Tag: Sespe Wilderness

Sespe Working Vacation & Exciting Santa Cruz Trail News!

Posted on by Bryan Conant
Sespe, Red Reef & the Topatopa’s – shining!

Hello Friends – HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

While there is much to be thankful for here in the Los Padres, we are most thankful for the 32 volunteers who helped out last week on our Sespe Working Vacation based at Willett Camp. The LPFA has hosted dozens of Working Vacations over the years but they just keep getting better, more efficient and more fun. We had a great time out there, the Sespe in fall is hard to beat and we watched the colors get better and better with each passing day. We’ll share the whole story later but for now some quick bullet points of what we accomplished:

Otis, Annie, Tommy, Honey, Floyd & Jessabelle – could not have done it without you!
  • Our awesome volunteers cleared and restored 4 miles of the Sespe River Trail, mainly between Willett and Coltrell Camps.
  • We hauled out, thanks to the mules, over a dozen trash bags filled with garbage left along the trail and at Willett Camp. Willett is clean now, please help keep it that way!
  • We repaired 4 disastrous fire rings around Willett while creating defensible space for when the fire ban is lifted.
  • Repaired and cleaned most of the out-buildings at Willett Camp. Much more love is needed!
  • Cut out 13 downed trees which were blocking both the Sespe River and Red Reef Trails.
  • Somehow kept everyone well fed and energized despite the freezing conditions and daily long hikes to the work sites.
  • Engaged with countless dozens of backpackers who were out enjoying the Sespe and its fall colors over the past week!
They don’t call him the Shermanator for nothing…..

We want to also thank Southern California Edison, who provided a grant to complete some of this work and a private anonymous donor (you know who you are THANKS!) who paid for all the food and drinks for our hungry and thirsty volunteers.

We are working on scheduling next years Spring Working Vacations and as of right now will be working on the Alder Creek Trail within the Sespe Wilderness and hosting another Working Vacation at South Fork Station in the San Rafael Wilderness. Stay tuned for updates and we hope you can join us in 2023 and beyond……

You likely know that #GivingTuesday is this coming Tuesday November 29. Last year the LPFA raised funds to fix a sketchy section of the Condor Trail within the Sespe Wilderness called the Alder Creek Slide. This year we will be focusing our #GivingTuesday efforts to continue our trail restoration along the Santa Cruz Trail within Santa Barbara County. Thank you everyone who helped support our efforts this past year and we hope you choose to support this #GivingTuesday as well. 

Check out this video of the Alder Creek Slide repairs!
Support #GivingTuesday 2022 on the Santa Cruz Trail!
Sespe Creek in Full Bloom

Sespe Wilderness Campaign

Posted on by Bryan Conant
Donate Here

The Sespe Wilderness covers over 200,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest within Ventura County and is home to dozens of miles of backcountry trails. One of the most popular trails within the Sespe is the Sespe River Trail, which follows a historic route along Sespe Creek for over 16 miles.  Other popular trails include the Gene Marshall – Piedra Blanca Trail, which is one of only two National Recreation Trails within the Los Padres National Forest.  Some of these trails are also key segments along the 420 mile Condor Trail, which begins in LA County and crosses the length of the Los Padres before ending at Botchers Gap near Big Sur.  The Sespe is also home to the Sespe Condor Sanctuary as well as the only herd of bighorn sheep in the Los Padres.  The Sespe is most popular in spring and early summer when the swimming holes are at their best but remains a popular destination for year-round recreation.

The Los Padres Forest Association is asking for funding to maintain recreational access to the Sespe Wilderness. Trails on the forest do not maintain themselves, and without continued maintenance, our forest will loose these trails to overgrown brush and downed trees. If you’ve ever been on a hike in the Los Padres, you’ve probably had to push your way through thick chaparral on trails that have not been maintained for over 20 years…. 

Maintaining trails involves a massive cooperative effort between the US Forest Service, local outfitters, and volunteers. Funds raised will go directly to the trails by helping to pay for numerous working vacations and volunteer based trips within the Sespe Wilderness. We expect to complete about 10 miles of trail maintenance before the end of 2020. 

Trails needing work:

1. Sespe River Trail

2. Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca

3. Alder Creek

In response to declining federal funding for recreation, LPFA has become a key player in the continued care and maintenance of trails across the Los Padres. We are out working the trails almost every day of the year. Our continued efforts to keep trails open would not be possible without financial support. THANK YOU!