Salmon Creek Trail

[VWA_Ranger]

Date Hiked: December 24, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***

Forest/Trail Status: CLOSED, Los Padres Monterey Ranger District is closed per Forest Order 05-07-51-20-22
Current Fire Restrictions: No Campfires, No Stoves in backcountry. Cold Camping Only.

Description:

With the Monterey Ranger District Forest still closed, VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers continue to prepare for its reopening. Today volunteer Rangers were rebuilding drains near the lower section of trail. This will help keep the trail drier after winter rains.

Trail conditions are as follows:

Highway 1 to Spruce Creek Jct. - Clear with no obstacles



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DISCLAIMER: This report is for informational purposes only. Trail conditions may change at any time. The Ventana Wilderness Alliance assumes no liability for the use of this information.
The Los Padres National Forest Website can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf/
To learn more about the Volunteer VWA/USFS Ranger and Trail Crew Programs visit https://www.ventanawild.org/stewardship.

[VWA_Ranger]

Date Hiked: December 3, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***

Forest/Trail Status: CLOSED, Los Padres Monterey Ranger District is closed per Forest Order 05-07-51-20-22
Current Fire Restrictions: No Campfires, No Stoves in backcountry. Cold Camping Only.

Description:

With the Monterey Ranger District Forest still closed, VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers continue to prepare for its reopening. Today volunteer Rangers patrolled from Highway 1 to Spruce Camp. They cleaned Spruce Camp and removed a snag just past the top of the switchback entering the canyon. Water is available at Spruce Camp. The Creek is easily crossable at this time.

Trail conditions are as follows:

Highway 1 to Spruce Creek Jct. - Clear with no obstacles

Spruce Creek Jct. to Spruce Camp - Clear with encroaching brush.

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DISCLAIMER: This report is for informational purposes only. Trail conditions may change at any time. The Ventana Wilderness Alliance assumes no liability for the use of this information.
The Los Padres National Forest Website can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf/
To learn more about the Volunteer VWA/USFS Ranger and Trail Crew Programs visit https://www.ventanawild.org/stewardship.

[VWA_Ranger]

Date Hiked: November 12, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***

Forest/Trail Status: CLOSED, Los Padres Monterey Ranger District is closed per Forest Order 05-07-51-20-22
Current Fire Restrictions: No Campfires, No Stoves in backcountry. Cold Camping Only.

Description:

With the Monterey Ranger District Forest still closed, VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers continue to prepare for its reopening. Today volunteer Rangers worked around the Salmon Creek Falls area cleaning up trash, removing graffiti from the trailhead sign and upgrading a sign helping people find the Falls. They talked to many individuals who were glad to see them out on the trail keeping an eye on things.
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DISCLAIMER: This report is for informational purposes only. Trail conditions may change at any time. The Ventana Wilderness Alliance assumes no liability for the use of this information.
The Los Padres National Forest Website can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf/
To learn more about the Volunteer VWA/USFS Ranger and Trail Crew Programs visit https://www.ventanawild.org/stewardship.

[gfelsman]

Date Hiked: October 12, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

With the Monterey District being closed. Volunteer VWA/USFS Rangers spent two days cleaning up around the Falls Area. We took out over 25lbs. of trash that had been needlessly tossed around the falls. Removed lots of graffiti and took out an old water pipe that used to service the Ranger Station.

We talked to several groups about the forest closure. They understood the reason and went on their travels.

On an earlier trip one VWA/USFS Ranger removed a huge bay tree that had fallen across the trail at the very beginning.

As always do your part to help keep things nice. Take out all your belongings and trash. Leave a place nicer than you found it.

Unfortunately, the MRD remains closed for now until the Dolan Fire is declared out. Hope it rains soon.

Have a great day.

[gregwin99]

Date Hiked: June 21, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

Section: Hiked from Salmon Creek Trailhead on Highway 1 to Lion Den Campground

Great trail conditions. Lots of people leaving from camping overnight on Saturday. No one at Lion Den Campground.

