Royce Falls

Royce Falls is notable for being perhaps the highest of the large waterfalls in the California Sierra. This horsetail fall, which descends approximately 700 feet over its 1,000-foot length (about 1,200 feet as the rope runs) is fed from the drainage of Royce Lakes atop the 11,000-foot Merriam plateau.

The unique qualities of this south-facing, sun-exposed plateau at such a high elevation allow a ready supply of water to be fed and formed into a pure water ice climb. This is not a névé or alpine-ice climb. As such, it forms only in the very depths of winter after several days of deep freeze.

The climb itself is no harder than WI3 (though plenty of opportunities exist for harder variations), which is associated with the steepest, most magnificent section, where the falls turn from their protected position in a large dihedral and cascade down a series of steps to the valley floor. The climbing in the upper dihedral is very much like a standard 30- to 50-degree High Sierra alpine goulotte, but filled primarily with ice steps and slabs rather than snow. While the plateau above is flat and the route south-facing and generally wind-protected, be sure take into consideration the avalanche danger posed by these slope angles, especially after a period of active snowfall.

This is a proper alpine climb, with a 9-mile approach gaining more than 4,000 feet. Do not underestimate travel to and from the climb. In summer, on hardpack, the approach could take a fast party fewer than 3 hours, but in winter, in 3-4 feet of unconsolidated snow, that time could easily double or triple, even with floatation. While the climb itself may be a Grade III, the long approach and descent combined with the short days of winter and frigid temperatures it requires to form make this a committing day.

Begin at the Pine Creek Trailhead (7,400 ft). Take the Pine Creek trail approximately 5.75 miles to where it splits (10,400 ft). Take the left fork uphill towards Pine Creek Pass (11,100 ft). Cross over the pass, and drop down into French Canyon, working west until the climb appears on the right in a large, right-facing corner. Approximately 6 pitches of climbing lead to the plateau below Merriam. From here, the most straightforward way down is to skirt the cliff edge to climber's right (east), until reaching a large talus filled gully, which returns to the base. However, the fastest way back to the trailhead is to traverse the plateau to the east-northeast, dropping back down to Pine Creek Pass through a weakness on the eastern side of the plateau. Mark the snowfield associated with this descent on the approach to Pine Creek Pass, and assess it ahead of time for avalanche danger. Done this way, the round trip distance is approximately 18.5 miles.

Ice screws