Tag: Volunteering

LPFA Trail Days: Piedra Blanca Trail, Jan 17 – 20

Posted on by Addison Jerlow

Nothing quite like a Los Padres January sunset…. Piedra Blanca TH

Happy New Year Friends, 

For better or worse, the Los Padres has seen a dry, dry start to the winter season. While we’re all hoping for wet weather soon, we can’t just sit around and wait. So, we’re taking advantage of this unseasonably warm January to lead an overnight trail maintenance trip on the Piedra Blanca Trail this MLK Weekend, January 17 – 20. 

Join LPFA at Piedra Blanca Camp as we continue some much-needed maintenance on the Piedra Blanca Trail! We spent 5 days here last May and got a TON of trail worked. We only have 1.2 miles left to reach our goal of Pine Mountain Lodge Camp. Come out and help us brush this trail and enjoy some epic views of the Sespe Wilderness on an iconic National Recreation Trail. Click below for more info and to sign up for this project. And scroll down a little further for more upcoming volunteer opportunities! 

Thanks everyone, hope to see you out there….. 

Piedra Blanca, SIGN ME UP!!!

How it started vs. how it’s going. Don’t you love a wilderness highway? Credits from left: Danny T. & Jeff N. on Piedra Blanca Trail, May 2024

MORE VOLUNTEER OPPORUNITIES

Agua Blanca Trail, Sunday Jan 12

Meet at 8am at the Temescal Fire Station at Lake Piru to join an Alan Coles Agua Blanca Trail Day. The focus on this trip is to repair some rough sections of the trail that were damaged by the flood in 2023. The hike will be 3 miles round-trip with several stream crossings. Email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org to RSVP or get more info! 

Can’t make Sunday but wish you could? These projects are ongoing, so sign up below to stay on the list for future dates…. 

AGUA BLANCA SIGNUP!!!

Matilija Trail, Ongoing

LPFA is continuing work on the North Fork Matilija Trail. The road to this trail has been closed since January 2023 and we’re working the trail in preparation for a Summer 2025 reopening date. Email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org to join us this Saturday, Jan 11 for our next project. 

These days are ongoing, twice a week. Sign up below to stay on the list for future projects!

We sure have a lot to do…. 

SB Frontcountry, Ongoing

LPFA will be out on the Tunnel Connector Trail at 8am TOMORROW, Jan 10 as part of our ongoing Santa Barbara Frontcountry Trail Projects. These have been a blast. Email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org to sign up and get more details for tomorrow, there are still a few spots left! 

We lead weekly projects on a variety of trails in the SB Frontcountry. Sign up below to stay in the loop for trail projects each week! We take requests too…. 

Matilija Signup!
SB Frontcountry Signup!

LPFA: It’s Gotta Be #GivingTuesday Somewhere

Posted on by Bryan Conant

Lake Fire 
Los Padres Trail Restoration

‘It’s gotta be Tuesday somewhere’

Hello Friends,

#GivingTuesday is just about here and we wanted to remind everyone that the LPFA will be focused this year on raising funds to help repair and reopen the fire damaged and currently closed forest trails within the Lake Fire scar. We’ll share more details on Tuesday but the impacted trails include: 

  • Davy Brown Trail (trailhead shown above)
  • Munch Canyon Trail
  • White Rock Trail
  • Willow Spring Trail
  • Sunset Valley Trail
  • La Jolla Trail
  • Sulphur Spring Trail
  • Zaca Peak Trail
  • and a few other trails that include Connector or Spur in their names….

You’re sure to receive dozens of #GivingTuesday emails and we appreciate your support of the LPFA and our continued efforts to keep the trails passable and open. 

Thanks again everyone and sleep well! See you on #GivingTuesday….. 

#GivingTuesday – For Fig Mtn Trails!

