Sespe River Trail To(wards) Willett Hot Springs
This entire trail is ~20 miles (out and back), however, you do not need to do the entire hike to have an awesome backpacking trip. My recommendation for beginner/intermediate backpackers is to do half of the trail (5 miles in, 5 miles out). For beginners, hiking time will be ~4-5 hours roundtrip. You won't see Willett Hot Springs, but you will get to enjoy the beautiful Sespe River along the hike.
Brief Trail Description
This trail is located north of Ojai in Maricopa, CA. The landscape features chaparral shrubs, oaks trees, and a beautiful river. Scattered groves along the river provide shade for camping and picnicking. This hike is best enjoyed during spring and fall when the weather is not too hot/cold and water levels of the river are not too low.
Trail Difficulty
Navigating the path of the trail is mostly straightforward. A compass is not required. Near the beginning of the trail you will encounter two river crossings. During the spring when water levels are high, you will need to do some rock hopping, that is, using the rocks to get across without dunking your toes in the water. After the river crossing, the hike is straightforward and has a slight incline. A 500 ft elevation gain is considered moderate, so for a conditioned beginner* it will be a doable challenge.
*conditioned beginner in this case means you feel comfortable hiking and enjoy it, but you are new to backpacking. If you are unsure if this is you, you can try a 5 mile day hike at Sespe River Trail or any other hike with similar elevation gain/terrain to get a feel for the hike before you actually go backpacking! Keep in mind, when you backpack, you will have at least an extra 20lbs on you.
Overnight Parking
To park your vehicle in the parking lot overnight, you will need to purchase a National Park Adventure Pass. This is a $5 pink paper that can be found at most sporting good stores such as REI or Big 5.
Camping
Bear Creek Camp is the first camp along the trail is about 5 miles from the trailhead and is where you'll stop stop for the day. The campsite is large enough to fit at least 7 two-person tents, which is plenty of space. However, there are no reservations, so if there are no suitable spots left, hike up a bit further until you find a spot that seems fit for setting up camp.
Length
10 miles
Duration
2 days
Route Type
Out and Back
Elevation Gain
500 ft
How to get there
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The trail starts at Piedra Blanca Trailhead
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From UCSB to Piedra Blanca Trailhead is 60.3 miles
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Without traffic it will take ~1 hour and 30 minutes to get there
Unfortunately, there is no bus route that will get you to the trail. It is only accessible by car.
Source: Google Maps
You Are On Native Land
"The indigenous people living in the area that is now part of the forest [Los Padres National Forest] were from at least three known linguistic groupings. The three groups are the Esselen in the North, the Salinan, including the southern portion of the Monterrey District and the Northern portion of the Santa Lucia Ranger District, and the Chumash and a small area attributed to the Tataviam people in the South" (King 2).
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The Chumash, Salinan, and Esselen are different and unique tribes. "They were owners of their own lands in the year 1769 and became small ethnic groups within a population of over 30 million people in California that we see today" (King 6).
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The Chumash, Salinan, and Esselen tribes have been negatively affected by Spanish colonization, disease, and the rapid growth in the North American populations. Their sovereignty and culture have been taken away, marginalized, and exploited. Although these tribes are the rightful owners of the Los Padres National Forest, they did not have any decision-making power in forest planning until the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act in the 1970s (King 6).
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Always remember that you are recreating on unceded indigenous land. Enjoy the beauty of this land and be an ally to indigenous people.
Source: King, Chester. "Ethnographic Overview of the Los Padres National Forest." 6 Feb. 2004, pp. 2-6.
Source: "Ethnographic Overview of the Los Padres National Forest" by Chester King, pg. 5
Photos from my trip in March 2020
