Tag: LPFA Trail Crew

LPFA Hiring & Fall Volunteer Opportunities

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How cool were all those amazing clouds this past week? Photo Ron ‘always in the’ Noe.

Hello Friends, 

It sure has been hot this past week or so. Hopefully, despite the heat, you’ve been able to find some strategic trail time and ideally a visit or two to cool off in your favorite LP creek, river or swimming hole. It’s been a treat having so much plentiful water again after all those scarce drought years. Fortunately, we’ve got much cooler weather on tap in the coming days and beyond that autumn is just a few weeks away. All the ingredients are coming together for an epic fall and winter trail season here in the Los Padres. Now’s the time to start planning your next adventure. As always, HikeLosPadres.comremains an excellent source for forest information or you can always email us as well for any tips, advice or recommendations. They say that planning your adventure is half the fun, might as well get started on that right away!  

Speaking of planning, the end of summer also marks the start of the LPFA busy season. Over the next few months, before it starts to really rain, we generally aren’t living ‘weather forecast to weather forecast’ and have the somewhat rare ability to truly set and schedule trail projects. As we ramp up for a busy fall trail season we are hiring for our Trail Crew and sharing many upcoming volunteer trail projects. Be sure to check out those opportunities below and we hope to see all of you out on the trails with us for what is shaping up to be a great fall season. 

The LPFA is now in our 45th year of helping the Los Padres Forest and helping people enjoy the forest in a responsible and sustainable manner. While we’re mostly known for all the volunteer work we accomplish around the forest, we do also have employees who help grease the machine and make sure all the moving parts move. We are hiring right now for the two positions listed below. Please share with anyone who might be interested or email us with questions.  

LPFA Trail Crew 

For the past 6 years the LPFA has employed a professional Trail Crew who work year round on both trail and forest support projects. The Trail Crew works mostly within Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties and we work a schedule that includes both day projects as well as week-long car-camping and backpacking hitches. It’s very hard physical work but also very rewarding at the same time. Lots of time outdoors. For more information click the link below. 

SBRD Information Specialist 

This is a new position for us that we’re really excited about. This position will be based at the SB Ranger District office and assisting forest visitors who might have questions about the forest. At the same time this position will have flexibility to help with a variety of LPFA projects. Since this is a new role for us, there will be lots of opportunities to help steer the responsibilities and direction of this position. If this sounds like you, click below: 

Trail Crew Heck Yeah!
Totally Want to Learn More!

The LPFA will once again be hosting a Used Camping Gear Sale on Sunday October 13th at Manning Park in Montecito. More details to come. We would be honored to receive any gear donations you might have in the hopes of finding a new owner for your old gear. Let us know. All proceeds go to our Trail Restoration Fund. Thanks…. 

Sunset Valley after a National Trails Day project in June 2022 (left) and the same Sunset Valley after the Lake Fire in September 2024 (right)

So many trails, so little time. As mentioned, the LPFA has a full schedule this fall of day projects, multi-day car-camping projects and our famous 10-day Working Vacations. Feels weird to say this but we get this question surprisingly often: all our trail projects are free, we don’t charge for food or anything else. We love all the volunteers and try our best to make the trail projects fun, rewarding, adventurous and even more fun. We hope you’ll consider joining us and please let us know if you have any questions…… 

NPLD is our favorite nationally recognized volunteer day of service. For us, it marks the start of the fall trail season, which is reason to celebrate for sure. While NPLD is technically September 28th, this year we’ll be stretching NPLD into October by hosting and participating in multiple NPLD projects. Come join the party! 

For a full list of our projects, click here…. 

Want more…? 

In addition to NPLD, here are some other LPFA trail projects in the queue: 

  • While Matilija Canyon remains closed due to storm related road damage, we are working with the FS to maintain the Matilija Trail so that it’ll be ready to hike by the time the road reopens in summer 2025. We lead regular weekly projects along Matilija.
  • We’ll be making a push this season on the Santa Cruz Trail located off Paradise Road. We’re hoping to lead at least one volunteer day per week over the coming months. Our first project will be this Friday 9/13. 

