretch of hiking has excellent views down into Eaton Canyon from above a significant cliff. The old powerline road ended, and we descended along singletrack that skirted a steep slope. The final few hundred feet into the Eaton Canyon drainage descends loose terrain eroded by poor trail planning, complete with a fixed handline in place to assist.

We put on our wetsuits and gear and started down Eaton Canyon, but I'll allow the photos below to give a better representation of the nine rappels and many fun obstacles and slides within the canyon. We encountered the first rappel just after entering the watercourse, but the rest of the rope-required obstacles are spread throughout, many separated by significant stretches of creek walking.

The final rappel dumped us at a crowd of hikers who came up the Eaton Canyon Trail, and we took the trail back to where the Mount Wilson Toll Road crossed a bridge over Eaton Creek. Here, a social trail took us off the trail and up to the bridge, where we could ascend back to our cars.

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Photos

82 photos

  1. Descending from Pinecrest Drive toward Eaton Creek.
  2. Along Mount Wilson Toll Road.
  3. Ascending through the marine layer.
  4. Henninger Flats.
  5. We took a shortcut trail through the campground.
  6. Back on the dirt road.
  7. Nearing the crest, seen center.
  8. Descending west from the Mount Wilson Toll Road, Eaton Canyon seen ahead.
  9. We left the dirt road and descended along the Telephone Trail.
  10. A bit overgrown, but not too bad.
  12. The Telephone Trail contours above Eaton Canyon.
  13. View back, Eaton Canyon below.
  14. The Telephone Trail's carved road disappears, replaced by singletrack on a steep slope.
  15. Steep final descent into the Eaton Canyon drainage.
  16. Entering Eaton Canyon.
  17. Approaching Rap 1.
  18. Rap 1.
  19. View back at Rap 1.
  20. Slide past Rap 1.
  21. Entering some narrows after avoiding a small waterfall.
  22. A lovely slide on slickrock.
  23. An unnecessary jump.
  24. View back up Eaton Canyon.
  25. Another lovely slide.
  26. View back at the slide.
  27. Gorgeous section of Eaton Canyon.
  28. Rap 2.
  29. Below Rap 2.
  30. Some narrows leading to Rap 3.
  31. View back at Rap 2.
  32. Rap 3. With deep enough water, it can be slid. We tested it first, and found sliding safe today.
  33. View back at Rap 3.
  34. Continuing past Rap 3.
  35. Top of Rap 4, a gorgeous chute.
  36. Rap 4.
  37. Close-up in Rap 4.
  38. View back at Rap 4.
  39. Close-up of Rap 4.
  40. Onward past Rap 4.
  41. Some swimming past Rap 4.
  42. Rap 4.
  43. Some walking down Eaton Canyon for a quarter mile.
  44. View back up-canyon.
  45. Hiking through the Eaton Canyon drainage for a time.
  47. Gorgeous, lush canyon foliage.
  50. A large log obstacle to down-climb.
  51. View upstream.
  52. Another log obstacle.
  53. A short slide through some nice narrows.
  54. Approaching Rap 5.
  55. We jumped Rap 5 since it was clearly deep enough viewed from above.
  56. View back at Rap 5.
  57. Through some narrows to Rap 6.
  58. Approaching Rap 6.
  59. Rap 6. We chose to rap through the hole, but you could likely descend without a rope, or rappel on the left side of the chockstone.
  60. View back at Rap 6.
  61. View up the canyon.
  62. Pretty scenery.
  63. Ferns on the canyon wall.
  68. We reached some historic dam remains.
  69. View back at the dam within Eaton Canyon.
  71. Looking back at Rap 7, a short nuisance rappel over a chockstone.
  72. A log provided a nice walkway over some obstacles.
  73. Above Rap 8.
  74. Rap 8.
  75. View back at Rap 8.
  77. Approaching Rap 9.
  78. Above Rap 9. You can see people below at the end of the Eaton Canyon Trail.
  79. Bottom of Rap 9.
  80. My camera lens had enough condensation to break it, but here are some blurry photos of the Eaton Canyon Trail on the way out.
  81. Eaton Canyon Trail.
  82. A social trail leads up to the bridge above, completing our loop.

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GPX track

Eaton Canyon GPX route and driving track

The complete GPX track is available to download, so you can load the route straight into your navigation app or device. The trip report, route info, photos and planning details stay free.

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