Songs of the Wilderness

If you’re looking for a place to camp out amongst the pines, then Pine Mountain and Reyes Peak Campgrounds may be the answer. The camps are located along Pine Mountain Ridge, which is a series of peaks and summits in the backcountry behind Ojai.

The mountain ridge is part of the Transverse Ranges, and, as the name implies, is home to a variety of pines. The two campgrounds along the ridge are situated near several different trails, which provide a variety of hiking opportunities.

To get to the campgrounds from Santa Barbara, make your way to Ojai. From Ojai, take State Route 33 north towards Cuyama. Continue past the turnoff to Rose Valley and follow State Route 33 towards Pine Mountain Summit. Just before reaching the pass or summit, look for the beginning of Reyes Peak Road on your right. You’ll know if you’ve gone too far if State Route 33 begins its descent down into the Cuyama Valley.

A grove of pines near Pine Mountain Campground

Reyes Peak Road was built during the 1950s by Shell Oil company to search for oil on the southeast side of Reyes Peak. And while no oil was found, the road now provides access to the campgrounds and trailheads along the ridge. In 2013, the road was paved, making the drive that much easier. The road, however, is seasonally closed from December to May.

There are two campgrounds to choose from along the ridge. The first is Pine Mountain Campground, which is in a small valley along the road surrounded by pines with six sites to choose from.

Past Pine Mountain Campground, the road continues west along Pine Mountain Ridge. The road passes a seventh campsite, and then arrives at Reyes Peak Campground, which has six more campsites spread out along the road.

Both campgrounds are located near the top of the ridge and depending on the time of the year can be windy. All of the campsites along Pine Mountain Ridge are available on a first come, first served basis. Each campsite has a picnic table, metal fire ring, and pedestal barbecue. There is no water at any of the campgrounds, so plan accordingly. An adventure pass is required to camp at the campgrounds, but not to park at the trailheads.

In addition to just camping out amongst the pines, there are also a number of nearby trails that one can explore.

A view across Pine Mountain Ridge looking east from the top of Chorro Grande Trail

Continuing a short way past Reyes Peak Campground the road arrives at the beginning of Chorro Grande Trail. The trail leads down the front side of Pine Mountain and provides some great views out across the Sespe Valley. From the trailhead, it’s less than a mile to Chorro Camp.

The hike provides a nice contrast to the plants along the top of the ridge, which are dominated by pines. As the trail descends, it transitions into a mix of pines and chaparral. Here, you’ll find plants such as canyon live oak, scrub oak, ceanothus, manzanita, and coffeeberry.

Chorro Camp is named for the spring that issues from underneath a large boulder. The spring is currently dry, but if predictions for a strong El Niño come true, the spring will likely start flowing. The word chorro is Spanish for gushing or flowing water.

Scenery along the trail down to Chorro Grande Camp

The camp has two sites, one just past the spring with a grated stove beneath a large sugar pine, and the other below the spring with an old ice can stove. Past the camp, the trail continues another 4.25 miles down to State Route 33.

Past the Chorro Grande trailhead, Reyes Peak Road continues another mile, unpaved, to the Reyes Peak trailhead. The road is suitable for most vehicles and can also make for easy hiking.

From the trailhead, Reyes Peak Trail continues along the old road cut a short way before arriving at a three-way intersection. To left, Reyes Peak Trail continues across the north side of the ridge, and to the the right, the old road cut dips down across the front of Reyes Peak. In the center is the trail that leads to the top of Reyes Peak.

The hike to Reyes Peak is roughly a mile and offers views to the north out towards Mt. Pinos and, to the south, out across the mountains towards the Channel Islands. The trail, which at times is somewhat steep, leads through predominantly Jeffrey pines.

Named for botanist John Jeffrey, who first identified and described the plant in 1852, Jeffrey pines are similar in appearance to ponderosa pines. One way to tell them apart is by their cones, both of which have barbs on the end of their scales. The barbs on ponderosa pines stick out, making the cones rough to the touch, while those of Jeffrey pines do not. Another differentiator is the bark. While the bark on both trees is reddish-brown, Jeffrey pines have a sweeter aroma. The smell has often been described as being reminiscent of vanilla or pineapple.

