Stone Ridge Trail

[Todd Perkins]

Date Hiked: March 16, 2022
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)

In the Limekiln Creek drainage between the "apex" (intersection with Stone Ridge Firebreak Usetrail) and the ridge above Vicente Flat Camp there were ~10 large trees down that had relatively easily passable use trails around them. Good, easy to follow, often rocky tread except a few minor washouts also easily passed, with no dangerous spots. Bushes and much poison oak beginning to encroach upon trail, but not requiring "pushing through." Generous water flow in Limekiln Creek.

[Sammich]

Date Hiked: January 17, 2022
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)

Between the intersection with the Stone Ridge Firebreak and Vicente Flat Campground, the tread is almost always evident, however there are many deadfalls, and the trail is overgrown in some areas. Pretty much all of the deadfalls have some kind of use trail that skirts them. I did this portion in the dark and managed to find my without too much difficulty. The only part where we really lost the trail for a bit was shortly after getting on the trail from the firebreak when the trail enters into the woods from the meadows.

After Vicente Flat, it was difficult to stay on trail and we were scrambling through the creek bed until it being unsustainable and we realized that we were off-trail at a certain point.

[geoffvirtue]

Date Hiked: September 26, 2021
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)

We took a small group through here on 9/27 after finishing cone peak lollipop. Conditions are bad post Dolan Fire.

Stone Ridge Trail from Ojai Camp sign to Goat camp is impassable. There is a major washout on the descent of the switchbacks down into goat camp and the tread is not evident. Be careful of the false tread leading in the wrong direction down the wash. You absolutely need an accurate GPX to get through here. The entire descent is overgrown once you do find tread and stinging nettle is out in force. It's going to take a lot of effort to reroute this section and you will need experience building tread. The entire ridge-side burned and the ground is loose and prone to mudslides since nothing has regrown in the burn scar yet.

Need someone to put flagging on the trail before I think it can be marked difficult. Highly concerned folks will get lost or hurt out here. Please do not attempt without accurate GPX and significant knowledge of Ventana/route finding

Goat Camp to West Fork Limekiln Creek is passable. There is a lot of overgrowth but tread is still evident. Trail is washing out in multiple locations but can be navigated carefully. Need significant tread work for the trail to be back to clear. Expecting a lot of deadfall is going to come down during storms this winter.

Limekiln Creek to Stone Ridge Firebreak is clear. Tread is evident the entire way with some encroaching overgrowth and a lot of PO.

Stone Ridge Firebreak to East Fork Limekiln Creek is passable. Tread in good order with little overgrowth.

East Fork Limekiln Creek to Middle Fork Use Camp is impassable - the tread is completely lost in the Oak area. If you are coming from Goat look for the patch of ferns, the trail is directly to the left of it and hugs it to the right. Highly recommend someone bring flags in here to help folks. There's some deadfall near here that a 20 - 30" saw could get through as well.

Middle Fork Use Camp to Vicente Flat is passable.

[jack_glendening]

Date Hiked: August 10, 2021
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)

From trail info reported emailed by the pair of backpackers I met on the east end of the Stone Peak Trail:

Between Vicente Flat Camp and the "apex" (intersection with Stone Ridge
Firebreak Usetrail) there is much downfall, scattered debris, and faint tread making the route difficult to follow, requires much exertion, and is slow. They lost the trail several times. And of course much PO.

[jack_glendening]

Date Hiked: August 10, 2021
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)

Hearing from someone outbound from Vicente Camp that he had tried to go up the Stone Ridge Trail but failed to find it, so gave up, I went up the first 1/4 mile to the meadow. Indeed, I lost the trail (finding an old fence post, but not the trail) in a large debris area. Used GPS to get back on, from there on trail was evident, though with frequent downfall. Met 2 hikers coming up after me, who also lost the trail then re-found it. Their plan was to ascend Cone Peak and overnight at Trail Spring Camp, a grand traverse, so hope to hear a report from them on trail conditions they found (which I encouraged) after they return.

Jack

[snwy]

Date Hiked: August 1, 2021
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)

We descended this trail after a sea-to-sky climb up Twin & Cone. Tedious travel. The trail is detectable here and there but badly damaged by the Dolan Fire. It is washed out in many places, blocked also in many places by large burned deadfall, wildly overgrown from this past growing season, and I’d say nearly impassable for much of its length.

[Inger]

Date Hiked: March 8, 2020
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

Trail is clear. Thank you for the volunteers and friends of the trail for the maintenance efforts. I last visited the trial on Dec 9 and found it impassable. Yesterday (3/8/2020), I hiked a lollipop loop up Kirk Creek to Cone Peak, back down Gamboa and across Stone Ridge. I was so delighted to find a clear trail and am so grateful for the dedicated trail angels.Thank you!

[jbl]

Date Hiked: December 21, 2019
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

Pics from Stone Ridge Trail trip in previously posted report.

About 1/4 mile from Vicente Flat Camp

Tree 1 on west/north side of Middle Fork crossing (before switchback)

Tree 2 on west/north side of Middle Fork crossing (before switchback)

Working on snag on west/north side of Middle Fork crossing (before switchback)

IMG_1757.jpg (65.41 KiB) Viewed 8191 times

Snag Cleared

Tree 3 on west/north side of Middle Fork crossing (after switchback)

Tree 4 on west/north side of Middle Fork crossing (after switchback)

Trees 5 and 6 on west/north side of Middle Fork crossing (after switchback)

Tree 7 on west/north side of Middle Fork crossing (after switchback)

[jbl]

Date Hiked: December 21, 2019
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)

Section covered in this report: Vicente Flat Camp to the Apex

Section: Vicente Flat to Hare Ridge Crossing: Wilderness Freeway, one tree down (with a few ~6" trunks/branches) in a flat section where you can easily walk around it.

Section: Hare Ridge Crossing to Middle Fork: Clear to Wilderness Freeway, some slumping in places but no trees/branches obstructing the path

Section: Middle Fork to Apex: Passable to Clear. There are a number of trees down along here, all are passable (stepover or under), the snag reported by Inger (which was on the climb up from Middle Fork, 2/3 of the way up to the switchback) completely blocked the trail (some bay laurels had come down together) with several trunk sections and dozens of interwined branches, we had saws with us and cleared 100% of this out of the way. The rest of the downed trees etc. on this section would require more time and manpower but are negotiable without difficulty.

[Inger]

Date Hiked: December 8, 2019
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)

I've hiked Kirk Creek to Cone Peak several times. On this rainy December day I decided to try Stoney Ridge out of Vincente Flat. Made it just past Limekiln Creek before I encountered a large tree across the trail. Note, this was not a tree trunk but a thick network of branches (crown?). The best that I could see, it was covering at least 10 feet of the trail. I would have had to scramble down slope (in moist soil, thought this was a bad idea) or up around the obstacle, but was not in the mood to bushwack. In my opinion, it was fairly impassable, although, like I said, I think that a determined soul could have bushwacked above the fall and made it through. I turned around back to Vincente Flat and down to the trailhead.