Gregg from Santa Barbara thanks for the coconut water and checking on me at Willetts (was in a bad way on Sunday) thank you :) mh, Amazing but Im confused this says 15 miles when its actually more like a full 40 mile hike (in and out), For the love of solitude and hiking, PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR EXTRA FOOD TO THE GUY LIVING IN THE WILDERNESS, PAN UPDATE Wesweswes and I chatted about it, and settled on visiting the Sespe hot springs from Dough Flat. There are 5 or 6 shovels along the trail so anyone who wants to dig out wet gravel after hiking 16 miles have at it! This series of springs create a hot spring creek flowing through the mountains. We believe good things come from people spending time outside. The trail below Dripping Springs becomes narrow and sections of the tread have been destroyed from winter flooding. There are two campsites separated by the creek crossing. Continue west along the creek .8 miles to reach the junction with Sespe River Trail (20W13). Water is usually only available here during winter and spring. road traveled by large oil trucks so be very cautious as This website was developed for adventurists, explorers and enthusiasts of both the Northern and Southern portions of the Los Padres National Forests. Couldnt make it in. Lots of trash and horse poop. Bummer, this trail is closed. Made it out last weekend to sespe hot springs on a 2 day backpacking trip. -Make sure to have an adventure parking pass (order online or pickup from big5/7-11) The elevation gain at certain parts is extremely tiring and some parts of the trail are overgrown. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 16 min to complete. Be very cautious en route to trailhead. Routes 26 and 27 Reaching the gate going down the creek meant you had survived the gauntlet. We'll update this page if and when it reopens. It was an incredible 30-something mile hike and one of my earliest backpacking trips. Water is plentiful. Map Information, Interactive Visitor Map: Los Padres National Forest, Forest Recreation Informational Brochures. we make the short drive . Sespe is the best! Located along Sespe Creek, about two hours from Los Angeles, California, Sespe Hot Springs is one of several natural hot springs in the Los Padres National Forest. Alder Creek Trail - Begins from the Dough Flat Trailhead, is 7.5 miles one way and rated as moderate to difficult. Also known as Arroyo Sespe, Cespai River, Sespe River. Download the GPS track to help you find your way. follow. Dough Flat: 34.480807, -118.916874. From the Shady Camp turnoff, it is Trail in good shape and easy to follow. Camping this area is hot during the day and cold at night through the am. The first section of Condor Trail from Lake Piru to the Piedra Blanca Trailhead covers about 32 miles. Home; Categories. A large colony of these can be found near the Gaviota Hot Springs. From the trailhead at Dough Flat its about 7.5 miles along Alder Creek Trail to Sespe River Trail. by siketflow in socalhiking. North of Tar Creek and west of Dough Flat Rd is in the Condor Sactuary where public entry is not allowed. Post by Kim_S Sun Mar 01, 2009 5:22 pm. Ant Camp. River crossings from Coltrell to Sespe Camp are difficult. Starting from the parking lot at Piedra Blanca, the trail quickly drop down to the river crossing, after the crossingLion Creek and Sespe Creek is the Gene Marshall Piedra Blanca trail junction. Round Trip - 10 miles. All rights reserved. Since this trail is in the wilderness, only hikers and equestrians are permitted. So if you are planning a trip to that part of the Forest be sure to plan on an extra 8miles of road hiking/biking before you get to the trailhead. Sespe is VERY busy, & the last mile is full of poison ivy & poison oak. We found hot springs that were about 105 degrees which seems hot, but you get used to it. Make a right at the signed junction for Rose Valley (and Piedra Blanca). I approached the slide and decided it was too dangerous to cross. The trailhead at Dough Flat is reached from Fillmore by way of Goodenough Road and unpaved Squaw Flat Road. There was much debate surrounding how to get there after we found out the gate accessing the eastern approach via dough flats is closed (and even if open otherwise apparently unpassable unless one has a robust 4wd vehicle), so the discussion congregated upon weather to do that approach (13 mi each way) or from the west . Getting from the start of Goodenough Road to the trailhead will take you about an hour. This is a narrow, rough road that is traveled by large oil trucks. Be very cautious en route to trailhead. The views are worth the price of admission. Despite the dry river, the terrain was beautiful. Monte Arido Trail 3/22 1159. Went to the first 2 creek crossings to find both completely dry.. . Trail use and trail camps are on a first-come, first-serve basis, no reservations. Past the camp you will come to Kerr Spring, the first year-round water source, which is located .8 miles further from Bear Creek Camp on the south side of the river. Here, the canyon opens up and reveals a more spartan and rocky terrain evocative of the Palm Springs area. Once on the north side it can be hard to find the trail but once found it is in good condition until the junction with the Johnston Ridge Trail. (Next time will be adding another day to break it up). The Sheriff's Office activated the Fillmore and East Valley Search and Rescue teams to conduct a ground search. At about 13.75 miles from Dough Flat and 10.5 miles from the Piedra Blanca trailhead, the trail arrives at Hartman Camp. Brutally hot out there. The trail is pretty open all the way to willet but past that you get a lot of leg scratchers. Trails were pretty clearly marked but we did a few times find ourselves going a wrong way and having to backtrack. From here, it's another 5 miles to the trailhead. There were several vehicles up there in addition to ours. The site has a picnic table, fire pit, and nearby outhouse, each with its own cement foundation harking back to the days of when it was a car camping destination. The trail is amazing, but it was hot & miserable with minimal shade. Its about more than standing on the mountain top. There were a few groups that either got to Bear creek and stayed put or decided to turn around and return to the car not willing to risk the river. Cold water is just down stream a bit for filtering. 