  –  UPCOMING VOLUNTEER TRAIL DAYS  –  

December 13: Tunnel Trail, Santa Barbara 

December 5 & 7: Matilija Trail, Ojai 

December 15: Pothole Trail, Lake Piru 

Los Padres LPFA Updates & Lake Fire #GivingTuesday

Posted on by Bryan Conant

Lake Fire Los Padres

Trail Restoration

Hello Friends,

25 miles of Los Padres Forest trails, mainly located within the Figueroa Mountain Recreation Area, were burned this past July during the nearly 40,000 acre Lake Fire. These trails are currently closed. The LPFA has been working with the Forest Service on a plan and schedule to restore and reopen these trails. We got some great news earlier this week that the LPFA won a grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation that will go towards the restoration of the trails burned in the Lake Fire. #AwesomeAmazingThankYou! While the actual trail work can’t begin until the spring, we’ll be busy throughout the winter planning and getting ready to roll. 

The past four years we’ve had very successful #GivingTuesday campaigns. We raised money in 2020 to restore over 10 miles of National Recreation Trails within the Los Padres along the Piedra Blanca Trail and Santa Cruz Trail. 2021 was focused on repairing the scary Alder Creek Slide in the Sespe Wilderness. In 2022, #GivingTuesday supported massive storm repairs along the lower Santa Cruz Trail and last year #GivingTuesday helped reopen sections of the Sespe River Trail as well as the Piedra Blanca Trail.  

This year our #GivingTuesday (technically December 3) campaign will go towards helping out the forest trails within the Lake Fire scar. If you’d like to help the trails, please click the link below. We’ll be organizing plenty of volunteer projects in the spring as well. More to come next week, THANK YOU!

#GivingTuesday – Figueroa Mtn

Before (2023) and After (2024) images of the western side of the Hurricane Deck Trail showing some great trail work accomplished this year by LPFA volunteers and the LPFA Trail Crew. Questions: email INFO@LPForest.org

FOREST 411 & VOLUNTEER DAYS

• Get it on your calendar! Saturday May 3 is our Open House at Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center outside of Ojai. Games, education, forest fun and a whole lot more…. Get ready! 

• After being closed for nearly 5 years due to Dolan Fire damage, the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road has reopened. This is great news as the road provides crucial access across the forest from the Big Sur Coast out to Fort Hunter Liggett. 

• We wanted to congratulate Santa Lucia Ranger District’s Helen Tarbet for being recognized by the Forest Service for her continued educational contributions across the forest. Helen is probably most known for her regular Figueroa Mountain flower reports but more than that, she embodies the stoke of the forest. If you have kids interested in the forest, make sure they find Helen. Good luck Helen, thank you! 

If you are looking for an excuse to work off some of that Thanksgiving turkey or pumpkin pie, we’ve got you!

Sat Nov 30: Pothole Trail

Sun Dec 1: Matilija Trail

Led by legendary LP Super Volunteer Alan Coles, we’ll be continuing work opening up the lower Agua Blanca Trail and Pothole Trail within the Sespe Wilderness. Plan on meeting at Lake Piru on Saturday morning. To sign up or for more information please email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org. 

Rumor has it that Matilija Road may reopen soon and we’re working hard to make sure the trails are ready for when it does. Peter Wilder will once again lead the charge up Matilija this coming Sunday. To sign up or for more information please email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org.

The 2025 calendars are just about ready and should be waiting for you at your local REI as early as next week. Stay tuned for more….

Even More LPFA Fall Events!

Posted on by Addison Jerlow

LPFA has a few more awesome projects this month in need of a few more awesome volunteers. From Manzana Schoolhouse to Santa Barbara Canyon and on to Agua Blanca, we’ve got options quite literally across the Los Padres looking for some volunteer support….COME ON OUT!!!

OCT 10-13: SANTA BARBARA CANYON TRAIL

LPFA, under the leadership of LP Legend Mike Smith, will be constructing a reroute of the “Heartbreak Hill” section of the Santa Barbara Canyon Trail. Cutting new trail in the wilderness DOES NOT HAPPEN OFTEN! DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY! If you can’t make these dates, we’ll have another project Oct 24 – Nov 4. Think about how it’ll feel to say, “Oh yeah, I built that trail”…… 

SB CANYON ALL THE WAY!

OCT 18-21: HURRICANE DECK & MANZANA

Our trip to the Schoolhouse this week was postponed due to the extreme heat affecting most of the county. But that won’t stop us from finishing our work on the Deck! Now we just need some help from awesome volunteers like you. Join us for a car-camping trip based out of Manzana Schoolhouse Camp and help us tackle the last bit of trail work on the Western Deck! 

