Escape Haven: Devil's Punchbowl

"The great San Andreas Rift Zone cuts a bee-line swath along the desert side of the San Gabriels. Many interesting geological features lie along the monumental earthquake fault system, but none so strange as the fantastic jumble of whitish rocks known as Devil's Punchbowl. Within this mile-wide depression rise row upon row of weathered sandstone blocks, many of them tilted so as to resemble plates standing on edge, others folded and broken like huge slices of fancy pudding.

"In 1963 this unique geological formation became a Los Angeles County Park. A paved road was built to its western rim, and wide, well-graded loop trail hacked out down into the bowl."Although only a short down-and-up walk, this other-worldly loop trip into the Devil's Punchbowl is one of the most interesting trips in the range. The trail passes beside weird sandstone outcroppings, and at the bottom of the bowl, a playful stream cascades over, around and through the slanted formations. Hardy pinyons and manizinita thickets cling to precipitous footholds between the rocks."
— John W. Robinson (Trails of the Angeles, Hike 68)

Devil's Punchbowl, or as I like to refer to it "Our Mini Grand Canyon" in the backyard of our San Gabriel Mountains, is an upheaval of rocks due to seismic activity. Basically, the fault shook, the glacier moved through, and all the rocks got jumbled. Cool!!!

This is isn't the first time we'd been up to the Punchbowl, but it was the first time we'd gone off trail. We signed in the log, just in case, we got lost... and then started down the trail as usual. We enjoyed the view to the north as we rounded a corner of the trail. According to the park ranger and the visitor center there are many other cool formations, especially rock arches within there. Though it would have to wait for another day. Darin, Joe and I were going to explore the huge rock wall to the south of the canyon. So we continued down the trail toword the now in summer dry creek bed. The ranger had said that we must cross the creek and then find the trail behind the rocks which leads upto the top. He should have mentioned it was a goat path...

So we continued down to the bottom, near "Space-ship rock." I guess they call it that because the rock is so flat and leaning there seemingly held up there by nothing. Crossing the dry creek bed took little effort and the pretty red paintbrush flowers were incentive enough for me to go scrambling in the bushes, though there was distinct lack of trail...

But that was okay, trail no trail, it didn't matter we we're having a blast scambling over the rocks, dead ending in nowhere, and having to bushwack our way back to the "goat path" we did find. Poor Darin had to stop and wonder where I had gone several times as I fell behind to take pictures... enjoy.

Where's the Path?

Is that it? No that's just the ridge...
Ah well, we'll follow it for a bit

That's where we wanted to be

After much tromping over little ridges and bushwacking our way through, we came back to the creek, now dry. So we followed it upstream. Darin went exploring a couple of extra places, but decided that the small rock walls weren't was he was idealy looking for when rappelling. So we continued up the dry creek. Taking a small breather now and again.

In the end we followed the creekbed

Finally we found a way through the ridge where the water had carved it's way through, very much like the Grand Canyon... almost otherworldly.

Until we found a crack in the Rock wall,
where the creek had carved a path through

View through the crevace into the Punchbowl

Further back where the flow of water has carved
some really spectacular formations

View between ridges, from creek bed

Once we had found our way through, it was much easier climbing the ridge, there was even a path of sorts. Though the climb up was still not for the faint of heart and a bit of a scramble. But I had two stong fellas with me, who made sure I could get up where I needed help. And it was certainly well worth the view.

Joe as King of the ridge after after climbing up behind from the creek bed

View of the backside of the Spine

We made it to the top, and the view was awesome, and my pictures do it NO justice whatsoever. It was a completely different Punchbowl from the other side. After resting for a bit, I had no idea how wimpy I was until I went out with the boys... get a bit old I guess, we made out way along the SW of the ridge, where we jumped back to the trail at the second to last boy-scout monument. Be careful going the other way, it is a mighty drop to the bottom.