Date Hiked: February 4, 2022
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Trail was in very good shape to Espinosa Camp. From Espinosa Camp to Vicente Flat there were half a dozen spots badly in need of repair. Several large fallen trees were a challenge to negotiate, a few places where the tread was all but washed out. The trail is passable but you really need to keep your eyes on the trail from Espinosa on. Other than that, it's a spectacular hike.
Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
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darren
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: December 10, 2021
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
Hiked in and out on Kirk Creek Trail from Highway 1 to Vicente Flat Camp. Absolutely spectacular ocean and canyon views. I found the tread very well defined. A slight bit of encroaching brush/ poison oak but not a major hindrance (Hiking poles helped keep the brush away from me). Water is flowing well part way in as previously noted. Not sure on current trail conditions after heavy rains on December 13.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
Hiked in and out on Kirk Creek Trail from Highway 1 to Vicente Flat Camp. Absolutely spectacular ocean and canyon views. I found the tread very well defined. A slight bit of encroaching brush/ poison oak but not a major hindrance (Hiking poles helped keep the brush away from me). Water is flowing well part way in as previously noted. Not sure on current trail conditions after heavy rains on December 13.
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crockettonearth
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 10:24 am
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: November 11, 2021
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
11/11/2021 Trail Conditions - trip report
We started at 6:30 AM right at the ocean at where Kirk Creek enters the sea. Accessed by Kirk Creek Campground. This gave us a true sea to sky route.
Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp) - Vicente Flat Camp 5 miles. Overall this trail is in great condition. The first water is at mile 4. Where a small stream crosses the trail. I was surprised by the lack of surface water in all the other creeks in the first four miles as this area has received ~5 in of rain in the last 30 days. The soil must be very dry and is soaking this water up.
There is a bit of deadfall that needs to be cut out of the trail. Maybe three trees or so.
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Link to the film of my talk through of the route: https://youtu.be/rZGdPfKtZhw
Link to photos of the trail from the trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xRJ9bpGmFdaZwZmd8
Link to map from GPS tracking of hike: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=15.3/- ... opo,natgeo
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
11/11/2021 Trail Conditions - trip report
We started at 6:30 AM right at the ocean at where Kirk Creek enters the sea. Accessed by Kirk Creek Campground. This gave us a true sea to sky route.
Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp) - Vicente Flat Camp 5 miles. Overall this trail is in great condition. The first water is at mile 4. Where a small stream crosses the trail. I was surprised by the lack of surface water in all the other creeks in the first four miles as this area has received ~5 in of rain in the last 30 days. The soil must be very dry and is soaking this water up.
There is a bit of deadfall that needs to be cut out of the trail. Maybe three trees or so.
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Link to the film of my talk through of the route: https://youtu.be/rZGdPfKtZhw
Link to photos of the trail from the trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xRJ9bpGmFdaZwZmd8
Link to map from GPS tracking of hike: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=15.3/- ... opo,natgeo
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: October 17, 2021
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Trail looking pretty good post Dolan Fire. Smooth and easy to pass all the way through Espinosa (some brushy grass but not bad at all). From Espinosa to Vicente Flat there is some eroded tread in the gullies and a couple of small blowdowns and some slightly brushy sections, but again all very manageable. No big deals here thanks to some amazing trail work by the trail crews!
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Trail looking pretty good post Dolan Fire. Smooth and easy to pass all the way through Espinosa (some brushy grass but not bad at all). From Espinosa to Vicente Flat there is some eroded tread in the gullies and a couple of small blowdowns and some slightly brushy sections, but again all very manageable. No big deals here thanks to some amazing trail work by the trail crews!
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geoffvirtue
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:10 pm
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: September 25, 2021
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Kirk Creek to Espinosa is wilderness freeway and clear.
Espinosa to Vicente Flat is passable with 2 or 3 washouts inside of drainages/gullies. Tread needs to be reinforced here.
Most of the deadfall is cleared on the way.
Water is flowing 1/2 mile down stream and 1/4 mile upstream. If going upstream hug the left fork.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Kirk Creek to Espinosa is wilderness freeway and clear.
Espinosa to Vicente Flat is passable with 2 or 3 washouts inside of drainages/gullies. Tread needs to be reinforced here.
Most of the deadfall is cleared on the way.
