Trailhead: Vivian Creek Falls Trailhead. Don’t forget your Adventure Pass.
I’m finally all settled into my new home and ready to explore what LA has to offer! This weekend we went to Vivian Creek, a 3BII canyon that was ~1 hr from our Big Bear cabin. The canyon is beautiful and easy to get to from most areas of LA. The water also makes for fun end-of-summer rappelling!
Approach
From the parking lot, walk past the picnic tables until you see a sign for the trail heading left across a wash (Mill Creek wash). Keep following the wash for a little less than half a mile until you see a sign that marks the beginning of Vivian Creek Trail. From here, the ascent is steep for the next mile or so up to 7,000 ft in elevation! Once you hit a large sign for the “San Gorgonio Wilderness Area,” it’s a few more minutes until the drop off to the 1st rappel.
1st Rap: ~140-180 ft.
The first rap is ~140-180 ft. depending on which site you used. We used two ropes for this one. There are a few anchor options, but we opted for the tree closer to you, which is on your left is you look down the drop. The first small drop is 15 feet before the longer drop. Some opted to go down into the water, or there is a drier version to the right of the falls.
We finished the 1st rap ~2.5 hours in.
2nd Rap: ~70 ft.
There is a short scramble to the second rap, which is 70 ft. and also downclimb-able if you hook to your left. We chose to descend it using the tree anchor on your right.
3rd Rap: ~80 ft.
Soon after the 2nd, you’ll reach the 3rd rap which is ~80 ft. again using a tree as an anchor.
4th Rap: ~70 ft.
We used a tree anchor on our right for this descent. There is a little more downclimbing after this to the last rappel.
Last Rap: ~100 ft.
The last rappel is a fun one. There is a small overhang near the bottom of the rappel and you’ll get a little bit wet going through it.
After that, it’s only 10-15 minutes to get back to Mill Creek wash and back to your car! All in all Vivian Creek is a great beginner canyon.