Large water source (flowing river) at estrella camp.

Small, but flowing water source at Lion Den Campground. Good for refilling water and water needed for dinner.

[jbl]

Date Hiked: June 21, 2020
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)

Section: Trailhead at Highway 1 to Spruce Creek Camp
The good news: trail is in excellent shape.
The bad news: trail was EXTREMELY CROWDED and Camps (Spruce and Estrella) were CRAZY OVERLOADED.
This was Sunday of Father's Day Weekend and we were doing a day hike to Dutra Flat to, among other things, inspect the Spruce Creek/San Carpoforo Trail regarding the reported damage in the Spruce Creek drainage. We encountered about 60 people who were either backpacking out (and who reported having stayed at Spruce or Estrella Camps) or were still camped at Spruce Creek Camp. Among the 10 or so remaining campers at Spruce Creek Camp when we got there was a group of 4 who gave me a deja vu of Sykes Camp: they had at least one ginormous tent and tons of gear and a very big cooler that they'd obviously hauled up there.

[gfelsman]

Date Hiked: June 18, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

A VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger Patrolled this trail from South Coast Ridge Road to Highway 1. The trail is for the most part clear all the way with encroaching brush. There are a few loose sections above Estrella Camp. The slide above Spruce Camp is still passable as well.

[toejam]

Date Hiked: March 8, 2020
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)

I cleared most of the mess below Estrella Camp. Six trees came down across the trail from a landslide above. I was able to remove all the small stuff and clear the tread so you can walk upright on the trail.

Before:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kD6eeJ49vCrJkRpu8

After:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/f2LhhDU3x9nGr6qA8

Saw some young people interested in volunteer trail work. Check https://www.meetup.com/Ventana-Wilderne ... ce-Meetup/ for opportunities.

[Jim Ringland]

Date Hiked: March 2, 2020
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)

Not much change from the recent reports. The trail is in great shape bottom to top except for the blowdown between Spruce Camp and Estrella Camps. The detour is a straightforward short scramble down to a dry streambed and back, although I can imagine more difficulty if the stream had been running energetically.

The two camps, Spruce Creek and Estrella, are in fine shape.

Spruce Creek has two camp areas, one on each side of the creek. The southern camp is larger, in a big flat under bays and oaks. No table but a large and small fire ring. The north camp is smaller, perhaps a little prettier, has a table, but no fire ring. It’s a little close to Salmon Creek, although there’s really no other option. There’s not much flat ground elsewhere. Easy crossing of Spruce Creek between the two.

Estrella too has camps on both sides of a small creek. The one on the south side is well up the hill. It has a table, fire ring, and a huge oak. There’s a nice overflow site maybe 100 yards farther to the south (farther from the stream). The north camp is a little nearer to the stream. It has a table, fire ring, grill, and even the remains of an old ice-maker stove. Lots of room too. Both Estrella camps have another amenity that I’ve not seen elsewhere in the Santa Lucias but which is common down in the San Rafael Wilderness: a full size shovel. That strikes me as a good addition for fire safety.

Flowers are scattered, mainly lower down, but many types are out: chocolate lilies, padre’s shooting stars (P. clevelandii), blue dicks, woolly paintbrush, milkmaids, western hound’s tongue, poppies (both E. californica and E. caespitosa), and what I have tentatively identified as the canyon sunflower, Venegasia carpesioides. I’m probably forgetting some.

[pantilat]

Date Hiked: January 26, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

The entire length of the trail is "Wilderness Freeway" except for the blowdown noted in the report below at the small creek between Spruce Camp and Estrella Camp which requires cutting across. The highest 1.5 miles of the trail is now a very pleasant and clear path through the chaparral, gray pines and coulter pines with excellent views down Salmon Creek and to Silver Peak (this used to be heavily overgrown).