First Saturday Hike: Sespe River Trail To Bear Creek 9 Mile RT

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Sespe River Trail - This is the perfect time to visit the areas north of Ojai, before the heat of summer keeps us away. This will be a moderate hike of 9 miles round trip with a minimal elevation gain (300').

The Sespe River Trail, a part of the Los Padres National Forest, begins at the Piedras Blancas Trailhead in Rose Valley. An Adventure Pass is required to park in the parking lot, and pit toilets are located at the parking area. (Adventure Passes can be obtained from the Wheeler Gorge Visitor’s Center.) There are a few creek crossings some of which may require taking off your shoes and wading if there are no logs conveniently placed for crossing.

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This is a very popular trail that follows an old roadbed. The river is not far away, but even though you can't often see it from the trail, you can tell where it is by the lush green trees that grow on its banks. There are a number of swimming holes in the stream and they are popular destinations for cooling off on a hot day. Away from the stream there is very little shade, and it can get very hot here in the late spring, summer and fall. In the spring, the area is overwhelmed with wildflowers. Due to our fairly dry winter, I am not certain if there will be any flowers out, but even without the flowers, this is a very pretty area, in part because the green trees and chaparral are such a contrast to the more temperate growth on the nearby mountains.

The trail itself starts off almost as wide as a fireroad. By the time you get to Bear Creek Camp, it has narrowed somewhat but is still mostly a broad singletrack. The slopes are all gentle to moderate in grade; the tread is mostly smooth and even a little sandy, but there are some rocky areas, particularly where the trail is a little steeper.

We will stop for a lunch/snack break at Bear Creek before we turn around and head back.

Directions: from Ojai take highway 33 north 15 miles to the Rose Valley Recreation Area, turn right and follow this road 5 miles to the end.

The Fine Print/Please Read!

You don't need to RSVP "NO" if you can't make it--let's save the "NOs" for the folks that wanted to go, then needed to change their minds.

Wear lug soled shoes, long sleeve shirt and long pants for brush and tick protection, and dress in layers for comfort.

Bring at least 1 liter of water per 3 miles, snacks, lunch (if posted), hiking poles (if you use them), camera and the "Ten Essentials" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials).

Know your own capabilities and plan accordingly.

Be on time -- It is extremely rude to be late and expect 20 people to wait for you. Even if you call, it is still inappropriate to think that they should wait for you.

Don't be a no show -- How hard is it to remove your name? TAKE IT OFF IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT! The earlier the better so someone else that wants to go, can.

Any outdoors activity can be challenging, fun, or a painful experience, (often depending who you are with), even deadly and more painful depending on you, your abilities, circumstances and sometimes just bad luck. Accidents happen. Please do not sign up if you are not comfortable with what you are doing, or if you think you don’t have the needed skills for the event. You will be agreeing to take responsibility for yourself, your actions and not to hold organizer/group leader, participants, or anyone liable but yourself by signing up for this event.

Most importantly: Have Fun!