Reyes Peak is the tallest summit along Pine Mountain Ridge with an elevation of 7,514 feet. The peak was named after the Reyes Family, which homesteaded along the Cuyama River in the mid-1800s. Near the peak one can find the metal supports left over from the lookout that once stood there. The lookout was built around 1925 and burned down during the 1932 Matilija Fire.

For a longer hike, Reyes Peak Trail continues west towards Haddock Peak and then drops down towards Haddock Camp where it meets Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca Trail.

Another short hike that leads through the pines is the hike down to Raspberry Spring. The trail starts from Reyes Peak Campground. The trailhead is in the pullout for the only camp that is on the north side of the road. The well-established trail leads through a mix of pines, including ponderosa and sugar pines, as well as white fir. Resembling Christmas trees in their appearance, white fir are relatively easy to differentiate from the other trees along the trail.

At about the half-mile mark, the trail arrives at the first camp, which has a stone fire ring and grated stove. Just below that is a second camp. To the west of the first camp, in a small wash, is Raspberry Spring. The spring takes its name from the raspberries growing wild next to the spring. The spring is still flowing, even during this drought, and serves a magnet for local birds. Here, one can find mountain chickadee, white-breasted nut hatch, northern flicker, and Steller’s jay.

The Cuyama Valley frames a view from Boulder Canyon Trail

Another trail that leads down the backside of Pine Mountain is Boulder Canyon Trail. The trail is probably the least used of the trails along the ridge, which is surprising given that the trailhead is directly across from Pine Mountain Campground. From the campground, the trail quickly climbs out of the basin, and then descends roughly five miles down to State Route 33, arriving next to Ozena Fire Station. The trail leads through a mix of pines, before transitioning into chaparral.

A shorter hike along the trail can made down to McGuire Spring. The unsigned turnoff to the spring is about a mile from Pine Mountain Campground. And although the trail is unmaintained, it is it fairly easy to follow. The trail is on the left and leads west from Boulder Canyon Trail roughly a quarter-mile to the spring.

McGuire Spring is the site of an old hunting camp that later became a trail camp. And while the camp no longer appears on forest service maps, one can still find the grated stove where the camp was located. Past the camp is the spring, which is currently flowing and supports an expansive patch of horsetail.

Horsetails add a touch of vibrant green near McGuire Spring

Regardless of how far you hike you’ll get to see some of the diversity of our local mountains.

This article originally appeared in section A the October 26th, 2015 edition of Santa Barbara News-Press.

Zaca Peak is one of a number of summits in the San Rafael Mountains that overlook the Santa Ynez Valley. Zaca Peak has the distinction of being the site of the first lookout tower in what is now the southern Los Padres National Forest. And while reaching the peak can be challenging, the remoteness of the site can make the effort worthwhile.

The hike to the peak is about 7.5 miles round trip and follows the trails on the Midland School Property before entering the national forest. A relatively short extension of the hike can be made to include views of Zaca Lake.

To get the trailhead from Santa Barbara, take State Route 154 to Los Olivos, and turn right onto Figueroa Mountain Road. The road leads through ranch land as it follows the broad valley of Alamo Pintado Creek. Along the way it offers views to the east of Grass Mountain and behind it, Zaca Peak.

Zaca Peak is seen from Grass Mountain Trail

Figueroa Mountain Road crosses Alamo Pintado Creek just before it begins its climb towards Figueroa Mountain. And it’s here, just past the crossing, that one finds the trailhead for the hike to Grass Mountain and Zaca Peak.

The trail is part of the network of trails on the Midland School Property. The trails are open to the public for hiking and horseback riding. Hikers need to fill out a day permit, which can be found in a box at the trailhead. Equestrian users need to contact the school directly in order to make arrangements for access. A sign with a large map of the trails is just past the trailhead along the main trail.

