Date Hiked: May 18, 2023
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
From Pine Valley to Round Rock and back: this was my day hike goal. I got about halfway before I decided I really didn't want to go through once now and then again on the way back. Trail is in pretty bad shape. It's possible to follow, but encroaching ceanothus in parts, tunnels of unavoidable poison oak in others, large fallen trees, and midway, a fallen brushy tree that makes the trail impassable unless you feel like crawling through its massive brush (my turnaround), makes this a way that isn't really a way anymore, until some work is done.
I hiked this section in 2020, 3 years ago, and remember the trail being clear and easy until close to Round Rock junction, where there was a slide significant enough to turn me around. A lot happens in 3 years!
I am sad to see so many trails disappearing so close to one of the most beautiful and accessible parts of the Ventana: Pine Valley. I spent most of my time out here wishing there were more people willing to do trail work here, as it is obviously an enormous task to maintain the existing trails from year to year, and I know volunteers are working hard every weekend. We need more hands!
What would it take to restore and maintain ALL the Ventana trails? Even the ones currently long lost?
Carmel River Trail
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Samuel
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: May 16, 2023
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
First off the connector trail - huge thanks to whoever worked on that. May add distance but now the watershed is safely accessible.
Next - as previously noted, trial is in great shape for first couple miles or so. Numerous dead-falls and wash-outs beyond this zone make it slow going compared to last time I was here in 2018 / 2019. Even under normal conditions it's easy to loose the tread, but now it definitely gets lost in several places completely. Save for the flagging, also previously mentioned, it would be difficult to follow. Wanted to get to hiding canyon but due to time constraints only got about 75% of the way there. On the return I opted to wade / swim in the river as opposed to re-experiencing the overgrowth and dead-fall on a length of trail between Buckskin and Sulfur Springs. A couple washouts in this area and beyond look potentially dangerous.
Every camp I saw was in good shape.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
First off the connector trail - huge thanks to whoever worked on that. May add distance but now the watershed is safely accessible.
Next - as previously noted, trial is in great shape for first couple miles or so. Numerous dead-falls and wash-outs beyond this zone make it slow going compared to last time I was here in 2018 / 2019. Even under normal conditions it's easy to loose the tread, but now it definitely gets lost in several places completely. Save for the flagging, also previously mentioned, it would be difficult to follow. Wanted to get to hiding canyon but due to time constraints only got about 75% of the way there. On the return I opted to wade / swim in the river as opposed to re-experiencing the overgrowth and dead-fall on a length of trail between Buckskin and Sulfur Springs. A couple washouts in this area and beyond look potentially dangerous.
Every camp I saw was in good shape.
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Guest
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: April 29, 2023
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Coming from China Camp, went to Pine Valley. From the Church Creek divide to Pine Valley there was some dead fall on the trail and in some parts it was brushy. You could see where the trail is at all times. The trail intersects parts of where the river rose to. On the way out we saw some VWA volunteers clearing the trail. Also saw two people with their two pack horses clearing the trees. Thank you for all the good work! It was hot enough to see a rattlesnake about 2m from the trail. He was hissing and about 1.5-2m long. River had some flow, but nothing exaggerated. Beautiful place!
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Coming from China Camp, went to Pine Valley. From the Church Creek divide to Pine Valley there was some dead fall on the trail and in some parts it was brushy. You could see where the trail is at all times. The trail intersects parts of where the river rose to. On the way out we saw some VWA volunteers clearing the trail. Also saw two people with their two pack horses clearing the trees. Thank you for all the good work! It was hot enough to see a rattlesnake about 2m from the trail. He was hissing and about 1.5-2m long. River had some flow, but nothing exaggerated. Beautiful place!
