Route Editor
Route Scout
Canyons are inherently risky. Flash floods occur without notice on sunny days. Technical skills & surrounding topography knowledge required yet does not eliminate risk.
Off Trail, bushwhacking, scrambling, bouldering, and climbing. This trail offers fabulous views and never ending challenges for a beginner ( non technical) in a narrow, dramatic, canyon changing with each rain. From the trailhead, Cougar canyon is directly in front of you. bushwhack the contour around the hill to enter Cougar. The Sierra Anchas have very limited cell coverage. Let others know where you are. Think medical help or rescue, be prepared to wait. As with any canyoneering be weather alert. There are several points in this canyon where exiting right or left in an emergency is nearly impossible. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your canyon trip to support this local community.
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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Review
Cougar Canyon
First Black Mesa SRC, next Coon Creek Ruins, so this must be hike #3 today. Still too short to complete a total of at least ten miles that Tracey was prepared for. Oh well, rough-and-tumble of the drive to this one made up for it.
Although I had never heard of it until the night before and the fact I had initially included it on my HAZ Tracks plan, as something so short at the end of a rough drive and no idea of the conditions I really didn't think Tracey would go for it. But after the drive to Coon Creek Ruins we were already halfway to Cougar Canyon, so why not. Besides, it's another Forest Road we haven't driven. (North end of FR 38 and FR 30 on the way out)
With no GPS track there was a little guess-and-by-gosh which of the numerous cow paths to follow to the canyon entrance. We were a little too far west for an easier drop into the canyon but a quick slide or two and we were in the Canyon. (We would see a few cairns on the return trip to a slightly better route)
While I suppose one could do more than stick to the canyon floor and it would be called canyoneering, this was just a matter of walking the wash along with a bit of boulder hopping... not much more challenging than most hikes in a wash.
But no matter, the scenery was awesome. As small/short as this steep-walled part of the canyon was, it was worth the effort. There were some very interesting patterns on the rocks that made us wonder how they were formed. Of course, as far removed from being even amateur geologists as we are, we could only speculate.
We wandered just far enough until the canyon began to open toward the west then turned back. With the long drive home we wanted to get on the road. But do we want to loop all the way back out on FR 38? We noticed what looked like grass that had been trampled by ATV tracks heading toward a windmill closer to Cherry Creek Road, we thought, shall we give it a shot? As long as it's taking us the direction we want, let's continue. A lot of winding and driving along what appeared to be a simple cow-path and we eventually made it to the windmill, albeit not the one we'd seen earlier in the day from Cherry Creek Road. It took a few moments to figure out if there was a road to continue on, but eventually the herd of cows split like the Red Sea (in Exodus) and we found it. Once back out to Cherry Creek road, we saw the FR 30 sign, so it was a forest road after all. And all's well that ends well.
Although I had never heard of it until the night before and the fact I had initially included it on my HAZ Tracks plan, as something so short at the end of a rough drive and no idea of the conditions I really didn't think Tracey would go for it. But after the drive to Coon Creek Ruins we were already halfway to Cougar Canyon, so why not. Besides, it's another Forest Road we haven't driven. (North end of FR 38 and FR 30 on the way out)
With no GPS track there was a little guess-and-by-gosh which of the numerous cow paths to follow to the canyon entrance. We were a little too far west for an easier drop into the canyon but a quick slide or two and we were in the Canyon. (We would see a few cairns on the return trip to a slightly better route)
While I suppose one could do more than stick to the canyon floor and it would be called canyoneering, this was just a matter of walking the wash along with a bit of boulder hopping... not much more challenging than most hikes in a wash.
But no matter, the scenery was awesome. As small/short as this steep-walled part of the canyon was, it was worth the effort. There were some very interesting patterns on the rocks that made us wonder how they were formed. Of course, as far removed from being even amateur geologists as we are, we could only speculate.
We wandered just far enough until the canyon began to open toward the west then turned back. With the long drive home we wanted to get on the road. But do we want to loop all the way back out on FR 38? We noticed what looked like grass that had been trampled by ATV tracks heading toward a windmill closer to Cherry Creek Road, we thought, shall we give it a shot? As long as it's taking us the direction we want, let's continue. A lot of winding and driving along what appeared to be a simple cow-path and we eventually made it to the windmill, albeit not the one we'd seen earlier in the day from Cherry Creek Road. It took a few moments to figure out if there was a road to continue on, but eventually the herd of cows split like the Red Sea (in Exodus) and we found it. Once back out to Cherry Creek road, we saw the FR 30 sign, so it was a forest road after all. And all's well that ends well.
2015-04-07 CannondaleKid
