Walthier and Stiles Landing Whitewater ?'s

[Hikin_Jim]

I've seen on old maps a route marked that bypasses the mouth of the N Fork just to the west. That makes sense what you say that there's a little ridge there.



HJ

[Screerider]

i understand that route goes all the way up. Somewhere after the second fall you drop back into the canyon. Better after a flood when it's been flushed out. I think one could climb around the right side of the second fall but we decided better at the time.

One other route in is the north ridge of the wash out of Mission Creek Preserve. There's a steep little finger where the trail cuts away from the creek and heads up the wash. . Crawl up that and the ridge is pretty easy. (Likewise you can follow the wash to the PCT.) You meet up with the PCT and follow it until it heads downhill behind the private section back towards the creek. Stay on the ridge. There was a west ward trail there at one time. Drop down just before HFS.

I've always wanted to climb the scree in HFS and find the source. Seemed I was always going somewhere else though.

[Ulysses]

What kind of conditions would one find in North Fork? I've only been as far as about a mile past Watheir Landing, but plan to venture further on my next hike up there. Looks pretty steep on the topo. How is the brush?

[Hikin_Jim]

I haven't been up but have talked with people who have. There are a couple of falls at the mouth of the North Fork. You have to get past those falls. The conventional wisdom is to bypass on the west as shown on the map segment I posted.

Above the falls, the brush is mighty thick. I've bushwhacked down from Big Tree camp. It's work. We need a really good rain year or something to clear a path through the brush.

The other route is to stay on the ridge west of the N Fork at take that all the way up to Bighorn Mountain. Tough work but it's supposed to be the better route.

HJ

[Screerider]

It's been about ten years for me.
Lower NF is overgrown and tight with high stonewalls.
If you go up the west ridge you can pass the first main fall but in order to reach the second fall,you have to drop back in pretty quickly or it gets too steep to drop in. I understand you can follow the ridge past the second fall and drop in as well something I haven't done it. It's steep where you drop in but it's dirt and you can stairstep. You may get a little dusty.
It's really an overmighter by time you check out HFS and stumble over all the rock on the way. Camps at the bottom of NF, leaving time to explore NF and hike out.
White water itself doesn't change a whole lot and it's a long rocky trail out there. That stops a lot of people. Once you're out there though, it's all yours.

[Screerider]

If you check out Mandie's pictures on the SGWA site (02/11/14). Her desert waterfall picture is the one in HFS.

http://www.mandiehikes.com/2014/02/whit ... -many.html

This picture of the fall at grape canyon is from a post by "Mark" on SGWA.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-y_eK ... 310484.JPG

Mark's Original post on Kitching Peak.
http://members.boardhost.com/sgva/msg/1393306952.html

Unless there is one up SF, that is all of the falls in the area until you hit NF.