Happy Canyon Hike

This seldom-visited canyon in the Panamint Mountains has plenty of water and a flowing 20-foot waterfall.  The hike into Happy Canyon starts out in a large wash but narrows into a canyon with steep walls and lots of water cascading over the exposed marble-like rock.  Moss grows on the wet rocks and other plants thrive, too. 

Although the canyon is 7 miles long, you don't have to hike the whole thing to enjoy its unique beauty.  We only explored the first 1.5 miles and were rewarded with the tallest waterfall in the canyon and many smaller cascades.  Further up-canyon, we're told, are the ruins of a mining camp and access to the neighboring canyons of Pleasant and Surprise.  

Happy Canyon is not far from the ghost town of Ballarat and this hike makes a great addition to your visit to this area.  The trailhead is accessible with all vehicle class and you can spend half a day or a whole day exploring this distinctive canyon.

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Hiking Info:

  Getting There
Happy Canyon is located in Panamint Valley, north of the ghost town of Ballarat, and can be accessed with any class of vehicle (providing there haven't been any recent washouts).

From the north (Stovepipe Wells):  See Jail Canyon Road Trip & Hike for detailed directions to Indian Ranch Road.  Although you can access Happy Canyon from Indian Ranch Road, it over 12 miles on a dirt road that may or may not be in good condition.  We recommend that you follow the directions to Ballarat (below) and access Happy Canyon from there. 

From the south (Ballarat):  See Pleasant Canyon Road Trip for detailed directions to Ballarat.  Once in Ballarat, look for the directional signs [see picture], turn left onto Indian Ranch Road and reset your odometer.  Go north on this dirt road for 1.2 miles as it parallels the Panamint Mountains.  Turn right (east) onto the faint dirt road that climbs up the alluvial fan towards the Panamint's and Happy Canyon and go 2 miles to the trailhead. 

The road does continues on from here, turning left and dropping into the wash that drains the canyon [see picture], but this is where most people stop and use as a trailhead.  You can park your vehicle and hike from here (as we did) or, if you have a high clearance, 4WD vehicle, you can drop down into the wash and continue driving for another 0.5 miles.  There is no "road" once in the wash, just plenty of rocks of all sizes, so you will have to find your own way.  There is a fence across the wash at the 0.5 mile point (the Wilderness Boundary) that does not allow further vehicle traffic.  If you choose to drive in the wash, be sure to walk the section where the road drops into the wash and make sure that you can get back out on the return trip [see picture].

The Hike
This hike is rated a 3 on our difficulty chart because of the overall steepness of the hike and the minor rock scrambling [glossary] you'll have to do.  The elevation gain from the parking area to the waterfall alone is +800 feet and, if you continue up the canyon for another 2 miles to the mining camp, it is a total elevation gain of 2,600 feet.

And, since Happy Canyon itself is about 7 miles long, you can make this hike as long or short as you like.   We only hiked in about 1.5 miles (one-way) and saw the main, 20-foot, near-vertical waterfall and the many cascades beyond it.  The cascades were plentiful for about 0.5 miles past that main waterfall and, after that, the canyon twists and turns with two different spring areas.  Although we have not hiked up to it yet, we understand that, even further up the canyon, there are ruins of a mining camp said to be similar to those of Clair Camp in nearby Pleasant Canyon. 

We started our hike from the open parking area located just before the road drops down into the wash.  There is plenty of space for parking here and you could even camp if you wanted to overnight.  Before dropping into the wash, be sure to turn around and enjoy the view of Panamint Valley from this spot - it's quite impressive.

You are hiking the the wash that comes out of Happy Canyon and there is no "trail".  Just follow the wash up-canyon and in about 0.5 miles you'll reach the fence marking the Surprise Canyon Wilderness boundary.  You will be able to see that the canyon narrows up ahead [see picture]. 

Once inside the canyon narrows, you'll turn a corner and there will be the main 20-foot, near-vertical waterfall.  You are now about 1.1 miles from the parking area.  After enjoying the sight of the waterfall, you'll want to move on.  To bypass the waterfall, climb the rocky ledge on the left (north) side of the canyon.  If you're taking this hike in the spring and it has been a wet winter, there will be lots of water.   We were there in December, after a dry year, and there was still plenty of water flowing over these falls and the cascades further up-canyon.

Past the waterfall, you'll continue to climb and will pass several cascades which are all easy to get around.  Take the time to stop and look at a few of them.  There is moss and other small plant life to see and the marble-like rock they flow over makes for a very pretty scene.

Just like Surprise Canyon to the north, it used to be legal to drive vehicles up Happy Canyon and was a big challenge for hardcore 4WD buffs.  They would, of course, have to winch themselves over the main waterfall but these cascades wouldn't be a problem. 