From the trailhead, the main trail continues upstream along Alamo Pintado Creek through Birabent Canyon for the first .75 miles. Some of the trails are signed, but unfortunately Grass Mountain Trail is not. Grass Mountain Trail is first trail on the left, just past Maple Creek, which is a small side creek along the main trail.

The hike from the canyon floor to the summit of Grass Mountain is best done during cooler weather. The trail is mostly exposed and gains roughly 2,250 feet over the next 1.5 miles. There is no water along the trail.

Map courtesy Maps.com

Grass Mountain takes its name from its exposed southern side which is mostly covered in wild grasses.

At about the 2.25-mile mark, the trail reaches the top of Grass Mountain, where one is treated to expansive views out across the Santa Ynez Valley.

From the top of Grass Mountain, the trail enters the chaparral and continues along the ridge line that connects Grass Mountain to Zaca Ridge. The trail climbs to the top of an unnamed summit, where one starts to see coulter pines mixed in with the canyon live oak and chaparral. As the trail continues towards Zaca Ridge it offers some great views of Zaca Peak.

At about the 3-mile mark from the trailhead, Grass Mountain Trail meets Zaca Ridge Trail. There is no longer a sign at the intersection, just the small metal post where the sign once was. From here, continue east a quarter-mile along Zaca Ridge Trail as it makes its way to the top of Zaca Ridge.

To get to Zaca Peak, look for where trail leaves the ridge and continues east across the front of the peak towards Zaca Ridge Road. From here, leave the trail and continue up the ridge. There is no designated route to the top of the peak, but occasionally you’ll find what likes the route others have taken. The hike from the trail to the top is about a quarter-mile.

Grass Mountain frames a view of Birabent Canyon

At the top, one can find several wooden boards that are likely the remains of the lookout tower that was established there in 1914 by John Libeu. The wooden tower had a platform with a seat and was covered with an umbrella. During the summer months, a patrolman would ride up there on horseback and man the lookout.

Libeu homesteaded the area around Zaca Lake in 1898, and served as the first ranger for the Pine Mountain and Zaca Lake Reserve, which later became part of Santa Barbara National Forest, the forerunner to today’s Los Padres National Forest.

The impetus to build the lookout at Zaca Peak was likely inspired by the Great Fire of 1910. Also known as the Big Burn and the Big Blowup, the fire in many ways defined the forest service’s approach to fighting forest fires.

The fire, which is the largest recorded forest fire in US history, burned 3,000,000 acres in northeast Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and western Montana. And while the area in 1910 had an average amount of snowfall, by the time summer arrived it had seen little rain and was entering drought-like conditions.

There was no single cause of the fire. In those dry conditions hundreds of small fires took hold. Some were started by careless farmers, loggers, and prospectors; more were started by the red-hot cinders from coal-powered locomotives that traversed the area. In July, lightning strikes added still more fires to the count, until by August, there were an estimated 1,500-3,000 fires burning across the area.

By mid-August, it started to look like the fires were under control, but on August 20th, the weather shifted. Hurricane-force winds came in from the west. These 70-mile-an-hour winds whipped the hundreds of small fires into a single large firestorm that burned for two straight days, until the weather shifted again, and cooler temperatures and rain helped extinguish the fire. During those two days, 86 people lost their lives, 78 of them fire fighters. Five towns were completely destroyed.

The Forest Service, which had just been created in 1905, did its best to contain the fire with its limited personnel and resources, until the firestorm forced those fighting the fire to retreat in order to save their own lives.

In the aftermath of the fire, the debate between viewing forest fires as part of a natural cycle to be managed versus suppressing forest fires as quickly as possible effectively ended. New policies and practices were put in place that defined fire management for the forest service. Funding was made available for fire prevention and suppression. Roads were built that provided access into remote wilderness areas; lookout towers were constructed; and specialized crews of fire fighters were trained.