Water is flowing 1/2 mile down stream and 1/4 mile upstream. If going upstream hug the left fork.
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jack_glendening
- Posts: 734
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:03 am
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: August 10, 2021
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Kirk Creek Trail is good for first 4 miles that has been recently worked on by trail crews. Then much rougher, navigating washed-out gullies and downed trees. Someone has kindly cut off limbs ("swamped") so downed trees are very navigable, but gully up+down is wearisome. There is one especially deep gully I would call "difficult" - took a few minutes to figure out how to traverse safely and without kicking up too much dust. Hopefully will become easier as more use the trail. I met several people coming out - none expressed major problems with trail, just a lot of up+down.
Note that burnt soil is very powdery, rising up when disturbed - breathing it can include unhealthy post-burn compounds so should be avoided.
BTW many I met said camp was "dry" - but water is available (as always, so far) at upper end, where a stream joins the creekbed - but is 0.3 mile from lower end and a bit difficult to get to since downed redwoods have covered upper end of trail (I returned via dry creekbed for easier travel). Water was also abundant at the usual place 0.2 mile past Espinosa Camp (not the gully just after, where an old twisted pipe can be misleading).
Jack
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Kirk Creek Trail is good for first 4 miles that has been recently worked on by trail crews. Then much rougher, navigating washed-out gullies and downed trees. Someone has kindly cut off limbs ("swamped") so downed trees are very navigable, but gully up+down is wearisome. There is one especially deep gully I would call "difficult" - took a few minutes to figure out how to traverse safely and without kicking up too much dust. Hopefully will become easier as more use the trail. I met several people coming out - none expressed major problems with trail, just a lot of up+down.
Note that burnt soil is very powdery, rising up when disturbed - breathing it can include unhealthy post-burn compounds so should be avoided.
BTW many I met said camp was "dry" - but water is available (as always, so far) at upper end, where a stream joins the creekbed - but is 0.3 mile from lower end and a bit difficult to get to since downed redwoods have covered upper end of trail (I returned via dry creekbed for easier travel). Water was also abundant at the usual place 0.2 mile past Espinosa Camp (not the gully just after, where an old twisted pipe can be misleading).
Jack
Big Sur Trailmap: https://bigsurtrailmap.net
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VWA_Ranger
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 4:41 pm
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: July 30, 2021
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***
Description:
For two weeks in July VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers, Trail Crews and the California Conservation Corps (CCC) worked on the Kirk Creek Trail brushing many sections of trail, repairing the main washouts and cleared trees along the Kirk Creek Trail. They did not make it all the way to Vicente Flat Camp, but put a good dent in the problems caused by the Dolan Fire and heavy winter rains. The trail was reopened to the public on July 30th, 2021.
Trail conditions are as follows:
Highway 1 to Redwood/Trouble Gulch - Passable - The first 0.8 miles of trail are a wilderness freeway reaching the Wilderness Boundary Sign and a bit beyond. The trail past this point has been cleared of major obstacles, heavy brush, small rocks. The deerweed and grasses are still present giving the rating of passable to this section of trail. The 4 foot diameter tree has been removed and the washout at Redwood Gulch has been repaired. There may still be a couple of overhanging trees that have not been removed at Redwood/Trouble Gulch.
Redwood/Trouble Gulch to the turn into Hare Canyon - Passable - The three washouts reaching Hare Canyon have been repaired. There is lots of encroaching brush, small rocks and other debris lining this section of trail.
Turn into Hare Canyon to Espinosa Camp - Passable - Just after you turn into the canyon, the trees reaching Espinosa Camp have been removed. There is still encroaching brush and off camber tread to reach the camp.
Espinosa Camp to Vicente Flat Camp - Difficult - This section of trail has taken a severe beating. There are still many downed trees across the trail The trail crews did manage to remove many of the trees to about the 4 mile mark along the trail. There is also lots of fallen debris and loose rocks covering the trail making travel difficult. The spring just past Espinosa Camp was still running at this time.
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General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***
Description:
For two weeks in July VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers, Trail Crews and the California Conservation Corps (CCC) worked on the Kirk Creek Trail brushing many sections of trail, repairing the main washouts and cleared trees along the Kirk Creek Trail. They did not make it all the way to Vicente Flat Camp, but put a good dent in the problems caused by the Dolan Fire and heavy winter rains. The trail was reopened to the public on July 30th, 2021.
