Did this over 3 days Friday - Sunday. Its about protecting what sustains us. At about the 4.5-mile mark from the Piedra Blanca Trailhead one arrives at Bear Creek Camp. We picked the hottest day of a heat wave to attempt this hike, and I cant blame Sespe for that. Despite no formal trail tread the trail is easy to follow and navigate. It is brushy on the last drop down to Alder at Shady Camp. Lots of trash and horse poop. -Make sure to have an adventure parking pass (order online or pickup from big5/7-11) A rusted brown, bullet riddled sign offered us two paths continue on to Alder Creek Camp and Dough Flat, or veer south and down the Sespe Creek, 15 miles to the appropriately named Devil's Gate. Road toward the Sespe Oil Fields. follow. we make the short drive from Los Angeles to the Dough Flat trailhead in the Sespe Wilderness. This is a narrow rough The creek remains free from major habitat modifications and is noteworty for its lack of dams, although one was originally proposed for a site named Topa Topa near Sespe Hot Springs in the Sespe Wilderness. This section of trail was worked a few years back but remained narrow and scary. road traveled by large oil trucks so be very cautious as The trail then quickly ends near Alder Creek Camp (2520 feet) and turns into the Alder Creek Trail. Willett Hot Springs can be visited as a long 19-mile day hike, or as a more reasonable overnight backpacking adventure. 378: Route 92 Agua Blanca 19W10. dough flat trailhead to sespe hot springs. Trespass Trail #2 2/22 1157. 2 important notes: The trail is wide open most of the way but starts to get overgrown as you approach Alder Creek at the last crossing of the Sespe. Sespe is the best! Open in Spring, Summer and Fall and is within the Winter Seasonal Closure between approximately December 15th April 30th. pigella miraculous ladybug power. So, for a resplendent escape from the sprawl and bustle of the Los Angeles area, grab your backpack and bathing suit and hit the trail to explore these four incredible hot springs in Southern CaliforniaMother Nature's best day spas. An official website of the
At Willett Hot Spring there's a good repair near the foot of the side trail, but another hairy traverse higher up. Sespe River Trail - Starting from the Piedra Blanca Trailhead, this trail is 16.8 miles one way and is rated as moderate to difficult. 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. I recently hiked from Piru (Pothole Tr) to Piedra Blanca. The hike is absolutely beautiful and so are the hot springs! Numerous trails access the WSR corridor from the north, south, east, and west. At one point the trail was a forest service road that lead to Willets Hot Spring, after the wilderness protection act the road was closed to car traffic and only open for hiking and horseback riding. The elevation gain at certain parts is extremely tiring and some parts of the trail are overgrown. Alder Creek trail to Sespe Hot Springs turn north on A Street/Goodenough Road to Squaw Flat Road toward the Sespe Oil Fields. 1980 Old Mission Drive
He's creepy as hell. Shady camp is in good condition and shows signs of light use. Preview trail curtis wayne wright jr wife. 2.5 miles, roundtrip Elevation Gain 400 feet Highest Point 6800 feet Calculated Difficulty Easy/Moderate View from Sourdough Ridge Trail into Sunrise Valley. The most accessible hike to Willett Hot Springs is the Sespe River Trail, which begins at the Piedra Blanca trailhead. We did in 3 days staying at Sespe on the way there and Cow Springs on the way back. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock
Overall beautiful and the water is clean. All but one creek crossing were completely dry. SESPE SADDLE: The trail heading from Alder Creek to the Sespe, just as you head West and crest at the Saddle the trail wraps around to the north with some pretty dramatic exposure. Washed-out location: 34.579927, -118.964486. you continue to the parking area at Dough Flat. Continue west along the creek .8 miles to reach the junction with Sespe River Trail (20W13). Pinos Ranger District: 1-(661) 245-3731, Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. I walked around the palms to make sure he wasnt being threatening and within 2 mins of being near them, he dropped his purple robe to the ground and was just standing there. a couple sections with serious rain water erosion and some trees blocking the path about a 1/4 past bear creek after you cross the creek. This is a difficult one way trail to Sespe Hot Springs in Sespe Wilderness. hot topic assistant manager job description; Went only from Piedra Blanca Trailhead downstream to Timber Creek (almost to Oak Flat), with camp at Bear Creek and check of Kerr Spring (surveys provided on those pages). Lots of dug out pool choices at Sespe, lower pools are cooler than the upper, naturally. Truly magical & a long haul so be prepared. I think Sespe hot springs is what you're looking for. we make the short drive . Sespe Hot Springs is a remote, backcountry spring that can only be accessed by foot or horseback. This route passes by the disappointing Willet Hot Springa rubber cistern in the ground that's filled with algaeas it follows the Sespe Creek. This article originally appeared section A of the March 29th, 2013 edition of the Santa Barbara News-Press. Summer is brutally hot and dry. SESPE WILDERNESS - More information on the Sespe Wilderness: www.wilderness.net, Maps: Tom Harrison - Sespe Wilderness Map or 7.5 minute USGS topographic maps (Devils Heart Peak), Take Highway 126 to Fillmore. Turn north on A Street/Goodenough Road and drive 14.1 miles to Dough Flat Trailhead. . Follow the road, being careful to stay on the main road, the side roads will take you to oil well pads. PINOS RANGER DISTRICTS CHAPTER 3 Western Santa Ynez Mountains Gaviota Peak via Gaviota Hot Springs Broadcast Peak via Tequepis Trail Lizard''s Mouth The Playground CHAPTER 4 Santa Ynez Recreation Area Snyder Trail and Knapp''s Castle Aliso Nature Trail Upper Oso Canyon to Nineteen . Update from a trip dec 17-18. This trail is great for backpacking, camping, and hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. I would definitely go back. Enjoy Your National Forests Safely Know Before You Go! To access the trail, there are three different starting points. (805) 623-0328, Monterey Ranger District
