Publisher Description

• Popular, proven format: the previous edition (9780899976358) sold more than 3,000 copies, solid numbers for a state-specific title
• Market: More than 47 million people went hiking/backpacking in the U.S. in 2018, with reasons ranging from enjoyment of the outdoors to health and exercise
• 96 featured hiking and backpacking trails, perfect for day trips, weekend adventures, and beyond
• Several new trips, as well as new maps, photos, and updated hike descriptions
• Carefully selected outings that offer geographical diversity and beautiful landscapes
• Need-to-know details, such as trip highlights, distance, elevation, trail condition, and more
• Expert local author who has been hiking and backpacking in the area since he was six years old

Author Biography

Craig R. Carey has spent the past four decades hiking and backpacking the southern Los Padres. His work has appeared in Wilderness, Islands, Hooked on the Outdoors, Rugby, The Green, and New Zealand Adventure. Craig holds a BA in history from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 Introduction to the Southern Los PadresCHAPTER 2 About This GuidePART I SANTA BARBARA AND WESTERN MT. PINOS RANGER DISTRICTSCHAPTER 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 Oaks
• Arroyo Burro
• Camuesa Connector Trail
• Matias Trail
• Gibraltar Trail
• Mono-Alamar and Alamar Hill Trails
• Agua Caliente Trail to Upper Caliente
• Forbush-Mono
• Forbush and Blue Canyons
• Upper Franklin Trail

CHAPTER 5 Santa Barbara Frontcountry

• Jesusita Trail and Inspiration Point
• La Cumbre Peak
• Cathedral Peak
• Mission Canyon/Tunnel Trail
• Rattlesnake Canyon
• Cold Spring Canyon West
• Tangerine Falls
• East Fork Cold Spring and Montecito Peak
• Saddle Rock Loop
• McMenemy
• Girard Trail
• San Ysidro Canyon
• Buena Vista Loop
• Romero Canyon

CHAPTER 6 Santa Barbara Backcountry and Southern San Rafael Wilderness

• McKinley Spring and McKinley Mountain
• Mission Pine Trail
• Santa Cruz National Recreation Trail
• Grapevine Trail

CHAPTER 7 Sierra Madre Ridge

• McPherson Peak
• Montgomery Potrero and Rocky Ridge Trail
• Salisbury Potrero and Bull Ridge Trail
• Santa Barbara Potrero and Sierra Madre Road

CHAPTER 8 Dick Smith Wilderness

• Alamar Trail
• Indian Creek Trail
• Indian-Poplar Trail
• Madulce and Madulce Peak Trails
• Puerto Suelo
• Santa Barbara Canyon
• Don Victor Valley Fire Road and Don Victor Trail
• Upper Rancho Nuevo Canyon
• Bear, Deal, and Lower Rancho Nuevo Canyons
• Mine Camp via Deal Connector

PART II EASTERN MT. PINOS AND OJAI RANGER DISTRICTSCHAPTER 9 Matilija Creek and Matilija Wilderness

• Murietta Trail
• Divide Peak and the Monte Arido Trail
• Upper North Fork Matilija Creek
• Ortega Trail

CHAPTER 10 Ojai Frontcountry, Nordhoff Ridge, and Rose Valley

• Kennedy Ridge
• Cozy Dell Trail
• Wheeler Gorge Nature Trail
• Stewart Canyon via Pratt Trail
• Gridley Canyon and Nordhoff Peak
• Chief Peak
• Horn Canyon
• Sisar Canyon (Southern Red Reef Trail)
• Hines Peak
• Last Chance Trail, Santa Paula Canyon, and Topatopa Bluff
• East Fork Santa Paula Canyon
• Santa Paula Peak
• Howard Creek Trail
• Rose Valley Falls
• Rose-Lion Connector

CHAPTER 11 Mt. Pinos and Chumash Wilderness

• Toad Springs
• Mt. Pinos to Mt. Abel (Vincent Tumamait Trail)
• Mesa Spring
• North Fork Lockwood Creek
• McGill Trail