Trail conditions are as follows:
Highway 1 to Redwood/Trouble Gulch - Passable - The first 0.8 miles of trail are a wilderness freeway reaching the Wilderness Boundary Sign and a bit beyond. The trail past this point has been cleared of major obstacles, heavy brush, small rocks. The deerweed and grasses are still present giving the rating of passable to this section of trail. The 4 foot diameter tree has been removed and the washout at Redwood Gulch has been repaired. There may still be a couple of overhanging trees that have not been removed at Redwood/Trouble Gulch.
Redwood/Trouble Gulch to the turn into Hare Canyon - Passable - The three washouts reaching Hare Canyon have been repaired. There is lots of encroaching brush, small rocks and other debris lining this section of trail.
Turn into Hare Canyon to Espinosa Camp - Passable - Just after you turn into the canyon, the trees reaching Espinosa Camp have been removed. There is still encroaching brush and off camber tread to reach the camp.
Espinosa Camp to Vicente Flat Camp - Difficult - This section of trail has taken a severe beating. There are still many downed trees across the trail The trail crews did manage to remove many of the trees to about the 4 mile mark along the trail. There is also lots of fallen debris and loose rocks covering the trail making travel difficult. The spring just past Espinosa Camp was still running at this time.
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- Attachments
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- Trail Crew clearing trees along the trail.
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- More tree clearing.
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VWA_Ranger
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 4:41 pm
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: May 21, 2021
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***
Description:
VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers and Trail Crew continue to work on the Kirk Creek Trail with the permission of the USFS from Highway 1. Today Volunteer Rangers surveyed the trail from Highway 1 to Vicente Flat Camp. Other Rangers worked on the trail about 2 miles in repairing a major gully washout and other minor washouts. Portions of the trail burned heavily during the the Dolan Fire. The wind event and heavy winter rains brought down many trees, dropped lots of debris, rocks and eroded many sections of trail.
Trail conditions are as follows:
Highway 1 to Redwood/Trouble Gulch - Passable - Though the trail has been cleared of major obstacles, heavy brush, small rocks, deerweed and grasses have along the trail making travel difficult. The 4 foot diameter tree has been removed and the washout at Redwood Gulch has been repaired. There are a couple of overhanging trees that have not been removed at Redwood/Trouble Gulch.
Redwood/Trouble Gulch. to turn into Hare Canyon - Passable - This section of trail has been repaired to the gully just past the Redwood Gulch. Another washout in the next canyon has not been repaired. There is lots of encroaching brush, small rocks and other debris lining this section of trail.
Turn into Hare Canyon to Espinosa Camp - Difficult - Just after you turn into the canyon, one encounters multiple downed trees of all sizes across the trail. There is lots of fallen debris and loose rock covering the trail making travel difficult.
Espinosa Camp to Vicente Flat Camp - Difficult - This section of trail has taken a severe beating. There are over 40 downed trees along this route and a washout just past the spring near Espinosa Camp. There is also lots of fallen debris and loose rocks covering the trail making travel difficult.
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General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***
Description:
VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers and Trail Crew continue to work on the Kirk Creek Trail with the permission of the USFS from Highway 1. Today Volunteer Rangers surveyed the trail from Highway 1 to Vicente Flat Camp. Other Rangers worked on the trail about 2 miles in repairing a major gully washout and other minor washouts. Portions of the trail burned heavily during the the Dolan Fire. The wind event and heavy winter rains brought down many trees, dropped lots of debris, rocks and eroded many sections of trail.
Trail conditions are as follows:
Highway 1 to Redwood/Trouble Gulch - Passable - Though the trail has been cleared of major obstacles, heavy brush, small rocks, deerweed and grasses have along the trail making travel difficult. The 4 foot diameter tree has been removed and the washout at Redwood Gulch has been repaired. There are a couple of overhanging trees that have not been removed at Redwood/Trouble Gulch.
Redwood/Trouble Gulch. to turn into Hare Canyon - Passable - This section of trail has been repaired to the gully just past the Redwood Gulch. Another washout in the next canyon has not been repaired. There is lots of encroaching brush, small rocks and other debris lining this section of trail.
