San Antonio Falls
Mt Baldy / Manker Flat · near Mount Baldy · Los Angeles / SoCal
Canyoneering
At a glance
- Grade
- basic
- Best season
- Year-round (spring-fed); cold in winter; avoid after rain
What is here
- Setting
- mountain
- Amenities
- Year-round spring-fed waterfalls · Well-established bolted anchors · Very short approach from the road · Great intro course & fun cruiser
- Best for
- An accessible beginner intro course
- Features
- Ideal beginner canyon near Mt Baldy · Year-round waterflow · Short roadside approach · Fun for beginners and veterans alike
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Flash-flood risk — check weather · Cold water, especially in winter · Slippery rock; verify current fire-area access · Popular — mind others below drops
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Canyoneering detail
- Character
- rappels · waterfalls · swims
- Water
- flowing
- Commitment
- 2
- Descent notes
- An ideal beginner intro course near Mount Baldy — a spring-fed, year-round waterfall canyon with well-established anchors and a short approach from the road, water-soaked rappels that also make a fun cruiser for experienced canyoneers
- Stats note
- Several short rappels, well-bolted; very short approach; half-day
- Wetsuit
- No
- Intl tip
- One of the best beginner canyoneering courses in Southern California, off Mount Baldy above Manker Flat — a spring-fed canyon flowing year-round with well-established bolted anchors and a very short roadside approach, ideal for learning on real water-soaked rappels (and a fun cruiser for veterans, with full and 'sneak' variations). Water is cold (especially winter), rock is slippery, and it can flash-flood — never go with rain. Recent wildfires (incl. the 2024 Bridge Fire) have affected the Mt Baldy area — verify current access before you go.
- Directions note
- Park at Manker Flats — falls road leaves from the top of the lot
The guide
San Antonio Falls, tumbling off the flank of Mount Baldy above Manker Flat, is one of the best introductory canyoneering course…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to San Antonio Falls — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.267, -117.625