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Trails of |
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Los Padres National
Forest (South-east), including |
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This area encompasses approximately the eastern half and southern two-thirds of the southern section of the Las Padres Forest. In other words, just a small part of the total! Within this small part lies the Sespe Wilderness, half of the Matilija Wilderness and a small part of the Dick Smith Wilderness. The Sespe Condor Sanctuary is part of the Sespe Wilderness. Note that members of the public are not allowed in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary except when on the Alder Creek and Bucksnort Trails. This, obviously, is to help the California Condors recover from the brink of extinction.
The whole section of the national forest is ruggedly beautiful but brutally exposed to the sun on southward facing slopes. North-facing slopes are just as rugged but many of them are covered with coniferous trees. Many streams flow year-round, such as Sespe Creek, Santa Paula Creek, Piru Creek and Matilija Creek. There are also a number of beautiful waterfalls in the area.
As you can see from the map below, there are many long trails here. Given the ruggedness of the terrain, it shouldn't be surprising that most of them have have lots of moderately steep sections with thousands of feet of climbing overall. What may be surprising is that there are a few that are relatively gentle in their slope and total elevation change. Not shown on this map are the many primitive campgroups provided by the forest service. You can find those on the forest service's online map. It also shows these trails, seasonal or permanently locked gates, and forest routes and their designations.
I have only been on a few of these many trails so most don't have any real descriptions here. As I travel more of the trails over the years, I'll fill in more details. Nevertheless, they all have elevation profiles to give you a sense of their relative lengths, changes in elevation and steepness.
Looking east over the region. This view is from Google Earth
Mostly, you're on your own to find trailheads in this region. A couple of descriptions mention the location of the trailheads and many of the profiles show the forest routes indication(s) at the end(s) of the trails.
Ojai has a number of very active geocachers. As such, many of the trails and roadsides are rich with caches for the finding, particularly closer to Ojai!
[1]
Matilija Canyon Trail (AKA Middle Fork Matilija Trail; Matilija
Creek Trail)Description This trail follows the main fork of the Matilija Creek, ending at some spectacular falls that flow year-round.
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Note: As of mid-April, 2010, access to this trail is blocked where it crosses private property. See this news article for more details. |
Parking is near the west end of Matilija Canyon Road (accessible from Hwy 33 between Meiners Oaks and Wheeler Springs). On foot, continue on pavement for a few hundred feet through the Matilija Canyon Ranch to the dirt road. After about two miles of generally west-northwest travel, the road crosses a wash and becomes a singletrack, turning generally north. The trail is well-defined for awhile, but then starts to cross back and forth across the stream. Most of it is really easy to follow but you will have to watch for the places where it crosses to the other side. About 4.3 miles from the start, the canyon forks, continuing a little further ot the north than to the west. There are beautiful falls along both these forks so you should investigate both directions.
These canyons are really beautiful, especially with the flowing water. It's well worth the trip to the falls!
Download the GPS track 
to help you
find your way.
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Length (miles) |
4.6 |
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Climb (feet) |
1500 (estimated) |
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Descent (feet) |
300 (estimated) |
Trail Profile Back to the Top
[2] North Fork Matilija Trail (partial)
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that. This is not the complete trail; it only extends as far north as the Ortega OHV Trail.Ma
Trail Profile Back to the Top
[3] Ortega OHV Trail (partial)
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I based the trail track from what I can see on Google Earth. I don't expect the following elevation profile to be as accurate as one from a GPS track, but it should give you a good idea of the trail.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description The Tar Creek Trail runs from Dough Flat Rd (6N16) north-west to Tar Creek, which flows year-round. The trail follows an old roadbed and for the first 1.1 miles it is broad, firm and relatively smooth. The next mile down to the stream is much narrower and in some places is very rocky or partially washed out. Nevertheless, it's pretty easy to follow and is well-travelled. The trail that continues on the north side of the creek is quite overgrown, but that is in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary where public access is not permitted (see below).
Once at Tar Creek, you can follow it downsteam, boulder-hopping the whole way, to see several lovely waterfalls. One has a cave behind it that you can access and look out through the falls.
Tar Creek forms part of the southern border of the Sespe Condor Sactuary and Dough Flat Rd forms part of its eastern boundary. North of Tar Creek and west of Dough Flat Rd is in the Condor Sactuary where public entry is not allowed. Therefore, do not follow any trails that lead north of Tar Creek.
Download the GPS track
to help you
find your way.
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Length (miles) |
2.1 |
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Climb (feet) |
230 |
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Descent (feet) |
800 |
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com. This trail starts on Pine Mtn Ridge Road and drops down through the evergreen forests only about 0.6 miles before coming to an end. Over that short distance, it drops about 450 feet.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description This
popular trail is an extension eastward of the Pine Mountain Ridge Road. At 7000
feet, it is some 15-20 degrees cooler than the Ojai Valley. There are lots of
huge coniferous trees on the north face of the ridge so there is plenty of shade
as well. I have only hiked the first three miles, so my description will
be limited to this section.
The trail is in good shape and travels along north side of the ridge, giving great views into the Lockwood Valley and Mt Pinos slightly east of due north. Occasionally the trail climbs to the top of the ridge where you have even better views into Rose Valley to the south and to the Channel Islands if it's clear. The trail tread is quite narrow along a moderately steep cross-slope, mostly dirt (with a couple of rock sections) and with a firm tread. It's easy to follow, but you have to be careful in the rock sections because it's not so difficult to miss a turn or two.
The trail starts to descend to the Gene Marshall - Piedra Blanca Trail about 4 miles east of the trailhead. As you descend, you can expect the temperature to get several degrees warmer. The satellite imagery shows fewer trees, and shorter, so there probably won't be as much shade.
This trail starts at the east end of Pine Mountain Ridge Road, a somewhat deteriorating, mostly paved narrow mountain road. The road can be negotiated by a regular passengar car (as of 2010), but an SUV or other higher clearance vehicle is recommended. There is parking for several cars at the trailhead.
The track I recorded with my GPS over the first three miles is very close to that shown on the map from Redtrails.com, giving me some confidence that the whole track is quite accurate. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Technical Rating T2.5
Trail Profile Back to the Top
[16] Gene Marshall - Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
Description I have not yet been on this trail so I can't provide any description. I downloaded the GPS track from Redtrails.com and derived the elevation profile from that.
Trail Profile Back to the Top
This page last updated on June 7, 2010
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Thanks for looking at Steve's guide to trails in Ventura County, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) and other locations. |
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