Turn into Hare Canyon to Espinosa Camp - Difficult - Just after you turn into the canyon, one encounters multiple downed trees of all sizes across the trail. There is lots of fallen debris and loose rock covering the trail making travel difficult.
Espinosa Camp to Vicente Flat Camp - Difficult - This section of trail has taken a severe beating. There are over 40 downed trees along this route and a washout just past the spring near Espinosa Camp. There is also lots of fallen debris and loose rocks covering the trail making travel difficult.
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- Attachments
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- Current Status of what has been repaired by VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers. More repairs will be made in the near future by the CCC Trail Crew.
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- 4 Foot Redwwod Tree cleared two weeks ago by VWA/USFS Rangers.
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- The repaired washed out gully at Redwood/Trouble Gulch by VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers.
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- The repaired section of trail 2 miles in. Additional improvements will be made by a CCC Crew in the near future.
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VWA_Ranger
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 4:41 pm
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: February 27, 2021
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***
Forest/Trail Status: PARTIALLY OPEN, Los Padres Monterey Ranger District is partially open per Forest Order 05-07-51-21-02
Current Fire Restrictions: Campfires and Stoves are permitted in the backcountry with a valid Campfire/Stove Permit.
Description:
The Monterey Ranger District Forest has partially reopened, VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers continue to prepare opening other parts of the closed forest and are continuing their regular patrols. Over the past two weekends volunteer Rangers patrolled and worked on the Kirk Creek Trail to help repair and assess damage from winter rains and the Dolan Fire. Two Rangers went as far as they could but never reached Espinosa Camp. There are many places where the tread has completely washed away. There are several downed tree complexes, lots of boulders and small to medium slides on several sections of trail as well. Over the past two weekends VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers have repaired over a mile of the trail at this time.
The trail could be also rated impassable due to damage.
Trail conditions are as follows:
The trail remains closed to the general public. Only authorized personnel by the USFS are allowed to access the trail at this time.
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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.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
*** VWA/USFS Volunteer Ranger/Trail Crew Report ***
Forest/Trail Status: PARTIALLY OPEN, Los Padres Monterey Ranger District is partially open per Forest Order 05-07-51-21-02
Current Fire Restrictions: Campfires and Stoves are permitted in the backcountry with a valid Campfire/Stove Permit.
Description:
The Monterey Ranger District Forest has partially reopened, VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers continue to prepare opening other parts of the closed forest and are continuing their regular patrols. Over the past two weekends volunteer Rangers patrolled and worked on the Kirk Creek Trail to help repair and assess damage from winter rains and the Dolan Fire. Two Rangers went as far as they could but never reached Espinosa Camp. There are many places where the tread has completely washed away. There are several downed tree complexes, lots of boulders and small to medium slides on several sections of trail as well. Over the past two weekends VWA/USFS Volunteer Rangers have repaired over a mile of the trail at this time.
The trail could be also rated impassable due to damage.
Trail conditions are as follows:
The trail remains closed to the general public. Only authorized personnel by the USFS are allowed to access the trail at this time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
- Attachments
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- Trail washout after entering Hare Canyon.
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- Canyon crossing before.
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- First canyon crossing repaired.
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- Trail before being reworked.
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- Sample of reworked trail.
Re: Kirk Creek Trail (Highway One to Vicente Flat Camp)
Date Hiked: July 11, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked from Hwy 1 to Vicente Flat Camp. Trail was clear and easy to follow, but there was a lot of encroaching poison oak that was somewhat avoidable with careful footwork. It was a Saturday, so there were a decent number of dayhikers and Vicente Flat Camp was mostly full (though there were still nice spots available, particularly north of the main camp both in the meadow and along the creek). Water was flowing great in the creek around Vicente Flat Camp. The stream shortly after Espinosa Camp was also flowing pretty well.
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked from Hwy 1 to Vicente Flat Camp. Trail was clear and easy to follow, but there was a lot of encroaching poison oak that was somewhat avoidable with careful footwork. It was a Saturday, so there were a decent number of dayhikers and Vicente Flat Camp was mostly full (though there were still nice spots available, particularly north of the main camp both in the meadow and along the creek). Water was flowing great in the creek around Vicente Flat Camp. The stream shortly after Espinosa Camp was also flowing pretty well.