. In the summer months, water is normally very low Turn right into Squaw Flat Forest Rd/ 6N16 (you can't turn left anyway). Be very cautious en route to trailhead. 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). Below is an example of another slide found along this section of trail: Once along the Sespe river the trail is easy to follow for a while until it crosses to the south side of the river bed. I had read the 2/28 LPFA report of the dangerous section of trail that has slid just west of the saddle between Alder and Sespe. Trail is in good condition besides rock slide after crossing bear creek camp. Follow the road, being careful to stay on the main road, the side roads will take you to oil well pads. The Alder Creek Trail offers Wilderness access along a moderately difficult, nine and a half mile trail from Dough Flat to Sespe River. It was admittedly a long-shot for most of the prospective volunteers a three-day mid-week sojourn via Dough Flat, that trailhead I last visited during last fall . Trail Distance 5.95 Miles Take Highway 126 to Fillmore. Hike 2.5 miles north to the Bucksnort Trail Junction. Plenty of big horn sheep up at the hot springs. GPS is essential out here past Willett. Lots of snakes, bugs and poison oak but the hot springs are worth it! Trail is in typical good shape with a few sections that are being rutted by the rain (I think there are already pictures of those sections here on HLP). Im guessing the parks district heard about all the trash along the trail and did something because it was really clean out there this weekend. Cold water is just down stream a bit for filtering. Went only from Piedra Blanca Trailhead downstream to Oak Flat, with camp at Bear Creek, check of Kerr Spring and other off-trail hikes. Ill be back and will take the other trail in instead. Camping in the Sespe Wilderness is free and doesn't require a backcountry permit unless you plan on making fires, in which case you will need a fire permit. The trail will take about 5-7 hours of hiking round trip, as the elevation gain is moderate. December 15 - April 30. There was stagnant water at Bear Creek, although I recommend pushing on to Kerr Springs for cleaner water (still not moving). All rights reserved. Sespe was flowing well with crossings knee to thigh deep. Anyone ever scout around here? During the 1960s and 1970s the road continued unpaved past the Piedra Blanca trailhead, through what was then Lion Campground, and followed Sespe Creek downstream to just before the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. From the Piedra Blanca trailhead this same intersection is about 13.75 miles, which is why some people will choose Squaw Flat Road and the overgrown trail through Alder Creek drainage in order to save a few miles. There are minor rock falls here and there, and the traverse of a steep loose hillside a mile or so before Sycamore is more exciting than it used to be for a few feet. The general deer hunting season in Zone D13 starts this weekend October 12 and lasts through November 10. Sespe Middle Narrows 2/22 1158. I agree lots of trash out there. We'll update this page if and when it reopens. Routes 26 and 27 Reaching the gate going down the creek meant you had survived the gauntlet. Went as far as Willet. Water everywhere, nice and green. 2. Continue hiking 4.3 miles from the trial head to the first camp along the trail named Bear Creek Camp (2820 feet). We couldn't find the hot spring, but maybe we just needed to look more closely at the map. Drive to Fillmore, that lies at the junction of highway 126 and highway 23. The road provided access to the hot springs as well as supported a number of car camping destinations before it was closed in the late 1970s. The trail is still in good shape but a bit hard to follow in spots but there are some trail markers. There were dozens of mountain goats hanging out in the area for most of our first morning. Trail in good shape and easy to follow. Our group saw 8 snakes over 2 days, 4 of them rattlers. Add 2.5 miles or so to the hike because the access road may be closed getting to the trailhead. A large colony of these can be found near the Gaviota Hot Springs. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Download the GPS track to help you find your way. We saw a number of snakes, they were mellow just walked around them cautiously. But struggle ensued on the last few miles, when we ventured off-trail toward a hidden meadow shaded by black oaks known only to lifelong backcountry wizards like Coyote Dave, who grew up in nearby Fillmore. The downhill side of this climb/rootball is the most dangerous part of the trail. LockA locked padlock
North of Tar Creek and west of Dough Flat Rd is in the Condor Sactuary where public entry is not allowed. Despite the dry river, the terrain was beautiful.