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Michael H
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: April 10, 2023
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
As part of a loop hike I hiked up the river from Carmel River Camp to Church creek divide. I'll have to reiterate what others have said. From Carmel river camp to Buckskin flat the trail is a bit faint sometimes but is an easy hike. The water was high and fast moving at spots so I'd recommend a few weeks wait for shorter folks to try this. There was much evidence of extreme flooding and logjams along the hike but the trail was mostly intact and the camps mostly unscathed. South of Buckskin the trail is much more faint, though there are generally flags to show the way and all the river crossings are flagged. The trail from Hiding camp to the intersection to the trail to rock creek camp is about the same. A little faint with some encroaching brush but not that bad. South of that the brush gets thicker all the way down to hiding creek, but is still passable. The trail along hiding creek has very evident tread along most of the way but the thick growth is encroaching and the trail meanders back and forth across the creek in this thick growth. There are lots of flags so it's hard to get lost but there are fallen trees everywhere and the undergrowth sometimes makes turns hard to see. I cut alot of fallen trees (birch?) out of the way but there is soooo much more. Two years ago I hiked this trail in the same direction and was relived to find a well maintained trail after climbing most of the way out of hiding creek canyon but this year that section of trail was so overgrown that I had to crawl under chamise for a long time. The most I've ever had to crawl on a hike. It was horrible after the exhausting hike along the creek. I had the most ticks on me that I'd ever seen.
There are a few slides on the trail a bit south of the intersection to Rock creek camp that are very dangerous and steep. Two years ago I tamped a path across with a log but this time I was more in a rush. They're pretty sketchy IMO.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
As part of a loop hike I hiked up the river from Carmel River Camp to Church creek divide. I'll have to reiterate what others have said. From Carmel river camp to Buckskin flat the trail is a bit faint sometimes but is an easy hike. The water was high and fast moving at spots so I'd recommend a few weeks wait for shorter folks to try this. There was much evidence of extreme flooding and logjams along the hike but the trail was mostly intact and the camps mostly unscathed. South of Buckskin the trail is much more faint, though there are generally flags to show the way and all the river crossings are flagged. The trail from Hiding camp to the intersection to the trail to rock creek camp is about the same. A little faint with some encroaching brush but not that bad. South of that the brush gets thicker all the way down to hiding creek, but is still passable. The trail along hiding creek has very evident tread along most of the way but the thick growth is encroaching and the trail meanders back and forth across the creek in this thick growth. There are lots of flags so it's hard to get lost but there are fallen trees everywhere and the undergrowth sometimes makes turns hard to see. I cut alot of fallen trees (birch?) out of the way but there is soooo much more. Two years ago I hiked this trail in the same direction and was relived to find a well maintained trail after climbing most of the way out of hiding creek canyon but this year that section of trail was so overgrown that I had to crawl under chamise for a long time. The most I've ever had to crawl on a hike. It was horrible after the exhausting hike along the creek. I had the most ticks on me that I'd ever seen.
There are a few slides on the trail a bit south of the intersection to Rock creek camp that are very dangerous and steep. Two years ago I tamped a path across with a log but this time I was more in a rush. They're pretty sketchy IMO.
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PaulS
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: November 12, 2022
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Trip overview:
2 night / 3 day loop, starting at Los Padres Dam, following the Carmel River Trail in southern direction until Hiding Camp (1st night), then Puerto Suelo Trail uphill in western direction, then Ventana Double Cone (VDC) Trail in northern direction until Pat Springs Camp (2nd night), then Big Pines Trail in eastern direction until it hits the Carmel River Trail again near the Los Padres Reservoir. Back on the Carmel River Trail to Los Padres Dam. I hiked alone.
Map:
https://caltopo.com/m/VG1HE
Los Padres Dam to Hiding Camp via Carmel River Trail:
Started my hike at 11.30am from the car. The parking is about a mile away from the Los Padres Dam. After bypassing the locked gate at the Northeastern corner of the reservoir (just climb around where the fence meets the rock), the trail leads along the shore of the reservoir but only for a few steps until the land-slide bypass trail begins. It is clearly marked with red flags. Thanks to the people who set up this trail. The bypass trail is steep and eroding in places and good footing required. However, the path is clear and it’s over quickly. Moderate difficulty.
