Canyoneering Route Description
Big Falls - 3C (A) II
Mount Charleston, Nevada.
Spring Mountain National Recreation Area.
08-14-11, 6 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 5.9 hours)
07-29-17, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 5.5 hours)
Time Required - 4 to 6.5 hours
Distance - 3.0 miles Total, 350 feet Technical
Rappels - 4 Rappels, Longest Rappel 180 feet.
Elevation Range - 7820 - 9000 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger
Permit Required - No
Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up
to 180 feet and 70 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.
I have suggested a larger amount of webbing than will likely be
needed since the anchors in this canyon are severely subject to
change.
Wet
suits are highly recommended but primarily from the waist down.
The deepest water in the canyon is about waist deep, however you
will get wet head to toe since you will be rappelling in the water
flow down some of the falls. Remember the water here is from
snow melt and is ice cold! For the upper body I suggest the
use of a wind / rain shell or anything that sheds water. I am
not talking about windproof fleeces or soft shells, you want full on
rain gear on your upper body. If you get cold you can throw a
fleece on under the rain shell. The rain shell will keep fresh
cold water from contacting your body and significantly reduce the
evaporation if you are wet while standing around. Also don't
forget your neoprene socks under your shoes, you will be standing in
ice water a fair amount of the time.
Big Falls is a semi popular hike in Mount Charleston near Mary Jane
Falls. Both Mary Jane Falls and Big Falls make great day hikes for
a short get away near Las Vegas. In the past I have hiked up to Big
Falls and also climbed up above the falls to check out Hidden Falls
and the area above Big Falls. I never gave the ide of going over
the falls on rope though. Rick and Tom went to check it out.
Note:
There is no Ranger on the mountain. In case of emergency
please call 911.
The trail too Big Falls and the 3rd class route up to the top of Big
Falls is not a maintained trail. Use caution, use your head,
and be safe!
As it turns out, the canyon section just above the Big Falls is very
short (about 700 feet long), but Big Fun. The upper 400 feet does not offer
much in the way of technical fun however the last 300 feet does.
There are 4 rappels for the lower 400 feet making this section Big
Fun when there is snow melt to supply water to play in. The
final rappel is definitely something that will stick in your mind
after rappelling it with water flow. Short canyon and route
but a surprisingly fun canyon and final rappel. Don't let the
short length of the canyon fool you into thinking it is no big deal.
Big Falls is big fun if water is flowing and worth the time to go
enjoy it.
Timing is everything if you want to do Big Falls in the fun
conditions of flowing water. The water flowing in the canyon
and over the falls is supplied from spring snow melt. If you
go too early in the spring, you will likely have little flow but
will be greeted with very easy snow hike conditions to get up to the
falls. If you go too late in the summer you will likely be
greeted with no water flow taking away half the fun. The best
time of year is there is still snow in the area but the days are hot
causing lots of snow melt as the day warms up.
Predicting this time of year is difficult for a couple reasons.
First is the summer weather and when things start to heat up and
melt the snow. The timing of this varies from year to year.
The other variable is the amount of snow that fell over the previous
winter, which varies greatly each year. Some years we have
little snow and a hot summer so the prime time might be early spring
(if there is a prime time that year). Other years the golden
opportunity can be as late as late august.
I have little experience with class C canyons and am not a good
judge of CFS. I also have very little advice on how to judge
if there is too much water flow to make the last rappel safe.
As you hike up to the bottom of Big Falls look at the flow and make
your own judgment.
Caution:
If you happen to check out Big Falls at the best time of year, the
hike up will likely be on snow in the drainage below. As the
summer warms up and starts thing smelting, the under side of the
snow melts as the run off flows under it. The will cause voids
under the snow and weak places where you can easily fall through the
snow into those voids. Make it a point to stay to one side or
the other while hiking up the drainage toward Big Falls. When
you feel the need to cross to the other side, be careful and be
aware that there may be holes or weak sections you may fall into.
Also:
The anchors in Big Falls are either log and avalanche debris or
rocks laying around. Both of these can be moved by snow
movement each year. The anchors for Big Falls Canyon will
likely change every year. Be prepared to do a little problem
solving.
Thanks to Rick Ianniello for locating this and descending it with
Tom Walmsley before sharing it with the rest of us.
To get to the Trailhead
From Las Vegas, north on highway 95 out of Vegas. A few
miles out of Vegas will be the turn off for highway 157 (the
road to Kyle Canyon). Turn left (west) onto 157 and drive
20.3 miles on the Kyle Canyon road to a turn off on the right.
This turn off is where the the Kyle Canyon Road makes a sharp
left turn and almost makes a U-Turn. When you get to this
sharp U-Turn like corner, continue straight onto a side road
rather than follow the main road to the left. The side
road will take you through a small housing area.
Drive 0.4 more miles to a dirt road turn off on the left (west)
that goes up to the Mary Jane Falls Trailhead. Turn left
onto the dirt road and drive 0.3 miles to a huge parking area at
the Mary Jane Falls Trailhead (tMaryJanefalls) and park where
convenient.
