LAST CHANCE: NO MANS LAND 2/12/19

Lower Jackson Falls from the Last Chance Trail

Hands down the most satisfying day I've spent in the backcountry. 18 miles solo. My day started at Thomas Aquinas off of Hwy 150 at about 7 a.m. Santa Paula Canyon & the Punch Bowls are a very popular destination but few people venture past Cross Camp or the 3rd Punch bowl with the water slide. For historical accuracy i will note that what everyone calls the 3rd punchbowl is actually "The Punchbowl". If you look at some older maps or talk to someone over 45 that's how it's labeled/known. I'm not sure when the swimming hole at the first waterfall started being called the punchbowl but that's how I've always known it.

Anyways, for the few of you who haven't done this hike before its a pretty easy 3 mile walk to the first waterfall . Depending on the route you take you'll either come straight up the river or cross the creek, go up the switchbacks & then drop down through Big Cone Camp before hitting said waterfall. About another 1.5 miles up the canyon you reach Cross Camp, here most people follow the creek to the water slide but i crossed the creek to the hidden 3rd campsite & picked up the Last Chance Trail. After climbing a series of switchbacks up the ridge i was greeted to the sight of a seasonal waterfall flowing from the east. See photo below

I believe this comes from Bear Haven. The creek that flows from this converges with Santa Paula Creek right after Cross Camp & before the 3rd Punch Bowl

This was my 3rd time trying to reach Last Chance Camp & only the 2nd time I've ever seen water flowing from there. From Cross Camp to Jackson Falls is another 1.5 miles & the trail is in surprisingly good condition. After that the trail is nonexistent & your stuck rock hopping until the creek forks & you start climbing a ridge up & away from the canyon, here the trail resumes but its overgrown & easy to loose until you get over that ridge. Its a significant climb. 

Lower Jackson Falls Flowing in full glory

Lower Jackson Falls a little less glorious on a previous trip in December of 2018. Its amazing what some rain can do

Upper Jackson Falls aka Jackson Hole

After you make that climb your essentially on a ridge between two drainage's, Santa Paula Canyon to your left (west) & an unnamed one to your right (east). This is where things truly start to feel wild & remote. I had been following deer tracks since i got above Cross Camp but other than that the lower half of this canyon is oddly devoid of wildlife, probably avoiding the ruckus of the crowds if i had to guess. But as soon as i dropped into the backside of what i'll call Last Chance Ridge i was greeted by a chorus of birds. Tons of Scrub Jay's & a bunch of other calls i was unable to identify. The chaparral here also varies from hip to head high, the average height being about chest level so considering i was alone i stayed extra vigilant. After seeing bear tracks & the biggest pile of scat I've laid eyes on i was a bit paranoid. Even a bird jumping through the bushes sounds huge under these circumstances. The views down canyon from this ridge are amazing. Probably only half way up i could already see the ocean.

This was the farthest i had been back here so far. Since i was born & raised in Santa Paula i've been hiking this canyon since i was about 10 with my youth football team, my dad & my childhood friends but we had never passed the 3rd Punchbowl & my 2 other previous attempts to make it back here had been unsuccessful due to time constraints. I've hiked out of the lower half of the canyon in the dark before but i wasn't too keen on doing it by myself. However this time around it was still early in the day & i was making good time so i was pretty happy to say the least. Today was the day of the waterfall, i was blown away by two more seasonals i saw coming from the east again that i never even knew existed.

The geology of our local canyons will forever leave me awestruck

A zoomed in version of the same falls above

I was having a great time tromping through new territory. It seemed like behind every corner or hill crest was something new for me to discover. This area has made a miraculous recovery from the devastation of the Thomas Fire & luckily many of the ancient Oaks & Big Cone Douglas Fir trees survived. 

This canyon was deep. The falls fell about 30 or 40 ft i presume.

Hopefully the video quality isn't too bad after uploading from my phone. Had to get a quick selfie lol

I kept wishing i had brought a tent so i could just explore all day. So many hidden nooks & crannies out here just begging for someone to admire them. Eventually the trail lead to a huge odd open space, completely barren for about 100 yds until the chaparral & the trail/tunnel resumed. Here i found a burnt up old sign post.

A friends father told me the sign use to read 'Jackson Hole one way, Last Chance the other way"

It's always nice to see some sign of human activity to let you know your on the right path. I continued on through the brush a ways until the trail got harder to follow & i figured i best climb up to the spine of the ridge so i could see the creek & get my barrings a little better. Here i was treated to the sight of a lone mule deer doe springing over a hill & down into a draw. I climbed up on the side of the hill next to me to see if i could regain sight of the deer but it was long gone. As i scanned the bushes in front of me i saw what i first thought was a tiny coyote but soon realized was a rare grey fox! Long & skinny with grey/black fur that transitioned to a burnt orange color. He stood up on his hind legs & surveyed the scene before disappearing back into the sea of chaparral. I only saw him for a brief second but i was ecstatic. I also got a good look at Hines Peak from here. See below:

There was still a bit of snow on Hines southside & i soon found myself in the snow as well. I'm glad i dressed accordingly, the air certainly had a bit in it this day. After i climbed back to the Santa Paula creek side of this ridge i made a somewhat startling discovers. More bear poop, a FRESH mountain lion track & then some deer bones.