The bypass trail merges with the main trail again to lead further south, passing the intersection with the Big Pines trail. Approximately until Carmel River Camp the trail is easy to follow, even though it’s narrow and overgrown here and there. Fantastic views of the river and the narrowing canyon and the mountains in the background. After Carmel River Camp the trail slowly becomes more difficult but is still very passable. More vegetation is encroaching onto the trail, and because of the many river crossings (more than 25 I believe) it requires to stop, look, and plan the next few steps from time to time. All river crossings were easy, and my boots rarely got wet, I did not have to switch to my water sandals as I thought I would have to (I suppose that’s season dependent though). The trail and especially all crossings are marked with red flags, even though it sometimes takes a few minutes to locate the next one when a crossing is diagonally. The closer towards Hiding Camp the less defined the actual trail is and a few times some bushwhacking is required before the trail is found again. Overall, the trail is passable with some sections maybe a bit more difficult. Hiking along the river is nice and the rock-hopping is fun and adventurous. It’s shady and has a wild feel to it. Hiding Camp had a picnic table, a fire ring plus grill and some nice flat tent sites. Water is available in abundance. All other camps I passed on the way seemed to be in good shape with at least a fire ring, flat, dry camp sites and water access. No problem with poison oak/ivy.
The sign at the parking lot gave the distance with 9 miles, but according to my gpx track I hiked for 12 miles (19.5 km). This entire section took me 5 and a half hours (including one break to fetch water and chat with some other hikers I met halfway to Carmel River Camp).
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Trip overview:
2 night / 3 day loop, starting at Los Padres Dam, following the Carmel River Trail in southern direction until Hiding Camp (1st night), then Puerto Suelo Trail uphill in western direction, then Ventana Double Cone (VDC) Trail in northern direction until Pat Springs Camp (2nd night), then Big Pines Trail in eastern direction until it hits the Carmel River Trail again near the Los Padres Reservoir. Back on the Carmel River Trail to Los Padres Dam. I hiked alone.
Map:
https://caltopo.com/m/VG1HE
Los Padres Dam to Hiding Camp via Carmel River Trail:
Started my hike at 11.30am from the car. The parking is about a mile away from the Los Padres Dam. After bypassing the locked gate at the Northeastern corner of the reservoir (just climb around where the fence meets the rock), the trail leads along the shore of the reservoir but only for a few steps until the land-slide bypass trail begins. It is clearly marked with red flags. Thanks to the people who set up this trail. The bypass trail is steep and eroding in places and good footing required. However, the path is clear and it’s over quickly. Moderate difficulty.
The bypass trail merges with the main trail again to lead further south, passing the intersection with the Big Pines trail. Approximately until Carmel River Camp the trail is easy to follow, even though it’s narrow and overgrown here and there. Fantastic views of the river and the narrowing canyon and the mountains in the background. After Carmel River Camp the trail slowly becomes more difficult but is still very passable. More vegetation is encroaching onto the trail, and because of the many river crossings (more than 25 I believe) it requires to stop, look, and plan the next few steps from time to time. All river crossings were easy, and my boots rarely got wet, I did not have to switch to my water sandals as I thought I would have to (I suppose that’s season dependent though). The trail and especially all crossings are marked with red flags, even though it sometimes takes a few minutes to locate the next one when a crossing is diagonally. The closer towards Hiding Camp the less defined the actual trail is and a few times some bushwhacking is required before the trail is found again. Overall, the trail is passable with some sections maybe a bit more difficult. Hiking along the river is nice and the rock-hopping is fun and adventurous. It’s shady and has a wild feel to it. Hiding Camp had a picnic table, a fire ring plus grill and some nice flat tent sites. Water is available in abundance. All other camps I passed on the way seemed to be in good shape with at least a fire ring, flat, dry camp sites and water access. No problem with poison oak/ivy.
The sign at the parking lot gave the distance with 9 miles, but according to my gpx track I hiked for 12 miles (19.5 km). This entire section took me 5 and a half hours (including one break to fetch water and chat with some other hikers I met halfway to Carmel River Camp).
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: July 17, 2022
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Day hike from Los Padres Dam to Hiding Camp.
Overall, I found this beautiful trail to be passable with sections and aspects that are difficult.
Bypass Trail Passable. I'm sure glad it exists, so we can hike. It's steep, and the tread is sloping in many places, eroding in many others. Very little brush encroachment.
Bypass to Buckskin Flat Camp Passable. There is a lot of poison oak, but the trail is no real problem. Not hard to follow if you pay attention.