Alder Creek / Cow Spring Working Vacation: Nov 16-24 

Last fall the LPFA maintained approx 5 miles of the Alder Creek Trail out from Dough Flat above Fillmore in the Sespe. This year we’ll be picking up where we left off and trying to punch the trail through down from Cow Spring to Alder Creek Camp. We’ll be out there for 10 days in November just before Thanksgiving and would love some company. As usual, food and supplies will be packed in to camp thanks to mule support and we’ll be spending our days in condor country fixing the trail. Last year we saw condors every day we were out there. So cool.  To learn more or to come along, click here.

In case you missed it, many of the roads and camps impacted by the Lake Fire have been reopened. This includes Davy Brown Campground. Check it out here.

Lake Fire Closure Update

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LAKE FIRE CLOSURE UPDATE

Hello Friends, 

When we last wrote, the Lake Fire was tearing up Figueroa Mountain and seemed destined to burn much of the Santa Barbara Backcountry. Fortunately, thanks to all the great work completed by fire personnel and some favorable weather, the Lake Fire was held at 38,664 acres. You can see more detailed maps here but basically the Lake Fire burned diagonally from Cachuma Saddle in the south, up to the Sisquoc River and between Manzana Creek and the edge of the Santa Ynez Valley. There were some lost structures and approximately 50 miles of trail burned but all things considered, the Lake Fire could have been much worse. Again, HUGE THANKS to everyone involved with the Lake Fire efforts – GREAT JOB! 

The Forest Service just issued a revised closure order for the Lake Fire. Somewhat surprising yet very much appreciated, the FS has reopened a lot of access into and through the fire perimeter. You can see the closure order here and the closure map here.

The LPFA was able to survey a few of the burned trails and the fire severity was extreme in some areas and very light in others. It’s turned out to be one of the splotchier fires we’ve seen, which hopefully means many of the trees are still alive. We shall see ~ keep your fingers crossed. In addition to the closed Forest Service trails, the Midland trails currently remain closed as well. Stay tuned for updates. 

Also note that while the camps along the lower Manzana did not burn, they are closed due to potential dangers associated with upstream burned areas. 

Last but not least, we all should be very happy that the Forest Service has reopened access through the Lake Fire. Please be careful, follow the rules and most importantly don’t be an idiot. We collectively want access to remain open to the campgrounds and trailheads impacted by the Lake Fire and the best way to ruin that is by driving off road or doing stupid things. No stupid things please. 

What Remains Closed

  • Closed Recreation Camps:
    • Ballard, Coldwater, Figueroa, Horseshoe Bend & Potrero Camps. 
  • Closed FS Roads
    • Figueroa Lookout Road 
  • Closed FS Trails
    • Fir Cyn / Davy Brown, Munch, Munch Conn, White Rock, White Rock Conn, Willow Spur, Willow Spring, Sunset Valley, La Jolla & Zaca Peak Trails. 

What is Open

  • Happy Canyon Road 
  • Sunset Valley Road 
  • NIRA Trailheads & Campground 
  • Davy Brown Campground 
  • Manzana Trail 
  • Figueroa Mtn Road 
  • Catway Road  

Fresh Oak Sprouts Encouraged by Zaca Peak – August 8, 2024

  • We are now midway through A-Zone general deer hunting season. A-Zone is the largest hunting season here in the Los Padres and covers all of the forest other than the D13 Zone in portions of the Mt Pinos & Ojai Ranger Districts. A-Zone will last through September 22. Until then, you should expect to see more hunter activity at many of the trailheads and trails across the forest. Good luck and stay safe! 
  • Reminder that campfires are currently only allowed within Designated Campfire Use Sites across the Los Padres Forest.  
  • The Mt Pinos RD has two other active fire closures for the Post and Apache Fires. Read more here. 
  • The Romero-Camuesa Road connecting Romero Saddle with Juncal will be closed for repairs September 16 – October 1. For more information contact the SBRD. 
  • With summer slowly coming to an end that means the beginning of Trail Work Season ~ woot woot! We’re still working on our fall schedule (including NPLD) and hope to release that information within the next week. Teaser, we’ve got projects in the works along Alder Creek, Santa Cruz, Hurricane Deck, Santa Barbara Cyn, Santa Paula Cyn, Potrero John, Matilija, Piru Creek, Rattlesnake and Piedra Blanca amongst others. Keep an eye out for updates or sign up here…. 
  • The LPFA will also be hiring for both our Trail Crew as well as an information position within the Santa Barbara Ranger District. We’ll share more next week as well but if you’d like to get a jump on the competition you can always email us for more information. 