To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod
No exit vehicle is needed. This is done as a loop route.
GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom. For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the
Glossary page.
Click the links for maps of the route.
Map of the entire route.
Map of the technical section.
The Approach:
From Mary Jane Falls Trailhead (tMaryJanefalls), walk northwest on
the wide straight gravel trail. While on this first part of
the tail you will be walking parallel to a drainage on the left
(south west). That drainage will lead up to Big Falls if you
follow it up, however the trail at this point is a much easier
faster option.
About 0.7 miles from the trailhead the trail will turn right and
continue north toward some switch backs leading up to Mary Jane
Falls. This right turn is where you will leave the main trail
(jBigFalls) to continue to Big Falls.
As the trail turns right (jBigFalls), leave the trail to continue
straight (west) still on a wide gravel path. The gravel path
will slowly veer left and about 0.2 miles after leaving the Mary
Jane trail, you will drop into the Big Falls drainage
(wBigFallsRP-01). When you drop into the Big Falls drainage
follow west upstream in the drainage. From here the Big Falls
drainage will begin to veer left and travel more south. The
bottom of Big Falls (YBigFallsBt) is about 0.5 miles up the wash.
Note:
The route you use to travel up the Big Falls drainage to the bottom
of Big Falls will vary depending on the amount of snow present and
if you follow any side trails on the sides of the drainage.
Remember to be careful and stay out of the middle of the drainage if
traveling on snow to minimize the danger of falling through a thin
spot. If there is a lot of snow it may be a pretty easy hike
up the drainage to the bottom of Big Falls. As snow melts you
will be presented with a few easy challenges on the way up and will
find a few side trails mixed in to keep up out of the wash.
There seems to always be a large amount of trees in the wash here
that have been stripped from the mountain side from the annual snow
activity.
About 250 or 300 feet before reaching the bottom of Big Falls will
be a point about 30 or 40 feet tall jutting out of the left (east)
side wall. The start of the route up the side of the canyon to
get to the top of Big Falls starts slightly down canyon of the point
(wBigFallsRP-02) on a clear path through the vegetation. The
path will lead you up onto the top of the point that is jutting out
from the side of the canyon. From the top of that point you
will have a good view of Big Falls and the last rappel of the day.
From the top of the point, route find your way up the left (east)
side of the canyon wall to get to up above Big Falls. There
will be a lot of choices on the way up. The section up the
side of the canyon wall is like a small maze as you try to find the
route that works for you in 3rd class terrain. Depending on
the route you choose up the side, your ascent may be nice or it
could take on a more treacherous feel..... enjoy!
Caution:
The route up the side of the canyon to get to the top of Big Falls
is full of loose rock! Go slow and take your time up this
section and keep focused on the stability of what you use to climb
up. The route travels about 300 feet up mostly high 3rd class
scrambling with significant exposure.
As you begin to get near the top of the ascent up the side of the
canyon wall the grade will become more gentle and continue south
along the rim of the short canyon above Big Falls. A short
distance along the rim you will see an easy spot to scramble down
(wBigFallsRP-03) a series of ledges down into the drainage / canyon
above big falls. Scrambling down into the canyon here is about
mad way down the canyon from the head. The 400 feet up canyon
of this point does not offer much in the way of technical fun so
dropping in here is good.
When you see the easy spot to scramble the ledges down into the
canyon, do so. The scramble down is about 60 feet and also has
loose rock so take your time and be careful. At the bottom of
the scramble on the ledges (wBigFallsRP-04) you will be on the
canyon floor about 50 or 60 feet up canyon of rap 1 and about 400
feet down canyon from the head of the canyon.
The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
Once on the canyon floor (wBigFallsRP-04), travel north down canyon
toward Big Falls. The canyon will likely have a LOT of log and
tree debris mixed in with the snow. This area seems to always
have avalanche type debris. Rap 1 will be about 50 or 60 feet
down canyon. This is where you get to step into the water flow
in the canyon and enjoy the cold wet fun.
Rap 1 (dBigFallsR1) is about 50 feet down canyon of the drop in, is anchored from
available log debris near the top of the drop and drops about 25 feet down a
wall with a ledge part way down. The pool at the bottom or rap 1
will be waist deep or maybe slightly more.
Down canyon of rap 1 will be a few short drops that are easy to get down
and even easier if the logs are in opportune spots.
Rap 2 (dBigFallsR2-3) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 1, is anchored from
available log debris at the top of the drop and drops about 15 feet down a
sloped wall.
Rap 3 is about 40 feet down canyon of rap 2, is anchored from a large
sitting in the wash and drops about 35 feet down a vertical wall.
The pool at the bottom is about waist deep. Rap 3 is shaped such
that it funnels the water into a more direct concentrated flow than the
raps before adding a little excitement.
Caution:
There is a rock at the top of the rappel that has pinch points on each
side. Placing both roes in either side can result in one pinching
the other into the crack and locking the ropes up. Try placing one
rope in one crack and the other rope in the other crack to prevent this.
The shapes of the cracks also tend to keep lock the rope in the crack if
pulled in one direction and not if pulled in the other direction.