HURRICANE DECK LET’S GO!

OCT 26th & BEYOND: AGUA BLANCA TRAIL

Join the LPFA and local trail steward Alan Coles as we continue our regular trail maintenance along the beloved Agua Blanca and Pothole Trails within the eastern Sespe Wilderness outside of Lake Piru. The first project of the season is Saturday, October 26th. If you can’t make that one, don’t worry! There will be several projects throughout the season as weather allows. Sign up and stay tuned…. 

AGUA BLANCA PLEASE!

OCT 12: SANTA PAULA CANYON CLEANUP

Join LPFA in Santa Paula Canyon on Saturday, October 12th for graffiti removal, litter cleanup and trail maintenance: the trifecta of LP stewardship. We’ve had our eyes on this project for a while and can’t wait to get out there and Clean It Up! Check out the link below for more details….. 

SPC CLEANUP!

And don’t forget the Used Gear Sale…..

The LPFA Used Gear Sale will be at Manning Park in Montecito on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13th from 11am to 1pm, Area A/2. And we’re still taking donations…. Email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org to learn how to donate your gear! 

LPFA National Public Lands Day(s)!

Posted on by Addison Jerlow

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is Saturday, September 28th this year. To celebrate, LPFA is holding not one, not two, but SIX PROJECTS across the Forest to support our Public Lands here in the Los Padres. Check out these awesome volunteer opportunities and sign up for any and all that peak your interest. If you can’t make one, chances are you can make another one. Hope to see you out there over these coming weeks! And don’t forget, the annual LPFA Used Gear Sale (which supports these trail restoration efforts) is right around the corner too…. 

Team LPFA 

SATURDAY, SEP 28: POTRERO JOHN TRAIL

Join LPFA on Potrero John Trail in the Sespe Wilderness on 9/28! We’ll be brushing the trail up towards Potrero John Camp. If you haven’t been to this part of the forest, this is a great excuse to check it out. And if you have…a great excuse to return! 

SUNDAY, SEP 29: MATILIJA CANYON TRAIL

Busy on Saturday? No problem! Join LPFA on Sunday, 9/29 on the Matilija Canyon Trail! LPFA has been working weekly on this trail to bring it up to standards in time for the road reopening. Come help restore this trail and enjoy some time in the forest this weekend…. 

MORE INFO PLEASE!
TAKE ME TO MATILIJA!

SATURDAY, SEP 28: RATTLESNAKE CANYON TRAIL

If the Santa Barbara Frontcountry is more your speed, then come out to Rattlesnake Canyon Trail! LPFA will be joining the City of Santa Barbara for a day project followed by lunch in Skofield Park. Check out more info below…. 

THURSDAY, SEP 26: SANTA CRUZ TRAIL

Join us for an early NPLD celebration this Thursday, 9/26 on the Santa Cruz Trail! LPFA will be hosting several volunteer days here this fall, so if you can’t make this one, there will be more! Sign up to get on the list for weekly projects….. 

RATTLESNAKE SIGN UP!
SANTA CRUZ FOR ME!

OCT 3-6: MANZANA SCHOOLHOUSE OVERNIGHT

Last time we were at the Schoolhouse, we put on a new roof. This time we’ll be putting in some great trail work on the Hurricane Deck, Sisquoc River and Manzana Trails. And in case you missed it, we will be DRIVING into the Manzana Schoolhouse from NIRA. Does it get much better than that….? 

OCT 12: SANTA PAULA CANYON CLEANUP

LPFA will be leading a day project removing graffiti and performing trail maintenance on the Santa Paula Canyon Trail! If you are familiar with this canyon, you are unfortunately likely also familiar with its ongoing issues with graffiti vandalism. It’s getting bad out there again. Come help us clean it up! 

COUNT ME IN!
CLEAN CREEKS PLEASE!