My mind was too preoccupied to stop & snap a pic of the cat print but only a few minutes later i found this.

& then i found this canteen completely full of water. Made me reconsider what kind of creature that bone belonged to. I honestly almost lost my never here but i had come too far to turn back now. By this point i was about 7 or 8 miles in.

Ignoring the nagging worries in the back of my mind i trusted my judgement & pressed on. And im very glad that i did. I wound up in the snow with views of the Channel Islands, Santa Paula Peak, Hines Peak, No Name Peak, the back side of the TopaTopa Bluffs, the eastern Edge of Bear Haven & TopaTopa ridge Amazing, 5 stars.

Got my hands on some snow..literally haha. Almost every northern facing slope in the upper reaches of this canyon had snow on it.

Santa Paula Peak in the center

Hard to tell due to the trees but there is a 100+ ft waterfall down there known by some as Buck Falls

Almost to the end of Santa Paula Canyon

No Name Peak to the Left, Hines Peak to the right

About a week after this i found myself directly on the other side of these mountains. Ill be writing that post shortly

After snapping this photos i kept trekking deeper into the Last Chance Drainage & away from the creek. The snowcover became thicker & there was water flowing from all directions. I came upon this one section that was grassy & mossy with a small babbling brook, oddly reminded me of pictures i've seen of the Scottish Highlands. I was hiking next to the main creek flowing from the NorthEast that eventually meets Santa Paula Creek & i had yet to find the actual Last Chance Camp. It was about 12:30 now & i gave myself a self imposed turn around time of 1:30. I kept pushing on a bit further but the brush was over my head & i was honestly beginning to feel a bit disoriented. So i stopped for a second considered my options & decided that considering i was solo it would probably be best for me to turn around & save finding the camp for another day where i had more hours of daylight or a partner with me. So i stood for a minute & soaked up the humbling feeling only being out in the unknown can give you then turned around to find a nice spot to have lunch. I'm fairly confident that i was within a 1/4 or 1/2 mile of the camp. After i got home i poured over Google Earth & i believe i was able to located the point i retreated from. If i had just kept pushing up the drainage a little further i would of found my intended destination. None the less this was an ultra satisfying day for many reasons. 

I sat high above Santa Paula Canyon reveling in the greatness that surrounded me while enjoying some Top Ramen & boiled potatoes cooked up in a jet boil i borrowed from a good friends older brother. I decided that on my descent rather than going back the way i came i would try & save some time by following the spine of the ridge til i got back into the canyon above Jackson Hole. This strategy proved fruitful, i found a bald patch to follow & was making my way back quick. Just as i was about to drop down the front side of the ridge back into the canyon i heard the piercing screech of a bird of prey. I turned around just in time to watch a magnificent looking Red Tailed Hawk making a hard u-turn followed by 3 circles before he flew off towards the Topa's. Just RAD, absolutely awesome. After that amazing encounter i was just focused on putting one foot in front of the other & getting out of there before dark. But in between Jackson Falls & Cross Camp i stopped & surveyed the scene around me at a spot i regularly scan for mountain lions. Here i was treated to seeing a herd of 7 Mule Deer! 5 does & 2 bucks. I dropped pack, busted out the binoculars & watched them for 15-20 minutes. All but 2 of the most mature looking does payed me little mind, they kept feeding & making their way up a hill but these two older ladies were incredibly curious about me. They looked confused like they had never seen a human before. It was really cool. Its poor quality but i did get a picture where you can see about 4 or 5 of them. They are in the middle towards the bottom above the burnt trees if you can find them.

I was treated to two more last minute surprises as i dropped down into Cross Camp. What i believe is a Chumash Bed Rock Mortar, once used to grind acorns, herbs & seeds & a tiny waterfall flowing off of Santa Paula Ridge down into East Fork Santa Paula Canyon. Extremely seasonal, i'm guessing its comprised of snow melt.

Could be a BRM or it could just be a depression formed over time by dripping water

I gradually zoomed out which i hope gives you a sense of how tiny & random this little water fall is.

So to conclude this post. I got back to Thomas Aquinas at about 3:50. About 18 miles in about 9.5 hrs. Not bad if i do say so myself. I will be going back soon now that the weather is getting a little warmer for an overnighter at Last Chance Camp. This just goes to show that if your willing to go further than most Mother Nature will reward you. Passed the graffitti & litter in the lower reaches of Santa Paula Canyon lies an unspoiled wilderness waiting to be explored. Also i've sort of just learned to deal with the unfortunates of humans, i wont let it stop me from enjoying a swim at the punch bowls. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my best day out.

PEACE.