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HIKE 3

CASTAIC CREEK TO CIENAGA CAMPGROUND, FISH CANYON NARROWS, LION TRAIL CAMP

HIKE LENGTH: 17 miles round-trip; 1,600' elevation gain

DIFFICULTY: Moderate (2 days)

SEASON: All year

TOPO MAPS: Whitaker Peak, Liebre Mountain, Burnt Peak

Features

The long, shallow, meandering canyons in the northwest corner of Angeles National Forest are almost all laden with asphalt ribbon. One exception, and perhaps the most scenic canyon of them all, is Fish Canyon, which runs south from Sawmill Mountain, and then southwest into the Castaic Creek drainage.

Fish Canyon offers the best hiking in this part of the Angeles. An all-year stream descends its length, shaded most of the way by clusters of oaks, sycamores, alders, and willows. Most of the canyon is open and gently sloped—except for the 0.5-mile stretch of Fish Canyon Narrows, a slot through the mountain sometimes only a few yards wide. Abrupt, towering sidewalls of colorful rock make these narrows the most spectacular in the range—a Grand Canyon in miniature.

This very pleasant, almost level streamside trip ascends Fish Canyon from Castaic Creek; follows a dirt road to the Pianobox, an old mining prospect; passes through the scenic narrows to Rogers Trail Camp; and continues through the upper canyon to the delightful backcountry campsite of Lion Trail Camp. Be sure to wear stout and waterproof boots for the many stream crossings. This trip is best done as a two-day backpack outing, staying the night at either Rogers or Lion Camp.

Description

There is currently no vehicular access to the old trailhead at Cienaga Campground. Instead, you must now hike in, adding 5 miles round-trip to the total.

From I-5, 8 miles north of Castaic, turn east onto Templin Highway and follow it to where the road ends, blocked by a locked gate, a short distance from Castaic Creek. Park your car along the side of the road. Walk past the gate and continue down the highway, crossing the creek on a concrete bridge. Do not stray off the road or disturb private property. Be sure to display your Adventure Pass on your parked vehicle.

Fish Canyon Narrows

The road turns to dirt and continues eastward past the bridge; in a few hundred yards look for another dirt road branching off to the left. Follow this route as it heads north up the canyon along lower Fish Creek. Soon, the sidewalls close in and the scenery becomes lusher and greener, as the road—sometimes paved and sometimes dirt—crosses and recrosses Fish Creek several times. After walking 2.5 miles from your car, you come to open, parklike Cienaga Campground, located in a grove of oaks on a large flat along the creek.

From just north of Cienaga Campground, walk north, up Fish Creek, on any of the several jeep tracks. In 200 yards they converge into one dirt road, which you follow to the Pianobox, 1 mile from the campground.

From the Pianobox your trail follows the canyon as it turns northeast, and you abruptly enter the cool and shady narrows. Sheer sidewalls of reddish and yellowish rock make this area a favorite of shutter enthusiasts. Crossing and recrossing the stream, you work your way slowly up-canyon. In another mile you reach the oak- and sycamore-shaded bench of Rogers Camp, with stoves and tables. Just across the creek you can see a tunnel bored into solid rock, a relic of mining days. Beyond, the canyon rounds a bend, opens up, and resumes its northeast course. Your trail alternately follows the creek and climbs the slope to bypass narrows. Many sections of streamside trail are washed out, requiring much boulder-hopping and occasional bushwhacking. After 4 more difficult miles, 8.5 miles from your car, you reach Lion Trail Camp, located on an oak-shaded bench at the confluence of Lion and Fish Creeks. A stove, a fire ring, and a bench are here at this most isolated of Angeles Forest trail camps, a great spot to savor true wilderness away from the crowds that infest so much of the forest.

Return the same way. Or, you have another option. You can continue 4.5 miles up the Fish Canyon Trail, brushy in spots but passable, all the way to Atmore Meadows (see Hike 2). A less strenuous option is to hike this trail downhill, from Atmore Meadows to the Pianobox, necessitating a rather long car shuttle.

The Burnt Peak Canyon Trail, shown on the US Forest Service map, is, as of this writing, choked with brush and impassable.

The old trail from the Pianobox over the shoulder of Redrock Mountain to Redrock Canyon is no longer maintained by the US Forest Service and is badly overgrown. So the once-popular 24-mile circle backpack trip up Fish Canyon and over the ridge to Bear Canyon, down Bear, Cienaga, and Redrock Canyons is no longer an option.