Northern Cali Canyoneering in June – Tenaya Canyon

If you want to avoid the exposed slabs bypassing Tenaya Creek, there is another route down a gully to the right (looking downstream) of Pywiack Cascade. Shortly before the top of the cascade you can head to the right (stay high), and eventually you will descend again to get to a brushy gully known as airplane gully – about 300′ down from the top, in an open area is an engine from a navy patrol bomber that crashed there in 1959. The gully does have some bushwacking but is not as bad as it looks if you stay to the left side. I’ve always taken this route and never done the slabs so don’t know how they compare, but it’s a fairly quick route down, and the plane crash site is interesting. – Jef