During the 1930s, with the resources of Civilian Conservation Corps, even more roads and lookouts were built in the national forests. Over 200 new lookouts were built in California alone.

When Libeu retired, the lookout at Zaca Peak was moved to nearby Figueroa Mountain. In 1965, the wooden lookout tower at Figueroa Mountain was replaced with one made of concrete and metal. The tower is still standing, but closed to the public.

A view looking east from Zaca Peak toward Figueroa Mountain

From the top of Zaca Peak, one can continue a short ways east to where the views open up to include Figueroa Mountain.

Unfortunately, because of the topography, Zaca Lake is not visible from Zaca Peak. However, by returning back down to Zaca Ridge Trail one can extend the hike to include views of the lake.

Continue west along Zaca Ridge Trail, past the turnoff for Grass Mountain. The trail is somewhat overgrown, but is still followable. About a quarter-mile past the turnoff to Grass Mountain, the trail rounds a corner in the landscape and offers views of the lake below.

Zaca Lake is seen from Zaca Ridge

Zaca Lake is the only natural lake in Santa Barbara County, and although it has shrunk some because of the drought, the spring-fed lake still retains some of its blue color.

From the ridge, if you’re lucky, you may even get to see a bald eagle.

This article originally appeared in section A of the October 12th, 2015 edition of Santa Barbara News-Press.

While the trailhead for Thorn Point is some distance from Santa Barbara, roughly 2.5 hours, the hike to the old Forest Service lookout at Thorn Point provides an opportunity to take in some rich scenery and great views that can make the drive worthwhile.

The hike to the lookout is about seven miles round trip.

To get to the trailhead from Santa Barbara, make your way to Ojai and take State Route 33 towards Cuyama. The road crests Pine Mountain summit, before continuing down towards the intersection with Lockwood Valley Road. Turn right onto Lockwood Valley Road and follow it to the turnoff for Grade Valley Road, on the right.

Mt. Pinos and Frazier Mountain are seen in the distance from Thorn Point Trail

Grade Valley Road is paved for the first 1.5 miles, and then continues unpaved the rest of the way. On the drive in, the road passes the turnoff for Pine Springs Campground, as well as the Fishbowls trailhead, before crossing Piru Creek. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended in order to cross Piru Creek.

Past the creek crossing the road branches. The road to the left continues past the Cedar Creek trailhead and ends at Thorn Meadows Campground and the Thorn Point trailhead. The road to the right continues towards Half Moon Campground and the Johnson Ridge trailhead. Grade Valley Road is seasonally closed December through May.

Because of then lengthy drive, one option is to car camp in one of the nearby campgrounds and explore several trails in the area. The extra time in the area can also help one adjust to the altitude; the trailhead for Thorn Point is around 5,000’ and climbs to almost 7,000’. And during the summer, the best time to hit the trail is early in the morning to avoid the heat on the hike to the top.

Map courtesy Maps.com

There are several campgrounds found along the drive, Reyes Creek, Pine Springs, and Thorn Meadows. All of the campsites include a fire ring and picnic table, and are on a first come, first served basis. An adventure pass is required to camp, but not to park at any of the trailheads.

Reyes Creek is perhaps the most popular campground with 30 campsites, roughly half of which are along Reyes Creek. The turnoff for the campground is on Lockwood Valley Road between State Route 33 and the turnoff for Grade Valley Road.

Pine Springs has a dozen campsites and Thorn Meadows has two. Unfortunately, the restrooms and nearby guard station at Thorn Meadows have been needlessly shot up by people with their guns.

Thorn Meadows Campground was originally known as Snedden Campground. The Snedden family homesteaded in Lockwood Valley during the late 1800s and in 1895, purchased the land at Thorn Meadows, which is now part of the National Forest.

The hike to Thorn Point provides an opportunity to get to know some of the plants that can be found in the area. For example, ponderosa pines can be seen growing along much of Grade Valley Road and the trail.