LPFA USED GEAR SALE: 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13TH

The LPFA Used Gear Sale will be at Manning Park in Montecito on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13th from 11am to 1pm, Area A/2. This annual event features a variety of lightly used outdoor gear that is looking for a new home. We’ll have backpacks from Gossamer Gear, tents, sleeping bags and all the odds and ends to set you up for some great upcoming outdoor adventures! 

As always, if you have any lightly-loved gear that you aren’t using anymore, WE’D BE HAPPY TO TAKE IT OFF YOUR HANDS and see if we can find it a new home on October 13th. Email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org to learn how to donate your gear! 

Lots and lots of happy folks with great gear finds at last year’s sale…..

LPFA Hiring & Fall Volunteer Opportunities

Posted on by Bryan Conant

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.

Summer Trail Update and Volunteering!

Posted on by Addison Jerlow

Grubbing is easy with twenty volunteers. Rancho Nuevo Trail looking epic as always on National Trails Day….

LPFA SUMMER TRAIL WORK UPDATE

LPFA had a successful final push through the end of spring with projects on the Mount Pinos and Ojai Ranger Districts. In May, volunteers braved the heat and rattlesnakes for 5 days to brush 2.3 miles of the Piedra Blanca Trail above Twin Forks Camp. For National Trails Day, LPFA spent 3 days working the Rancho Nuevo Trail and knocked out 1.5 miles of maintenance, including fixing one monster slide (see photo below) and clearing one giant downed oak. We then followed up on the Boulder Canyon Trail the next weekend and spent two days clearing 25 downed trees on the upper 1.5 miles of the trail. With temperatures warming, we’re grateful to be able to spend some time at higher elevations and in shady canyons while we continue working our awesome LP trails! 

We’ll be staying cool this summer by holding volunteer opportunities near some year-round LP watering holes, shady higher elevations, and cool coastal trails. There’s lot’s to do, but also lot’s of fun to be had. Check out these awesome opportunities to spend some time in the forest this season…. 

See you out there! 

Hurricane Hilary approaching last August from the Hurricane Deck Trail….

Hot Schoolhouse Summer

Manzana Schoolhouse Camp ~ July 12 – 15

LPFA made a big push to open up the western side of the Hurricane Deck Trail this past spring and we are SO CLOSE to punching through. Come help us knock out the last quarter mile of the Western Deck! We’ll be driving into Manzana Schoolhouse Camp for an extended weekend to complete work on the Deck and Schoolhouse Camp. We don’t get to do this very often so DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY! And there is still tons of water out there for a Sisquoc Pool Party after each day of great work. 

Last time we drove to the Schoolhouse, we put on a new roof. If you haven’t seen it in person yet, what better way than to join LPFA on this return visit! To get more info or sign up click the link below or email us at VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org. 

Sign Me Up For The Deck!!!

And a few more volunteer events!!!

Matilija Trail: Saturday, July 6th!

After pivoting to Cozy Dell Trail due to access issues this spring, we are happy to announce we’ll be heading BACK TO MATILIJA! Join LPFA on Saturday, July 6th as we kick off our twice weekly events on the Matilija Trail this summer. There is still epic water in this canyon, a place that should always make the top of the “best of summer” spots in the LP. Click here or email us to sign up or get more info! 

Graffiti Removal: SB Frontcountry

It’s been a major bummer to see increasing amounts of graffiti across the Forest in recent years. We’re hoping to remove as much as we can this summer at locations like Lizards Mouth, West and East Camino Cielo and Romero Trail. But, WE COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP! We also LOVE donations to our Graffiti Removal Fund to help purchase materials required for environmentally-friendly graffiti removal… Sign up here or email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org. 

Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center

LPFA manages the Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center up Highway 33 and summer is our busy season! We are looking for volunteers interested in helping with day to day operations at the center, building maintenance, or visitor contacts. We’re open weekends 9am – 3pm, but it would be great to be open more too! Email us at VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org to ask how to get involved with Wheeler… 

SB Frontcountry: Ongoing Trail Maintenance

As the backcountry heat kicks in, LPFA will be leading more and more projects in the Santa Barbara Frontcountry. Come join us for a morning of trail maintenance on trails close to town including Rattlesnake, Cold Spring, and Tunnel. First up is Rattlesnake Trail on JULY 9th! Sign up here or email us to get on the list for updates as we schedule projects throughout the summer. 

