Hello Friends – Happy New Year!
We hope this email finds you either on your way to your favorite trailhead or packing up and leaving work for the last time this year. Woot woot! We wanted to send out a few quick notes before the start of the New Year holiday that might help with your Los Padres adventure planning. Be safe and thanks again for all your support to the LPFA over the past year…….
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Early Contender for the 2020 LPFA Calendar, photo Nikolay Zapreyev
FIRE RESTRICTION CHANGES
On December 18 the fire restrictions across the Los Padres National Forest were downgraded from ‘extreme’ to ‘high’. What this means for the regular forest-user is that:
- Campfires are allowed within Designated Campfire Use Sites only
- No backcountry campfires
- Portable camping stoves can be used anywhere across the forest, including backcountry
- No recreational target shooting
There is a chance that the restrictions will be further modified in January, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on any changes. Oh, and don’t forget your California Campfire Permit, which is needed for having a campfire or using a portable stove, click here, it’s free and takes just a few minutes…….
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The new Matilija Falls Trail is taking shape and one of the LPFA’s big initiatives for 2019!
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Unless you’ve been living in a cave or been too involved with the Holidays then you’ve no doubt heard about the latest Government Shutdown which started at 9pm on Friday December 21. While you can educate yourself on the intricacies of the Shutdown and budget through mainstream media we’ve been getting a lot of questions about how the Shutdown is impacting the Los Padres Forest. At the moment, other than a large percentage of FS staff not working, there hasn’t been a lot of changes across the Los Padres. All regular campgrounds and Parks Management Campgrounds remain open and we don’t think there have been any additional gate closures or changes that would impact forest-users. Now that being said, things could change starting January 2 when select FS employees return from holidays and we’ll be sure to share that with you if and when changes occur. Until then, lets hope the budget issues are resolved and that access remains open across the Los Padres……
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The LPFA Trail Crew, changing the name “Lost Valley” to “Staying on Trail Valley” one bush and downed tree at a time.
Another LPFA focus for 2019 is continued trail work in the San Rafael Wilderness. Photo Jason Morris
FOREST 411
- Some really exciting news came out of Santa Barbara County earlier this month when the first California condor chick fledged in the SB backcountry in more than 35 years. Awesome stuff! You can read more about this monumental success here, here, here and here.
- We’ve been hearing reports from across the Los Padres from Big Sur to Agua Blanca that ticks are out in full force this season. Yikes! There are quite a few tricks to avoid ticks but here are a few recommendations from the Forest Service you might want to follow.
- Thanks in large part to the Montecito Trails Foundation, the Cold Spring and West Fork Cold Spring Trails have been reopened within the Thomas Fire scar above Montecito. The lower Mountain Drive trailhead remains closed but you can enjoy the trail coming from either Hot Springs Canyon or the Gibraltar trailhead of West Fork Cold Spring. Cold Spring was the final trail to remain closed as a result of the Thomas Fire.
- The May 2019 Amgen Tour of California bike race was announced with two stages crossing through the Los Padres. The exact stage routes have not been announced but it looks like stage 4 will be going through Big Sur along iconic Hwy 1 and stage 5 will be covering some of the Central/Southern Los Padres. We’ll share more when available. The Tour of California is always fun…….
- The road construction along Hwy 33 just above Ojai near the quarry has been completed and the road delays have been removed. Good news for sure……
- Cherry Creek, Pine Mtn and Dough Flat roads have been closed in the Ojai Ranger District as part of the regular winter weather road closures. They should reopen on May 1.
- A young mountain lion was found in Santa Barbara before being relocated into the Los Padres Forest.
- The Franklin Trail above Carpinteria is temporarily closed at mile marker 3 along Phase II due to Southern California Edison road construction.
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Devil’s Canyon, not nearly as nasty as its name indicates, thanks to SYWHG, LPFA and SBMTV volunteers, photo Jim Blakley
