When it comes to risky climbs, few can match the half-mile trek to the second waterfall in Eaton Canyon north of Pasadena, a steep, narrow path over crumbling granite cliffs that has claimed five lives and caused dozens of injuries over the past four years.
Under mounting pressure to prevent the carnage in the San Gabriel Mountains gorge, Angeles National Forest officials are advancing a controversial plan to shut down the canyon above the first waterfall on Aug. 1.
Anyone caught trying to scale the cliffs above the first 75-foot waterfall could face six months of imprisonment and/or a $5,000 fine, Forest Service District Ranger Michael McIntyre said.
The closure is a drastic step forced by a problem that “has only gotten worse,” McIntyre said. “Our goal is to save lives.”
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