Politics & Government

What to Do About Eaton Canyon? (Discussion)

Is there a way to help solve the longstanding problems with hikers climbing in dangerous areas? Tell us your solutions and we'll pass them along to the authorities.

If you've spent any time here on Altadena Patch you know we have a problem here locally with dangerous climbing at Eaton Canyon.

Not only have local search and rescue members long said that this is the , we've recently had in the area, and we've all heard or seen the Air 5 rescue team overhead on a regular basis.

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At least three times I've witnessed rescues in progress while out hiking (and not particularly looking for a story to report) and plenty more I've been made aware of a rescue just by seeing the helicopter fly by.

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There has also been plenty discussion of what to do about the problem, both in the comments and in the media.  For example, Larry Wilson of the Pasadena Star-News has a column up arguing against any closure of the area.

Personally, I'm not sure there is an answer, but I'd like to try the following: Let's discuss what solutions there might be, and you tell me what you think might work.

I will take that information and turn it over to all the authorities that might have responsibility--the Eaton Canyon Nature Center, the County Board of Supervisors, the Forest Service--and make your suggested solutions a part of the public record.

I don't know if that will change anything, but it can be a start.  Let me see if I can help the process by rehashing some of the solutions I've seen discussed.

  • 1) Put up signage that warns people of the dangers, including letting people know that there have been fatal falls of hikers on the trail.
  • 2) Attempt to put up some sort of fence or barrier that blocks the trail.
  • 3) Put up some sort of ladder system that will allow trail users to access the area more safely.  On the right, for demonstration purposes, I attached a photo of a similar canyon off the Colorado River that has a ladder system to allow people to follow the stream bed through terrain that would otherwise be extremely difficult to access.
  • 4) Charge for helicopter rescues.  If there is signage warning people they will pay for their own evacuation, could that dissuade people from going up?
  • 5) Target sites that promote the hiking trail.  Reader Lonnee Hamilton emailed me this week to note that Yelp has a review of the trail route, including some very scary-looking photos of people scaling the cliffs in the area.  She wrote the editors of the site requesting that the take the page down in light of the fatalities in the area and they wrote back denying her request.

If you have any further suggestions of what to do, please add them in the comments.  Also, please go to our Facebook page and vote on our options there. Tell me there which, if any, of these solutions might work.


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