As if the Hurricane Deck isn’t otherworldly enough, lets add a Fig Mtn Moonscape ~ August 8, 2024

LPFA Working Vacations: Hammers, Pulaskis and Friends!

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Manzana Schoolhouse Re-Roofed

The LPFA just wrapped up an incredibly successful 5-day Working Vacation based at the Manzana Schoolhouse. In addition to the usual top-notch trail work, our volunteers also replaced the decrepit roof on the Schoolhouse itself. The previous roof was last replaced in 1990 and was breaking apart and littered with holes. The structure was at risk of falling over and potentially being lost forever. We’ve been working with the Forest Service for most of the past decade trying to get the necessary approvals to replace the roof and at long last it finally all came together. Bravo! and just in time as we have rain coming in just a few days! 

We want to thank everyone who participated but especially Greg J and Mark B who have sat through years of planning meetings and had the patience and expertise to pull this off. We’ll be sharing more about this project and other planned historic structure repairs in the coming weeks as well. Stay tuned…..

As mentioned, there was more accomplished in addition to the awesome work on the Schoolhouse. Our stupendous volunteers were able to repair tables around the campground and restore approximately 1.5 miles of the incredibly overgrown western Hurricane Deck Trail. If you know the Deck, you know how much work was needed to just get it cleared that far. (round of applause please) For those of you who missed out on the fun, don’t worry, we’ll be back soon with plans to finish the Deck up to the Potrero Trail junction. STAY TUNED!

Dough Flat, Alder Creek, Sespe Working Vacation

Tis the season for volunteer Working Vacations and we’ve got another great one planned for December, this time in the Sespe Wilderness! We are planning a Working Vacation based at Dough Flat from December 1-10 working the Alder Creek Trail. The plan as of now is to have both a car-camping option as well as a backpacking option. The car-camping portion of the project would be based at Dough Flat working the first 4 miles of the trail out towards the Bucksnort junction. The backpacking portion would be based at Cow Spring Camp and working down from there. Lots of details need to be worked out ahead of time and we may even have a combo option where half the project is at Dough Flat and half at Cow Spring. TBD. 

If you are interested in learning more or to sign-up, email us at VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org or click the link below. As usual, the LPFA is planning on providing all food and tools. We’ll likely do some cleanup at Dough Flat as well and could use help with painting, cooking, etc… Sign up if interested and we’ll provide details in the coming week or two. THANKS!

Alder Creek – SIGN ME UP!

It’s always great to hear from trail users who use the trails we help maintain. Here is a group of backpackers from Midland School enjoying a section of the Sespe River Trail that the LPFA Trail Crew restored over two hard weeks in May 2022. Many thanks to all of you who donated as part of #GivingTuesday so that we could repair this trail. Looking forward to #GivingTuesday 2023! photo Dan Susman

FOREST 411

The big news across the forest right now is the impending rain stormset to hit the Los Padres next week. Forecasts are showing significant rain that will likely initiate the seasonal gate closures across the forest. Don’t shoot the messenger…..

Thanks to all of you who helped support yet another successful LPFA Used Camping Gear Sale! We were able to set records for both most money raised as well as most happy forest-users leaving with awesome gear. Cheers to Gossamer Gear and Rik’s everlasting spirit.

LPFA 2024 Calendar Update 

Wow, did we get a bunch of great photos for this years 2024 Los Padres wall calendar! We actually have 517 photos submitted ~ it’s going to make selecting the photos really really hard. Good problem to have and the calendar is going to be something special this year. The calendar is currently for sale, if you’d like to reserve your copy and/or copies for all your friends and family, please click here to order. Thanks. this photo Wayne Spada

LPFA Trail Work Updates 

With the temperatures falling and water still flowing, the LPFA Trail Crew and LPFA Volunteers will be busy working trails this fall and winter. We have work scheduled on the following trails: Pothole, Agua Blanca, Alder Creek, Sespe, Matilija, Santa Barbara Cyn, Sisquoc, Sweetwater, Manzana, Hurricane Deck, Santa Cruz, Aliso, Matias, Arroyo Burro, Cold Spring, Blue Cyn, Franklin, Davy Brown, Trout Creek and anywhere else trail work might be needed. Click here if you’re interested in learning more about the Trail Crew.