Buckskin Flat to Hiding Camp passable/difficult. The poison oak and brush encroachment is much worse here. There is also eroding tread on some high spots, specifically when the trail goes high for a bit as the river curves, there is a washout that could be dangerous, but you can always go back down to the river and follow it up past this. The brush is overgrown right before hiding camp, so pay attention to flagging.
This trail would be a solid "difficult" rating if not for the flagging throughout and especially the many river crossings. the flagging is very well done. Thank you so much to whomever did such a fine job! It is much appreciated!!
All of the camps are in great shape.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Day hike from Los Padres Dam to Hiding Camp.
Overall, I found this beautiful trail to be passable with sections and aspects that are difficult.
Bypass Trail Passable. I'm sure glad it exists, so we can hike. It's steep, and the tread is sloping in many places, eroding in many others. Very little brush encroachment.
Bypass to Buckskin Flat Camp Passable. There is a lot of poison oak, but the trail is no real problem. Not hard to follow if you pay attention.
Buckskin Flat to Hiding Camp passable/difficult. The poison oak and brush encroachment is much worse here. There is also eroding tread on some high spots, specifically when the trail goes high for a bit as the river curves, there is a washout that could be dangerous, but you can always go back down to the river and follow it up past this. The brush is overgrown right before hiding camp, so pay attention to flagging.
This trail would be a solid "difficult" rating if not for the flagging throughout and especially the many river crossings. the flagging is very well done. Thank you so much to whomever did such a fine job! It is much appreciated!!
All of the camps are in great shape.
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kai10
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: June 5, 2022
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
We hiked from Los Padres Dam to Hiding Canyon Camp, camping at Carmel River Camp and then at Hiding Canyon Camp.
Trail conditions:
Bypass: very steep: a good level of fitness and hiking poles are highly recommended. There was a locked gate at the north-western end of the dam that blocks the access to the bypass around the landslide. It's easy to get around the gate.
From Los Padres Dam to Carmel River Camp: Clear (except for the bypass).
From Carmel River Camp to Hiding Canyon Camp: Difficult: Requires 27 river crossings, lots of poison oak. The trail is overgrown in many parts and would be difficult to follow if it weren't for the trail volunteers who have marked the trail and the river crossings with red ribbons (thank you! Shout out to Joe!).
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
We hiked from Los Padres Dam to Hiding Canyon Camp, camping at Carmel River Camp and then at Hiding Canyon Camp.
Trail conditions:
Bypass: very steep: a good level of fitness and hiking poles are highly recommended. There was a locked gate at the north-western end of the dam that blocks the access to the bypass around the landslide. It's easy to get around the gate.
From Los Padres Dam to Carmel River Camp: Clear (except for the bypass).
From Carmel River Camp to Hiding Canyon Camp: Difficult: Requires 27 river crossings, lots of poison oak. The trail is overgrown in many parts and would be difficult to follow if it weren't for the trail volunteers who have marked the trail and the river crossings with red ribbons (thank you! Shout out to Joe!).
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Saratoga123
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: April 8, 2022
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
I hiked from China Camp through to Los Padres Dam.
From Church Creek Divide to Pine Valley: CLEAR
Shortly after the end of Pine Valley the trail gets progressively more overgrown.
From a mile north-west of Pine Valley to Hiding Canyon Camp: IMPASSABLE
The trail is completely overgrown for much of it and about a mile from Hiding Canyon Camp I completely lost track of the trail. Trail refound on the north hill but still wildly overgrown.
From Hiding Canyon Camp to Bluff Camp West: DIFFICULT
Requires constant river crossing by either walking through water or rock hopping, with the latter sometimes hard to find (Season dependent). Faint tread and leaves makes it easy to lose trail after each crossing.
From Bluff Camp West to near Los Padres Dam: PASSABLE
Sometimes overgrown and areas of fallen away trail.
Other trails
China Camp to Church Creek Divide: FREEWAY
Pine Falls Usetrail: DIFFICULT
Los Padres Dam Bypass: PASSABLE
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
I hiked from China Camp through to Los Padres Dam.
From Church Creek Divide to Pine Valley: CLEAR
Shortly after the end of Pine Valley the trail gets progressively more overgrown.