We’d love to work as many trails as we can this summer. Donations help us do just that. Consider donating to our Trail Care Fund to keep us working all summer long…..

DONATE TO THE TRAILS!!!

Ocean? Fog? Both? Does it matter? Coastal views from high up in the Ventana

Forest 411

  • While summertime in the Los Padres can be a challenge, there’s plenty of great water across the forest this year and no shortage of trails and off-trails to explore even when the temperatures get into the red. That being said, remember that heat related illnesses are a major concern this time of year. Be prepared, know the signs and act quickly.
  • Speaking of heat, there have been a few wildfires bookending the Los Padres over the past few weeks. The Coast Fire up in Big Sur and the Post Fire down in Hungry Valley. The Post Fire (90% contained) is the bigger of the two and burned nearly 16,000 acres. Stay fire safe everyone.
  • Summertime is also deer hunting season here in the Los Padres. A-Zone South archery kicks off July 13 and general on August 10. We’ll share this information again in the coming weeks but as usual expect the forest to get very busy during the opening weekends of A-Zone.
  • “Poaching is a serious crime”. The Los Padres poachers who illegally obtained over 85 big game licenses and tags were found guilty and sentenced. More information is available here and here.
  • Patrick Lieske, who was one of our buddies with the Forest Service, tragically passed away in April due to an accidental drowning while crossing a fast flowing Santa Ynez River. Patrick was a biologist working on the Los Padres and helped us with quite a few projects over the years. Patrick had a tangible passion for the outdoors and for all the local critters who call the outdoors home. We’re going to miss Patrick, he was good for the forest and we truly appreciated all his help and shared wisdom over the years.

From left: Sawyers tackle one of many downed trees on Boulder Canyon; nothing like the walk back to camp on your freshly-brushed trail (Piedra Blanca, J. Nelson); brusher/swamper teams made quick work on Rancho Nuevo Trail

Forest Gates Opening & Volunteer Trail Work Updates

Posted on by Bryan Conant

When Los Padres eyes are smiling….. photo A. Jerlow

Hello Friends, 

It’s mid-May and we hope this email finds you well and busy planning your next forest adventure. The big news across the Los Padres at the moment is the opening of most of the seasonal gate closures. Many of the Forest Service dirt roads across the LP are closed during the winter in order to protect those roads and/or prevent vehicles from getting stuck. The gates usually close sometime in December and depending on the extent of needed repairs and when the snow melts, those gates swing open sometime in late-April to mid-May. That’s right now….. 

GOOD NEWS, the Forest Service has been busy working on road repairs over the past month and have reopened most of the seasonal gate closures across the forest ~ yay! Some of the fan favorites that have reopened include Pine Mtn, Grade Valley, Bates and all the usual OHV gates in the Pinos District. Unfortunately, not all the gates have reopened and we’ve listed some of the gates that remain closed within this email. Sometimes information spreads slowly across the forest and we always encourage folks to contact your local District Office or check in with us to confirm if the gates are open or if you have any questions.

It’s starting to warm up but there’s still tons of water and it’s about as good as it gets in the forest right now! As always, if you are looking for trail conditions or more information from the forest, check out HikeLosPadres.com or the LPFA social media feeds. Hope to see you out there!  

Fresh off two Working Vacations in the San Rafael and Sespe Wildernesses, up next is a three-day trail project in the Dick Smith as part of National Trails Day. We’ll be car-camping at Rancho Nuevo Campground and working up-canyon from there restoring the trail as we go. If you’ve not been to this corner of the forest, it’s spectacular and should be epic this time of year after all the rains. Come one, come all, camp both nights or come for the day! We’d love the help if you feel like giving back to the trails – #NationalTrailsDay. To sign up click the link below….. 

Rancho Nuevo Volunteer – YES!

Did you know that the Gene Marshall – Piedra Blanca Trail is one of only two federally desigated National Recreation Trails within the Los Padres NF? We’re doing our best to keep it open for people to enjoy. photo J. Nelson.

