Distance: 6.6 miles round trip on road and cross country
Summit Elevation: 1650' at the Falls
Elevation Gain: 800'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.64
Round trip time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: None
Difficulty: Moderate
Black Star Canyon is filled with mystery, rumors, and ghost stories. But mainly, it is filled with boulders. Very big boulders. This hike starts on a paved road, turns into a dirt road, then after crossing 3 bridges a little more than 2 miles from the start, it descends into the canyon. From the canyon, go left which is up. All the elevation gain is done while ascending the canyon and navigating over and around large boulders and rocks. Some of the boulders are larger than cars, up to 20' high, with some piles reaching higher. There are several places on the way to the Falls where there is no easy choice on where to climb. The constant boulder scramble makes this a unique hike in the OC as far as I know. When I finally reached the Falls, it was dry. It had rained most of the day before and I expected at least a trickle. Even without a gushing waterfall, the trip was a worthwhile challenge. On the second trip, I saw two deer near the parking area, but they fled before I could get a picture.
As the sign says, your safety cannot be guaranteed.
The path down to the canyon
Giant boulders litter the canyon, every one a great place to twist an ankle
Boulders can be bypassed on the right
Black Star Canyon Falls, dry as a bone
Noel and I where the falls usually flow. This is from my second trip to the falls.
Would you like to know more...?
No comments:
Post a Comment