The pull side seems to work better if placed on the RDC side.
Rap 4 (dBigFallsR-4) is about 50 feet down canyon of rap 3 with a short
sloped down climb between. Rap 4 is anchored from large rock
partially embedded in the wash about 8 feet back from the drop.
Rap 4 drops about 180 feet from anchor to the ledge at the bottom of the
rappel.
The first stage of rap 4 is about 25 feet down a sloped water chute
(with log debris). The second stage starts over a lip in the water
course (fun if water is flowing) so you rap in the water fall.
About 10 feet over the lip the walls cuts in and you hang on rope behind
the water fall and continue the rest of the rap free hanging slightly
behind the fall.
The bottom of rap 4 ends on a ledge so you do not drop into the pool at
the bottom. You can then traverse the ledge to go around the
bottom of the falls and start the hike down canyon.
The Exit:
After completing rap 4 you will be at the bottom of Big Falls (YBigFallsBt).
From the bottom of Big Falls hike down canyon and follow the
approach route in reverse about 1.4 miles bike to the trailhead
where you parked.
Downloadable GPX files
available at
BG-Gear Store
(easier than manual entry and a great way to support
Bluugnome).
Waypoint naming convention and map symbol information can be found on the Glossary page.
Elevations are approximate.
BEFORE
manually entering coordinates set your system to WGS84 datum and Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° coordinate format.
Inconsistent datum's and coordinate formats will result in location errors.
Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........
| Big Falls 1 - Approach |
- tMaryJanefalls
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26692
W -115.66228
Elev: 7,820 Feet
Trail Head for Mary Jane Falls Trail at Mount Charleston.
- jBigFalls
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.27392
W -115.67099
Elev: 8,200 Feet
This is where the Mary Jane Falls trail Turns right (north) to start up some switch backs. Leave the trail and continue straight (west) to go to Big Falls.
- wBigFallsRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.27360
W -115.67363
Elev: NaN Feet
Route drops into the Big Falls drainage here. Follow west up stream in the draiange. THis is also where the drainge will start to veer left and travel more south.
- wBigFallsRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26966
W -115.67792
Elev: NaN Feet
Approximate point to start up the left (east) side of the canyon wall to get to the top of Big Falls.
- wBigFallsRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26856
W -115.67783
Elev: NaN Feet
This is shortly after the top out of the route up the canyon wall to the top of Big Falls. From hear you can continue south to the open area between Big Falls and Hidden Falls or drop down into the Big Falls Draiange.
- wBigFallsRP-04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26809
W -115.67809
Elev: NaN Feet
This is where you can seafely get to the canyon floor about 50 or 60 feet up canyon of rap 1.
- YBigFallsTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26704
W -115.67814
Elev: 9,080 Feet
Top of the short canyon above Big Falls. The upper 400 feet offers little technical fun so feel free to drop in down canyon.
|
| Big Falls 2 - The Canyon, Big Falls |
- YBigFallsTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26704
W -115.67814
Elev: 9,080 Feet
Top of the short canyon above Big Falls. The upper 400 feet offers little technical fun so feel free to drop in down canyon.
- wBigFallsRP-04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26809
W -115.67809
Elev: NaN Feet
This is where you can seafely get to the canyon floor about 50 or 60 feet up canyon of rap 1.
- dBigFallsR1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26824
W -115.67815
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 1 - Big Falls Canyon. Anchored from available log debris and drops about 25 feet down a wall with a ledge part way down. Pool at the bottom is about waist deep.
- dBigFallsR2-3
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26863
W -115.67826
Elev: NaN Feet
Raps 2 and 3 - Big Falls Canyon.
Rap 2 anchored from log debris and drops about 15 feet down a sloped wall.
Rap 3 is about 40 feet down canyon of rap 2, is anchored from a rock in the wash and drops about 35 feet in a concentrated water flow.
- dBigFallsR-4
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26877
W -115.67834
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 4 - Big Falls Canyon. Anchored from a large rock partially embedded in the wash and drops about 180 feet from anchor to a ledge at the bottom of the rappel.
- YBigFallsBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26910
W -115.67838
Elev: 8,750 Feet
Bottom Big Falls.
|
| Big Falls 3 - Exit |
- YBigFallsBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26910
W -115.67838
Elev: 8,750 Feet
Bottom Big Falls.
- wBigFallsRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26966
W -115.67792
Elev: NaN Feet
Approximate point to start up the left (east) side of the canyon wall to get to the top of Big Falls.
- wBigFallsRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.27360
W -115.67363
Elev: NaN Feet
Route drops into the Big Falls drainage here. Follow west up stream in the draiange. THis is also where the drainge will start to veer left and travel more south.
- jBigFalls
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.27392
W -115.67099
Elev: 8,200 Feet
This is where the Mary Jane Falls trail Turns right (north) to start up some switch backs. Leave the trail and continue straight (west) to go to Big Falls.
- tMaryJanefalls
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 36.26692
W -115.66228
Elev: 7,820 Feet
Trail Head for Mary Jane Falls Trail at Mount Charleston.
|