• As mentioned above, the LPFA just wrapped up a two-week Working Vacation in the San Rafael Wilderness along the Manzana Trail. We were able to complete 4 miles of trail restoration over that time thanks to a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the HUGE efforts of the 31 volunteers who helped along the way. We made a short IG reel showing some of the work and vacation from our time in the SB Backcountry. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which is more fun! Thanks everyone….. 

• Meanwhile, the LPFA Trail Crew has continued our work on the nearby Sweetwater Trail, which is also in the San Rafael. We were able to knock out another 1.25 miles of trail over the past 10 days and will hopefully connect the dots with previous work later this season. Thanks again to NFWF for the funding support and RPL for the water huffing. 

• We also just completed a 5-day volunteer project on the Gene Marshall – Piedra Blanca Trail in the Sespe Wilderness. While it was hot, we were able to do 2.5 miles of trail restoration up towards Pine Mtn Lodge. This was 100% funded by private donations from forest users like yourself and we’re hoping to push on up to PML on an upcoming cooler weekend. Stay tuned! Thanks to the 25 volunteers who helped in the Sespe including T111, you are all welcome back anytime! 

• We also continue with our regular frontcountry volunteer trail projects in both Ojai as well as Santa Barbara, keep an eye out for those. As always, we take requests too. If there is a trail you love and would like to see given some TLC, let us know and we’ll get the ball rolling and hopefully some boots on the ground to help. Thanks everyone…. 

Donate to the Trails

TRAIL VOLUNTEERS: Piedra Blanca Trail

Posted on by Addison Jerlow

Piedra Blanca Trail Project

May 8 – 12, 2024

Sunset on Piedra Blanca, Nick D.

Hello Friends, 

LPFA and our wonderful volunteers have spent A LOT of time in the San Rafael Wilderness this season. No complaints here, it’s been incredible out there. But for our next project, we’re mixing it up and heading to the Sespe…. 

Join us at Piedra Blanca Camp ~ May 8 – 12 as we head back to the Sespe Wilderness for the second time this season! LPFA spent 5 days on the Piedra Blanca Trail in May 2023, knocking out 3.2 miles of maintenance from the trailhead to Twin Forks Camp. We’re excited to get back out there and keep working up toward Pine Mountain Lodge! Here’s what you need to know: 

  • LPFA will provide tools and some cold beverages for the trip. 
  • You’ll need to backpack in your own personal gear and food the 3.9 miles from the Piedra Blanca Trailhead to Piedra Blanca Camp. It’s a short and awesome hike across Sespe Creek and over the Piedra Blanca Formation. 
  • While we’d love people to come out for all 5 days, you are more than welcome to come for shorter stints too. Sign up and we’ll work out the details from there. 
  • Be sure to bring a bathing suit! There are awesome swimming holes near camp to cool off in at the end of the day. 
  • To sign up, please click the link below or email us at VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org with any questions. 

Thanks everyone, hope to see you out there…..

Piedra Blanca!? SIGN ME UP!!!

From top left: Area Map, Piedra Blanca Return, Dorsey C., Piedra Blanca Creek, Clancy T.

Backcountry Season is NOW! – Los Padres Forest

Posted on by Bryan Conant

Spring has sprung or is springing across the Los Padres…

The grass is green, the big mountains are covered in snow, the creeks and rivers are flowing strong and the mountains should be calling ~ we hope you are answering….

Prime backcountry season is now! 

LPFA SPRING TRAIL WORK UPDATE

A big focus of the LPFA these past couple months has been working to clear and maintain trail access within the San Rafael Wilderness, specifically out of NIRA. The LPFA Trail Crew has been hammering on the upper reaches of the Manzana Trail while we’ve simultaneously led multiple volunteer projects on sections closer to the trailhead. While most of our work has been along the Manzana Trail, we’ve also been working the Potrero Trail and along the Hurricane Deck Trail between Potrero and the Schoolhouse.

Our goals in the San Rafael for this season are to finish restoring the Sweetwater Trail, open up the Potrero – Western Hurricane Deck – Lower Manzana lollipop and maintain the Manzana Trail from NIRA to as close to South Fork as we can. 

