Cooper Canyon Falls
Angeles Crest / San Gabriel high country · near Wrightwood / La Cañada · Los Angeles / SoCal
Canyoneering
At a glance
- Grade
- intermediate
- Best season
- Late spring–fall; higher elevation stays cooler
What is here
- Setting
- mountain
- Amenities
- Shaded high-country waterfall · Pine & cedar forest setting · Refreshing cool descent · Approachable intermediate rappels
- Best for
- A cool, forested waterfall descent
- Features
- Forested Angeles Crest canyon · Shaded waterfall rappel · Cooler high-elevation escape · Approachable technical intro
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Flash-flood risk — check weather · Slippery, mossy rock at the falls · Cold water; anchor inspection · Seasonal Angeles Crest Hwy (SR-2) closures — verify access
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Canyoneering detail
- Character
- waterfalls · rappels · swims
- Water
- pools
- Commitment
- 2
- Descent notes
- A cool, forested high-country canyon off the Angeles Crest — a shaded waterfall descended by rappel amid pines and cedars, a refreshing higher-elevation contrast to the hot front-range canyons
- Stats note
- ~2–3 rappels, main falls ~35 ft; forested approach; half-day
- Wetsuit
- No
- Intl tip
- A cooler, greener San Gabriel descent high off the Angeles Crest Highway near Buckhorn — a shaded hike through pine and cedar leads to a waterfall rappelled at around 35 feet into a pool, plus smaller drops: an approachable intermediate outing. The elevation keeps it refreshing in summer but means snow and high water linger into late spring. Rock at the falls is slippery/mossy — inspect and back up anchors — and never enter with rain (flash floods kill). Access is via SR-2, subject to seasonal closures — verify the road is open first.
- Directions note
- Park at Buckhorn Campground day-use off Hwy 2
The guide
Cooper Canyon Falls, set high in the San Gabriel Mountains off the Angeles Crest Highway near Buckhorn, offers a cooler, greene…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Cooper Canyon Falls — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.335, -117.9