Arroyo Seco Boulders

10/10 classic low altitude Angeles bouldering right here. Haters are always gonna hate, but this rock is *genuinely* on the same level as the Buttermilks. Yeah we said it!

The Arroyo Seco is a long canyon and waterway that stretches from Red Box all the way down to the LA River in Elysian Park. Most of the rock climbing occurs north of Devils Gate Dam, where the boulders are plentiful and the rock is generally good quality granite. You must understand that climbing here is ridiculously underrated by the general public so solitude is guaranteed other than the occasional hiker.

The Stone of 1000 Vines

Tucked away in a little alcove at the start of the Gab, sits the The Stone of 1000 Vines. It's positioned next to an old stone wall from the Arroyo cabin era and under a large highball which is yet to have any established problems on it. Lots of hikers and bikers pass by this bad boy, which was covered in vines and hardly visible, and ignore it's potential for climbing purposes. Ali and Matthew finally decided to clean it up one day and put in the work of cleaning and removing the vines to expose some pretty perfect Arroyo rock. Out of all the rocks in the canyon that we've seen and touched, this one felt like an ultra classic spot. Some things to point out is it's proximity to the creek which brings the calm sounds of running water to any sesh. Next, it's shaded by both a large alder and the canyon wall allowing for shade until 2pm on most days. Lastly, the landing and pad placement zones paired with the V0-V2 climbing on the boulder itself which begs beginners and pros to warm up on.

Wall Boulder

Sitting to the right of a massive Elderberry tree, this boulder has some fun warm ups and some challenge to it while being easy to reach from the nearest parking lot. Reaching it requires hiking or biking up the Gabrielino Trail from the gate and just passing the forest service buildings. The boulder sits left of the "Boulder of the Gab" and is not easy to miss. Graffiti on the face of the boulder provides extra challenge when attempting problems on it.

Boulder of the Gab

Located to the right of the Wall Boulder, this boulder is a bit shorter but has some untouched potential due to a dead tree blocking the majority of it. With a bit of cleaning, the boulder has revealed some cool problems, most of which are still unclimbed. Due to that nature, use caution with loose rock and dirt at the top.