I drove a low-clearance car to China Camp a few weeks ago. The road was graded smooth and the only problem was dodging the Coulter pine cones.

Date Hiked: May 6, 2023 General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident) I hate to have to rate this only passable, but the opening section, from the Highway to the open fields, is pretty overgrown with genista. Pushing through it will leave you soaked on a damp morning and,...

The entire National Forest is closed, for your safety, due to the fact that it rained last month. You should change your plans to visit public lands that remain open and safe - like, for instance, the High Sierra.

Date Hiked: September 17, 2022 General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident) Mildly encroaching brush in many places, but the trail is always obvious (it's an old road). No deadfalls or obstructions. There is water in the spring on the climb out of Dutra Flats. Only saw o...

A lot of lightning over the Ventana this evening. It started out as dry lightning - quite a few strikes over Hunter Ligget and Arroyo Seco unaccompanied by rain - but, fortunately, heavy rain eventually developed. Let's hope it was enough to put out any starts.

Like Leor says, the fly situation in the Ventana is subject to change without notice. A friend once arrived back from several days in the backcountry and told me the flies were the worst she'd ever seen (which was saying something, since she'd previously spent a summer staffing the Cone Peak Lookout...

A northbound Condor Trail through-hiker is currently posting good videos of his journey along some of the Los Padres National Forest's most infamous trails. Watch him push through a sea of red-ray alpinegold in the burn zone north of Trail Springs, see him give up on Cook Spring and dismiss the idea...

There is plenty of water in Pine Valley.

Date Hiked: December 17, 2021 General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined) This highly scenic trail is getting pretty popular. Even on a weekday, don't expect to have it to yourself. There's too much vegetation brushing against the ankles to call it a Wilderness Freeway, but the p...

Date Hiked: February 21, 2021 General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined) This trail is clear and obvious with very little encroaching vegetation and no deadfalls or washouts. The first couple of miles are clearly getting a lot of use. The final stretch to Post Summit involves pu...