CHAPTER 12 Pine Mountain

• Boulder Canyon
• Raspberry Spring
• Chorro Grande
• Reyes Peak Trail
• Gene Marshall–Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail
• Potrero John

CHAPTER 13 Grade Valley, Mutau, and the Upper Piru

• Fishbowls–Cedar Creek Loop
• Thorn Point
• Stonehouse
• Little Mutau

CHAPTER 14 The Sespe

• Tule Creek
• Middle Sespe Trail
• Dry Lakes Ridge
• Sespe River Trail
• Lion Canyon
• Red Reef Trail
• Johnston Ridge and Sespe Hot Springs
• Dough Flat to Shady Camp via Alder Creek
• Bucksnort Trail
• Agua Blanca
• Buck Creek
• Pothole Trail
• Lower Cobblestone Trail
• Slide Mountain

Appendix: Routes by ThemeList of MapsIndexCamp IndexAbout the Author

Review

"...the definitive guide to hiking and backpacking the southern Los Padres National Forest, and the first comprehensive guide released in decades."
--Santa Barbara Independent"All in all, Carey's book is an 'instant classic.' Wilderness Press has been setting the gold standard for hiking guidebooks since 1967, and Hiking & Backpacking Santa Barbara & Ventura continues that tradition with extremely detailed route descriptions and copious supplemental information about the area."
--CaliforniaTrekking Website

Long Description

Find Adventure in California's Los Padres National Forest From Gaviota Pass to Lake Piru, the southern Los Padres National Forest stretches across a wide portion of Southern California. Hiking & Backpacking Santa Barbara & Ventura details nearly 100 of the finest routes through this section of the second-largest national forest in the state. Explore lush trails that lead to waterfalls in the Santa Barbara frontcountry. Experience the sweeping vistas and granite-clad ridges of the Chumash Wilderness. Trek among the gnarled conifers atop Mt. Pinos, and find hot springs deep within the wilderness. Local author Craig R. Carey leads you through this varied terrain, with section maps, GPS coordinates, and information to know where to go and what to expect along the way. Inside You'll Find: Detailed day trips along frontcountry routes above Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Ventura, Ojai, Santa Paula, Fillmore, and Piru Perfect weekend backpacking trips within easy driving distance of the coast communities Deep backcountry routes through seldom-seen stretches of the Chumash, San Rafael, Dick Smith, Sespe, and Matilija wildernesses Recommendations for little hikers, multiday treks, backcountry hot springs, and remote corners of the forest Detailed maps, waypoints, camps, trailhead directions, and permit information

Review Quote

"...the definitive guide to hiking and backpacking the southern Los Padres National Forest, and the first comprehensive guide released in decades." -- Santa Barbara Independent "All in all, Carey's book is an 'instant classic.' Wilderness Press has been setting the gold standard for hiking guidebooks since 1967, and Hiking & Backpacking Santa Barbara & Ventura continues that tradition with extremely detailed route descriptions and copious supplemental information about the area." --CaliforniaTrekking Website