5. Steady climb for the next 3.5/4 mi to peak before dropping into Alder Camp. Follow the road, being careful to stay on the main road, the side roads will take you to oil well pads. It flows intermittently but is characterized by a series of permanent deep pools. (LogOut/ hot topic assistant manager job description; Frazier Park, CA 93225 Difficulty: moderate from trailhead to Cow Spring Camp; difficult to Shady Camp turnoff. Sespe River Trail - Starting from the Piedra Blanca Trailhead, this trail is 16.8 miles one way and is rated as moderate to difficult. No idea except from . Add 2.5 miles or so to the hike because the access road may be closed getting to the trailhead. Bighorn Peak stands at 8441 feet above sea level and offers great views of the Inland Empire, towards Santiago Peak, and the High Desert, although, not as great views as Telegraph and Cucamonga Peaks offer. The landslide at Kerr Spring wasn't a problem. Just wondering if Pan is still out there? 406 S Mildred Ave Summer is brutally hot and dry. Dough Flat Trailhead via Alder Creek Trail DIFFICULT 19.8 mi. At the trailhead you enter the Sespe Wilderness. OVERVIEW Sespe Hot Springs at its source produces water upwards of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The road is narrow and arduous; high-clearance vehicle recommended even though we were able to get 3 sedans up there a little bit worse for wear. If you fall here it is very bad. file a complaint against department of social services; quorn stir fry noodles 378: Route 92 Agua Blanca 19W10. CHAPTER 1 Introduction to the Southern Los Padres CHAPTER 2 About This Guide PART I SANTA BARBARA AND WESTERN MT. We attempted to cross, but the hillside is not stable and we turned around at the beginning where there is a bit of exposure (if one were to slide off the trail as they would go over a 15ft cliff). Lots of snakes. During wet weather, 4WD is strongly advised. Someone has left a large tarp in the middle of the camp. This closure adds 2 1/2 miles of additional hiking from where you park at the gate to the trailhead. We started at around 1 pm and didnt get to camp until 7:30 (~23 min mile pace). Buckhorn Road 1/22 1163. Thanks for all the information! Be sure to bring long sleeves and long pants for the overgrown sections, as well as sandals or waterproof boots to cross river sections. Oak Flat has two picnic tables and a fire ring. This trail is great for backpacking, camping, and hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. A landslide essentially wiped out the trail along the mountainside and there was no viable alternative route, in my estimation. Sespe Hot Springs. Not a whole lot to say here that hasn't been said already. Find your route along the river and join the trail where it comes down to the river as well. Just now finished a 4 day & 3 night trip. There are two campsites separated by the creek crossing. There is one place where the trail tread has been destroyed for about 10 feet and another 20 to 30 feet of uneven rocks and debris that have fallen onto the trail tread on the uphill (north east) portion of the trail. 150 yards and youll reach Shady Camp, which normally Ventura River. . Crossings were not too hard but did require your feet to get wet. The 24-acre site the city has acquired is adjacent to the 12-acr. The shortest of the three is via Alder Creek Trail, a 7.5-mile trek through the wilderness that heads at Dough Flat in the Sespe Oil Fields. Hiked the Sespe Trail from PB TH to Bear Creek with the Troop 111 Scouts on Good Friday. Expect to see a lot more activity within D13 over the next month and in particular this long holiday weekend. There are three different trails that lead to Sespe Hot Springs: 1. The Alder Creek Trail offers Wilderness access along a moderately difficult, nine and a half mile trail from Dough Flat to Sespe River. Park in one of the parking spaces distributed around the trailhead loop at Dough Flat (elevation 2825ft). I saw it along the entire trail. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to Songs of the Wilderness and receive notifications of new posts by email. This is the perfect time to hike this trail. Its here that youll want to leave Johnson Ridge Trail and continue to the right, upstream along the creek another half-mile to the hot springs. We parked at 7am on Friday and parking lot was 3/4 full. Lots of dug out pool choices at Sespe, lower pools are cooler than the upper, naturally. When my friends who left later than us, got back to service, they said they ran into the sheriffs and found out they didnt find him. Some nice campsites along creek with fire pits. The Sespe Condor Sanctuary portion of the wilderness is closed to the public. Water sources were sparse with a small stream before Oak Flats Camp and then another a mile after Willet. At the worst part of the slide people have walked to the uphill side to climb over a small dead tree and root ball. In an effort to help those who come next, see links to the two stream gauges below: On 2/11 the Sespe near Wheeler springs was at 100cfs and the Sespe near Filmore was at 380 cfs. Pratt Trail 4/22 1162. Tough spot for stock near Kerr Spring because of narrow trail and big step. Volunteers have also been busy working on the far southern side of the Sespe with trail days focused on the Agua Blanca, an upcoming reroute of the Pothole Trail and scouting for future projects working from Dough Flat to Sespe Hot Springs. Oak Flat lies not far past Bear Creek, but the highly recommended locations are located about 9 miles past the start of the trail, where the Willett Campground and Willett Hotsprings Campground are located.