Volunteer Help Needed 

In addition to the larger scale Working Vacations mentioned above, we have the following volunteer projects scheduled as well: 

  • November 12: Agua Blanca Trail, Sespe – this will be the first of many regularly scheduled and weather dependent trail days along the Agua Blanca Trail. Led by local trail steward Alan Coles, we’ll be driving out beyond locked gates and strategically chipping away at both the Agua Blanca as well as the Pothole Trail. We’ll be out there this Sunday with future dates to come. If interested click here or email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org. 
  • November-December: Matilija Trail – Led by another local legendary trail steward named Peter Wilder, the LPFA has continued to work the Matilija Trail on most Thursdays and Saturdays since August. Our work will continue tomorrow and then we’ll likely change schedule a bit due to Thanksgiving. If interested click here or email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org.
Come Volunteer!
Before, During & After photos showing trail repair work the LPFA Trail Crew completed this summer along the West Fork Cold Spring Trail in support of Montecito Trails Foundation. This section of trail was severely damaged during the January 2023 storms and needed a complete overhaul. Please remember to share any trail damage you might find either with the local Forest Service Ranger Station, on HikeLosPadres or email us directly and we’ll forward to the appropriate persons – thanks!

LPFA Working Vacation Season is Here!

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Still mostly Grass Mountain, March 24, 2023

Hello Friends,

Heading into 2023, the LPFA Program of Work was going to feature large scale trail projects on quite a few of the more remote trails located deep within the Los Padres backcountry. We had Working Vacations scheduled to work on trails including the Puerta Suela (Dick Smith), Sweetwater, Bucksnort, Hurricane Deck and what was sure to be an epic two-week Working Vacation based at South Fork Station restoring the Sisquoc Trail. Alas, the best laid plans often go awry and Mother Nature had other plans. Due to this years substantial storm damage it’s looking very unlikely that we’ll be able to make it out this season to these more remote locations. Bummer… but those trails aren’t going anywhere and we’ll get there eventually….

As a result of the storm damage, we have pivoted our Program of Work to focus on trails a little closer to home. We’re still finalizing dates and details but we’re hoping to host larger scale projects this season on the Manzana, the Sespe, Santa Barbara Canyon, Santa Cruz, Blue Canyon, Alder Creek (Sespe), Tinta and the trails located off the back of Figueroa Mountain. While we certainly love the backpacking style Working Vacations that come with pack support, the fancy gravity water filter and wetting canvas manties to keep the coolers cold; it’s looking that at least through April most of our Working Vacations will be more along the lines of car-camping. Car-camping is great too, don’t get us wrong and it’s much easier driving in coolers of ice as compared to packing them in on mules.

All that being said, our first larger scale trail project of the season is set for April 5-9 at NIRA working up and down the Manzana Trail. We are still finalizing details but we’re hoping to drive in to NIRA on Wednesday April 5, setup camp and work the next 5 days clearing slides, downed trees and brush. While we’d love each of you to come for the entire 5 days, we know that life sometimes gets in the way of trail projects and there will be opportunities for people to come for shorter periods of time as well. If you are interested in signing up or to learn more, click the link below and get on the email list – we’ll provide updates as soon as we can. Hope you can make it!

Exuberant Trail Volunteers  – Indian Creek Working Vacation, Spring 2022
SIGN UP NIRA WORKING VACATION HERE!

Downed Trees Everywhere!!!

So many trees have fallen this month due to a combination of super saturated soil, wind and snow load. if you come across a downed tree or any other obstacle along the trails or roads, PLEASE take a photo of the trail impediment, try to position an object or person in the photo for scale, record the location and share on HikeLosPadres, with the Forest Service or send directly to us: INFO@LPForest.org      Thanks….