Excerpt from Book

SADDLE ROCK LOOP LENGTH AND TYPE: 2-mile loop utilizing a portion of the Girard Trail; 2.4-mile out-and-back to Edison Catway RATING: Moderate (for a short but steep climb up Saddle Rock) TRAIL CONDITION: Clear MAP(S): USGS Santa Barbara ; Conant''s Matilija & Dick Smith Wilderness (Note: Route only partially shown on USGS map) CAMP(S): -- HIGHLIGHTS: Sandstone formations; excellent views of Montecito and surroundings TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD(S): Use the Saddle Rock Trailhead for this route. TRIP SUMMARY: From East Mountain Drive, this popular day trip ascends the southern flank of Saddle Rock to the Edison service road through riparian and then chaparral-covered sandstone trail, topping out with fantastic views at Saddle Rock. Trip Description From the parking area (600'', 257034E 3815087N), follow the trail northward along an easy and well-worn track shaded by numerous sycamores and live oaks and skirted by poison oak. The trail progresses behind numerous private properties and along a number of fence lines; be sure to stay to the trail and respect private property. Some nonnative plants (fennel, along with some that are landscaped) creep into the mix here, and soon you''ll cross a marginally residential stretch of Hot Springs Road (0.2 mile, 720'', 257132E 3815338N); cross the first street and then stay left as the track parallels the road northward for a short spell before cutting onto the road proper. Follow the road, crossing the creek (0.25 mile, 720'', 257178E 3815420N) and continuing on the narrow road until reaching a large driveway gate (0.3 mile, 750'', 257218E 3815484N). The trail follows this private drive along the right (east) side of the property before passing it and joining a dirt service road. Continue northward here until a Montecito Trails Foundation sign (0.45 mile, 850'', 257415E 3815691N) directs you to the right (east) off the road to follow a small stretch of trail that then curves right to rejoin the road rather quickly and then cross Hot Springs Creek (0.5 mile, 860'', 257448E 3815684N). From the creek, follow the stone steps up and to your left, again following private property fences as you continue up the increasingly rock-strewn service road. Soon you''ll spot a large gate across the road--clearly indicating private property lays beyond--and it''s just before this gate that the trail (0.6 mile, 925'', 257540E 3815685N) forks off to your right (east). Follow the trail up the erosion bars (not the deep-cut drainage on your left, which is an old and now abandoned route to the once-accessible hot springs), and from here you''ll climb somewhat steeply at points alternately beneath the shade of oaks or rocky, exposed trail for a brief stretch until you reach a gap (0.7 mile, 1,090'', 257717E 3815640N) under cover of a mature live oak. Here the McMenemy Trail cuts down to your right (north); follow the left fork to continue up the Saddle Rock route. From the gap, the route becomes steep and very rocky, leveling out at the Saddle Rock formation (0.75 mile, 1,120'', 257760E 3815695N), a series of sandstone outcrops that curve above Oak Creek and provide some fairly mild but worthwhile opportunities for bouldering and scrambling. Bush monkeyflower is often the easiest-identified flower along this stretch of trail, but also common on this route are sage, nonnative fennel, gooseberry, and brodiaea. Continue following the trail up along the exposed rock while you''re hemmed in by high chaparral (heavy on the chamise and laurel sumac) on both sides for another steep 0.25 mile--gaining impressive views rather quickly en route--until you crest the hill (1 mile, 1,400'', 257853E 3815939N). Most hikers turn around here, the bulk of the work done, but consider continuing beyond the north slopes, where the trail continues, dropping into a saddle along which the well-known power lines travel. Follow the trail down into this gap, then climb again, passing beneath the power lines before gaining the service road, known locally as the Edison Catway (1.2 miles, 1,300'', 257988E 257988N). Here you have a few options. You can either return the way you came or follow the service road a very easy 0.3 mile right (eastward) to the junction with the Girard Trail (1.8 miles, 1,450'', 258285E 3816066N), which you can follow for a nice loop to the upper McMenemy and back to the junction with the Saddle Rock Trail (see Map 6 and Routes 26 and 27 ). You may also wish to follow the service road left (west) from the junction, climbing 1.5 miles to the road''s intersection of the East Fork Cold Spring Trail (see Route 24 ).

Description for Sales People

Popular, proven format: the previous edition (9780899976358) sold more than 3,000 copies, solid numbers for a state-specific title Market: More than 47 million people went hiking/backpacking in the U.S. in 2018, with reasons ranging from enjoyment of the outdoors to health and exercise 96 featured hiking and backpacking trails, perfect for day trips, weekend adventures, and beyond Several new trips, as well as new maps, photos, and updated hike descriptions Carefully selected outings that offer geographical diversity and beautiful landscapes Need-to-know details, such as trip highlights, distance, elevation, trail condition, and more Expert local author who has been hiking and backpacking in the area since he was six years old

Details