Lots to do, lots of fun to be had, lots of opportunities for you to answer the call and help on an upcoming volunteer project…. 

We hope to see you out there!

Manzana Trail Working Vacation

Happy Hunting Ground Camp ~ April 6-14

Join us at Happy Hunting Ground Camp within the San Rafael Wilderness as we restore the Manzana Trail. Happy Hunting Ground is a backcountry camp nestled between pines, oaks and rock outcrops along the eastern edge of the Hurricane Deck formation. This will be a typical LPFA Working Vacation complete with pack support and all food and tools will be provided. Happy Hunting Ground is located 10.7 miles upstream from the NIRA Trailhead along the Manzana Trail. Each volunteer will have to backpack in all their own personal gear while the mules will bring in the kitchen setup, food and tools for the week. We’ll be focused on restoring the Manzana Trail from Happy Hunting Ground down towards South Fork Station. The trail work will include crosscutting downed trees, tread repair, some rockwork and brushing. We could also use help with cooking and campground maintenance too, if that’s more to your liking. While we’d love to have you for all 10 days, there are absolutely options for shorter stays. If you’d like to join, please email VOLUNTEER@LPForest.org or click the link below. We’ll be sharing details over the coming weeks. Happy Hunting Ground is an amazing place! It will be fantastic spending time at camp, helping the forest and hanging out with friends. Hope to see you there….

Sign Me Up – Trail Volunteer!!!

Potrero Trail: March 22-24

Join us as we continue work along the spectacular Potrero Trail within the San Rafael Wilderness. We’ll be camping three days at Potrero Camp and working up from there. Feel free to help all three days or come for a day! It’s all good. To sign up or with questions please email or click here.

St. Patty’s on the Manzana: SUNDAY

We’ll be out on the Manzana this Sunday on St. Patricks Day working to make the first mile of the trail stock passable. Should be a fantastic day! We’ll be meeting at NIRA at 0900 and should be off the trail by mid-afternoon. Please RSVP via email. Oh, and don’t forget to wear green! 

And while we have you… a few more volunteer events!

Frontcountry Volunteer Days

We have regular volunteer days scheduled across both the SB and Ojai frontcountry trails. We’ve been working every Thursday and Saturday in Ojai and have a Trailwork Tuesday project on Rattlesnake Canyon in SB scheduled for Tuesday March 19. To signup or learn more please email or click here.

Forest 411

• Highway 33 has reopened providing access into the heart of the Ventura Backcountry, the Sespe Wilderness and most importantly the Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center. Quick heads up that we’ll be hosting our annual Wheeler Gorge Open House on Saturday May 11. Get it on your calendar! 

• Due to a significant landslide near Barlow Camp, the Pine Ridge Trail may be impassable to Sykes dependent on water levels. Please contact the Monterey Ranger District or the Big Sur Station with questions. 

• The Forest Service is accepting public comments through March 31 on the Piru Creek Wild & Scenic River Comprehensive River Management Plan. Check it out here. 

• The Santa Barbara Ranger District has extended the campfire ban across the Santa Barbara Frontcountry. To learn more click here. 

• The Forest Service has revised the 2023 Storm Damage Recovery closures. Some trails have reopened, some remain closed. Click here to see the order and full list of closures. 

• Earlier this month the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Forest Service’s planned Tecuya Ridge Shaded Fuelbreak Project. You can read information about the project here and about the recent ruling here. 

• The Forest Service is set to receive nearly $38,000,000 as part of the Thomas Fire recovery settlement. The funds should be used to “repair roads, trails, bridges and recreation sites damaged by the fire, as well as ecological recovery activities such as native plant restoration and invasive plant treatments.” For more information click here. 

• The Forest Service is planning a series of prescribed burns along Camino Cielo above Santa Barbara starting in March. Information can be found here and here. 

• Camping will be temporarily banned at San Carpoforo Beach along northern SLO County. More information – click here. 

• What a wonderful winter of rain we’ve had this year and two years in a row! Most of the forest has received well over normal rainfall totals and we should be looking at a nice summer with plenty of pools for cooling off. Great news! Enjoy the spring everyone and don’t forget to sign up to volunteer on some of the upcoming trail projects.