Forest Hiring Opportunities

It’s certainly harder to get around the forest at the moment, but that just makes the rewards greater for those who do – photo Wayne Pooper
  • FOREST SERVICE: The LP Forest Service is looking for candidates who have an interest and passion for outdoor recreation and public service! Click Here
  • LPFA TRAIL CREW: The LPFA is currently hiring for our spring-summer Trail Crew. If you like spending time in the forest and working on trails, check it out! Click Here

So nice to see so much water flowing just about everywhere across the forest. It’s going to be a great spring. Photo Tommy

It’s Time to Reopen the Forest

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The Hurricane Deck shed a few layers during the January storms. Remarkable seeing all the recent slides coming off the southern face.

Dear Los Padres National Forest,

It’s time to reopen the forest.

It was the right decision to close the Los Padres Forest on January 13 after the devastating rains earlier that week. There was so much damage across our region, so many closed roads and so many unknowns. Closing the forest at that time in order to focus on making sure people were okay was certainly a wise decision.

Since then, over the past 6 weeks, you have done a great job of clearing roads, repairing infrastructure and leading the forest-wide damage assessment effort. Many of your partners, including the LPFA, have participated in these assessments as well. The LPFA alone has now surveyed over 200 miles of trails across the southern four ranger districts and altogether with other partner groups and Forest Service staff we’ve probably collectively seen most of the forest by now. The damage across the forest is unprecedented and certainly daunting for those of us who work to keep the forest trails open and passable. We’ve documented and shared more photos of trail damaging slides and gullies than we’d ever want to see. There is certainly a lot of work ahead of us in order to bring the trails back to where they were before the storm damage. It’s going to take some time for sure.

The Forest Service has been busy clearing roads, photo Beeman

While the extent of the trail damage is significant, we have not seen the type of showstopper trail damage that would warrant the majority of the forest remaining closed. Most of the trail damage we’ve seen are obstacles that savvy forest-users can easily walk around or bypass. While that’s not ideal, we can’t wait for every trail issue to be repaired, that’s going to take years. We understand that there are going to be some roads and trails which will need to remain closed. Some of these select trail closures may last months and in some cases years. Speaking on behalf of the forest-users, we understand the damage and we’re okay with having some of the trails remain closed.

We also understand that we won’t have the same road and trailhead access this season as we’re used to having in the past. That’s okay, we just want to get back into the forest and go where we can. Please, it’s time to reopen the forest.

We realize there is a laundry list of things to do before a forest closure can be lifted. More signage is likely needed, information shared and of course continuous trail maintenance is always needed; more so now than ever. The trail groups across the forest have been working like crazy these past 6 weeks repairing as many of the bad sections of trail as we can. A lot of progress has been made and many of the most popular trails are currently in fine shape.

Let us know how we, your partners and forest-users, can help move this forward. There are thousands of volunteers across the forest who would love to help however we can in order to get portions of the forest reopened. We’re here to help, please let us know how and what might be needed?

It would be a shame to have another beautiful wintery-spring weekend come and go without people enjoying their Los Padres. It’s time to reopen the forest. Let us know how we can help make that happen.

Thank you for all your work – sincerely,

Your Forest Users

Two movies for the price of one…. a Gandalf at the infamous Cliffs of Insanity…. You Shall Not Pass! The Santa Cruz Trail needs to remain closed.
Oak Flat along the Sespe, how nice are those pools going to be? Most of the Sespe will remain hard to access due to the extended closure of Hwy 33.
The San Rafael Wilderness, prime Los Padres backpacking. The Forest Service has done a great job clearing the road to NIRA.
Where’s the trail? Some of the trails don’t exist anymore, keep your eyes peeled for recently placed cairns and flagging. Photo Beeman
Lots of road damage remains, making for long road hikes or rides just to get to the usual trailhead. That’s okay, right? Hi Mtn, photo Toejam
ll the usual forest-wide trail organizations are working hard to repair the gnarlier sections of trails. Helping to get the forest reopened.
Let’s do this! It’s time to reopen the forest. Photos LPFA & Montecito Trails Foundation.