We did not travel much beyond the cascades on this trip but understand that there are two springs further up-canyon.  The first one is about 2.5 miles from the parking area and the second about 3.1 miles.  If you decide to continue beyond the cascades, just be aware that all this water means lots of plant life and there are probably places where the bushes are overgrown making the canyon difficult to navigate. 

Beyond the springs are the mining camp ruins at about 3.5 miles from the parking area.  As mentioned before, we have not hiked up to this part the canyon yet so we cannot report on what's there but the mine is marked on many maps.  Please treat private property respectfully.

At about 5 miles from the parking area, the canyon widens and branches into three main pieces.  The right (south) branch will actually be near Pleasant Canyon.  In this right branch is the Porter Mine which is known for its jewelry quality "ribbon" gold.  The best way to get to the Porter Mine is from Pleasant Canyon.

The middle branch of the canyon leads up another 2.5 miles to the crest of the Panamints and an elevation of 8,500 feet.  The left branch heads north, towards Panamint City and Surprise Canyon, which is the next canyon to the north.  This branch leads right up to the Hemlock Mine and, just below it, the Wyoming Mine which was the main silver producer of Surprise Canyon.  These mines were active into the 1960's.

So, whether you have half a day or several days to spend hiking up Happy Canyon, there is something to see all along the way.

Photo Tour:
Click on picture to enlarge
Pictures taken: December 2003

	The road up to Happy Canyon is fairly easy.  It doesn't cross any washes, so it is less likely to be washed out in a storm.
	Looking back (west) at Panamint Valley from the road up to Happy Canyon.  You can see the road in the bottom left of the picture and the wash from the canyon on the bottom right.  Hopefully, the two won't meet anytime soon.
	Panorama looking due west over Panamint Valley from near the canyon's mouth.
	Panorama looking north from near the same point as the previous panorama.  The road leading up to the canyon in the far left portion of the picture is the road into Surprise Canyon.
	This is where the easy part of the road ends as it turns left and drops down into the wash.  Just before the road enters the wash, there is plenty of open space to use as a trailhead and park your vehicle.
	Another view of where the road drops into the wash.
	Looking up at Happy Canyon from the trailhead/parking area.
	It's easy to imagine all of the water that has flowed down this wash over the past thousand years or so.
	Walking up the wash towards the first narrows of Happy Canyon.  The wilderness boundary is seen up ahead.
	The beginning of the Surprise Canyon Wilderness Area.  An interesting note is that the southern boundary of this Wilderness Area is the floor of the wash you are walking on.  The south (right) side of the canyon is not included and is outside the Wilderness Area.
	The walls of the wash are very high and display many hundreds of years of sediment.
	From the Wilderness Boundary fence, the first narrows are about 0.5 miles.
	Finally inside the first narrows of Happy Canyon.
	Looking down-canyon from inside the narrows. With the high walls of the canyon on both sides, it is shady most of the time.
	After rounding the corner in the narrows, you come to the first and biggest obstacle - a 20-foot, near vertical waterfall.
	You can bypass the waterfall by climbing the rocky ledge on the left (north) side.
	A closer look at the two grooves that have been cut into the solid rock (marble) by the water.
	The water from the falls reaches the bottom.  Most of the waterfalls in this canyon are a solid rock mass made up of this grayish marble.
	Looking down-canyon at the top of the waterfall.
	One of the smaller cascades.
	One of the larger cascades.  Watch your footing when climbing over these cascades.  Besides being wet, there is slippery moss on the rocks!
	Some of the cascades empty into a loose gravel-type material where the water then cuts intricate patterns.
	Water flowing down a groove in one of the cascades.
	Another view of some interesting patterns created by the water as it meanders down over the loose material between cascades.
	Looking down-canyon at a section between cascades.
	Water rushing down here forms an almost perfect half-circle.
	Here, the moss growing on the rock created an interesting shape.
	There are many places along this portion of the canyon where the moss is thick and other green plants grow.
	With all this water, there is bound to be lots of plant life including thick brush.
	Because it was late afternoon, we turned around at this point and headed back down the canyon.
	Hiking back down Happy Canyon.
	Out of the narrows and headed back down the wash (west) towards Panamint Valley and your parked vehicle.  Notice the steep incline of the canyon as compared to the valley floor.
	As you're hiking down the wash, it's easy to lose track of where you are.  Don't forget to look for the road that leads out of the wash on the left (south) side.
	Looking south (towards Pleasant Canyon) from near the mouth of the Happy Canyon at a view of the Panamint's in the late afternoon light.

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Last updated March 03, 2007.

June 2005 Version
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