From a mile north-west of Pine Valley to Hiding Canyon Camp: IMPASSABLE
The trail is completely overgrown for much of it and about a mile from Hiding Canyon Camp I completely lost track of the trail. Trail refound on the north hill but still wildly overgrown.
From Hiding Canyon Camp to Bluff Camp West: DIFFICULT
Requires constant river crossing by either walking through water or rock hopping, with the latter sometimes hard to find (Season dependent). Faint tread and leaves makes it easy to lose trail after each crossing.
From Bluff Camp West to near Los Padres Dam: PASSABLE
Sometimes overgrown and areas of fallen away trail.
Other trails
China Camp to Church Creek Divide: FREEWAY
Pine Falls Usetrail: DIFFICULT
Los Padres Dam Bypass: PASSABLE
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Dillinger
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: January 24, 2022
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
I hiked the lower part of the Carmel River trail starting from the Los Padres Reservoir parking lot--to check out the bypass around the landslide. The bypass trail is in good shape--well trampled and clearly marked--even the poison oak has been pruned! There are a couple of steep spots, but nothing requiring hand-holds. There is one ambiguous point: as you start to descend (from the high point of the bypass trail back toward the original trail) the trail seems to divide, with one path heading south (upstream) and the other heading north (toward the dam). Take the one heading north. It quickly turns east and drops you back on the original trail, upstream from the landslide. My thanks to the people who have worked on the trail!
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
I hiked the lower part of the Carmel River trail starting from the Los Padres Reservoir parking lot--to check out the bypass around the landslide. The bypass trail is in good shape--well trampled and clearly marked--even the poison oak has been pruned! There are a couple of steep spots, but nothing requiring hand-holds. There is one ambiguous point: as you start to descend (from the high point of the bypass trail back toward the original trail) the trail seems to divide, with one path heading south (upstream) and the other heading north (toward the dam). Take the one heading north. It quickly turns east and drops you back on the original trail, upstream from the landslide. My thanks to the people who have worked on the trail!
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JeffBobMarin
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:07 pm
Re: Carmel River Trail
Date Hiked: January 11, 2022
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Section Covered: From 2.75 miles west of Pine Valley Camp to Church Creek Divide Junction.
I camped at Pine Valley Camp on the night of 10Jan22. It was cold overnight with heavy frost on my tent in the morning. The camp site is excellent - lots of space and a great water source at the adjacent Carmel River.
The Carmel River Trail from Pine Valley Camp heading toward Hiding Canyon Camp has every trail condition from Wilderness Freeway for the first 1/2 mile through the meadow to Clear for a short distance then Passable to the peak and wooden gate. From there, heading downhill toward the river, the trail conditions are quite difficult - lots of overhanging brush and many dead tree falls. The trail was fairly easy to follow. It also helped that there were a few marking ribbons along the way. I was able to make it approximately 2.75 miles west of Pine Valley Camp where the Carmel River Trail became Impassable at a washout on a steep slope. At that point, I turned around and headed back to Pine Valley Camp.
From Pine Valley Camp to the Church Creek Divide junction, the trail varies between a Wilderness Freeway and Clear.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Section Covered: From 2.75 miles west of Pine Valley Camp to Church Creek Divide Junction.
I camped at Pine Valley Camp on the night of 10Jan22. It was cold overnight with heavy frost on my tent in the morning. The camp site is excellent - lots of space and a great water source at the adjacent Carmel River.
The Carmel River Trail from Pine Valley Camp heading toward Hiding Canyon Camp has every trail condition from Wilderness Freeway for the first 1/2 mile through the meadow to Clear for a short distance then Passable to the peak and wooden gate. From there, heading downhill toward the river, the trail conditions are quite difficult - lots of overhanging brush and many dead tree falls. The trail was fairly easy to follow. It also helped that there were a few marking ribbons along the way. I was able to make it approximately 2.75 miles west of Pine Valley Camp where the Carmel River Trail became Impassable at a washout on a steep slope. At that point, I turned around and headed back to Pine Valley Camp.
From Pine Valley Camp to the Church Creek Divide junction, the trail varies between a Wilderness Freeway and Clear.