Black oak seen along the trail

Another noticeable plant along the trail is California black oak, also known as Kellogg oak. Nature has made it easy to get a sense of this plant by placing a lone specimen in one of the campsites at Thorn Meadows, this in turns makes it easier to spot the tree along the trail.

Black oak has smooth gray bark when it’s young, which becomes thick and ridged as the tree matures. The leaves are dark green, deeply lobed, and somewhat pointed at the end. Of the oaks in our area, it bears the closest resemblance to valley oak, which also has deeply lobed leaves.

Black oaks are found in California and southern Oregon, typically growing inland in the foothills and lower mountains. The tree can live between 100-200 years of age and is often found growing with ponderosa pines or mixed conifers.

The wood of black oak is used commercially for flooring and pallets, and historically the forks of open-grown trees were used for ship keels and ribs. The tree is also used in landscaping.

From the campground, the trail crosses an unnamed creek and enters Sespe Wilderness. The creek is dry and no water is found along the trail.

The trail then continues upstream along another unnamed creek. Here, the trail passes through some breathtaking scenery of conifers and ferns. Western bracken ferns line the trail and in several sections carpet the forest floor. Mixed in with ferns are some very tall ponderosa pines and almost equally tall incense cedars.

Ferns and ponderosa pines

At about the .75-mile mark, the trail arrives at the beginning of the first series of switchbacks on its climb to the lookout. Here, the plants transition from riparian and chaparral to mostly conifers. As the climb continues, big cone Douglas fir and sugar pines become part of the mix of trees, with sugar and ponderosa pines becoming the codominant plants.

Sugar and ponderosa pines are the two tallest pines found in California, with both growing to over 200 feet. The tallest sugar pine ever recorded was “Yosemite Giant” found in Yosemite National Park. The tree grew to 269 feet before succumbing to bark beetles in 2007.

Both sugar and ponderosa pines have reddish-brown bark; however, one of the main characteristics that distinguishes sugar pine from other pines is its long pine cones. The cones form near the end of the branches and can be 10-20 inches in length, the longest of any conifer.

Sugar pines can be found in Oregon, California and parts of Baja California. The name is said to come from the sweet-smelling resin the tree produces. The wood from sugar pines is used commercially for doors, molding, and window and door frames, as well as for piano keys.

As the trail continues its climb towards Thorn Point, each hard-earned gain in elevation along the trail is rewarded with equally more expansive views of Grade Valley and Mount Pinos to the north.

Eventually the lookout tower can be seen in the distance, and the trail starts to level out for a brief respite, before making the final push to the top.

Thorn Point Lookout

Personnel cabin is seen from Thorn Point Lookout

The trail then arrives at Thorn Point Lookout. The lookout was built in 1933 with material that was hauled up to the site by mules. During World War II, the lookout was manned around the clock and the nearby ground cabin, which is still standing, was added for off-duty personnel. The site was later used a condor monitoring station.

Today, the interior of the lookout, as well as the cabin, could be best described as run down. However, one of the highlights of the lookout tower is the artwork of Lorinda Poole, who manned the lookout during the summer of 1971.

To pass the time she fixed up the cab, including repainting two of the cupboards with a can of red paint, the same red used by the Forest Service to paint trail signs. As the paint dried, using an ice pick, she engraved woodland scenes on the cupboard doors. One cupboard features a picture of a quail on one door and a grey squirrel gathering acorns on the other door. The other cupboard features a scene across both doors of a crouched mountain lion stalking a resting fawn.

The images are well rendered and convey a sense of someone who probably enjoyed her time in nature.

From the lookout site, the panoramic views include the Cuyama Badlands, San Emigdio Mesa, Mount Pinos, Frazier Mountain, Cobblestone Mountain, Sespe Valley, and the Channel Islands.

Regardless of how far you hike you’ll get to see some of the unique scenery found in this remote part of Los Padres National Forest.

This article originally appeared in section A of the September 8th, 2015 edition of Santa Barbara News-Press.

Cobblestone Mountain is seen in the distance from Thorn Point Trail