Exploring The Los Padres National Forest

Over 1000+ Cataloged Locations

Location specific weather reports, recent camp and trail surveys, water data and much more.

Hiking Trails

Explore the hiking trails of the Los Padres National Forest. Combine trails to make loop trips, discover new trails for backpacking, or find new areas to explore.

205 Hiking Trails

• Zaca Peak Trail
• Foothill Trail
• Cone Peak Trail
• Buck Creek Trail
• Gibraltar Trail

View All 205 Trails →

Camps and Campgrounds

This updated list on camps enables you to find a new camp to visit anytime; we have included all car campgrounds and trail camps in this section.

293 Camps

• La Panza Campground
• Mocho Camp
• Buck Skin Flat Camp
• Tin House Camp
• West Fork Lion Camp

View All 293 Camps →

O.H.V. Trails

We got you covered on the O.H.V areas, including Google maps view of all trails, slope gains and losses, so you can be prepared for your next off road adventure.

56 OHV Trails

• Ballinger Route 14 OHV…
• Ballinger Route 43 OHV…
• Ballinger Route 37 OHV…
• Mare Spring OHV Trail
• Ballinger Route 11 OHV…

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206 Dirt Roads

• Loma Victor - Forest…
• Pfeiffer Beach Dua -…
• Lockwood Cr - Forest…
• Murietta - Forest Rd…
• Piedra Blanco - Forest…

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111 Peaks

• Snowy Peak
• Ranger Peak
• Manzanita Mountain
• Mt. Mars
• Shell Peak

View All 111 Peaks →

174 Springs

• Oak Spring - Salisbury…
• Milkcan Spring
• Pine Corral Spring
• Live Oak Spring - Sisquoc
• Johnston Spring

View All 174 Springs →

Latest Camp Reports

Please click on a report below to view the survey

Mono Campground Survey - 1-1-1936 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Mono Campground
Date:	1-1-1936
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Camp Description:	Historic video showing the construction of the Mono Debris Dam from 1936, enjoy! https://archive.org/details/CCCAtMono1936
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:
Weather Conditions:

Fish Creek Camp Survey - 04-13-2024 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Fish Creek Camp
Date:	04-13-2024
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Camp Description:	Recent McCaslin article about the Manzana and Fish Camp. Enjoy.... https://www.noozhawk.com/dan-mccaslin-fish-creek-canyon-lures-hikers-for-spring-backpacking
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	Mucho WATER!
Weather Conditions:

Madulce Camp Survey - 04-11-2024 - by Red

Link:	Madulce Camp
Date:	04-11-2024
Surveyor Name:	Red
Camp Description:
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:
Weather Conditions:

Rays Camp Survey - 04-10-2024 - by Daniel O'Shea

Link:	Rays Camp
Date:	04-10-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel O'Shea
Camp Description:	Is a nice spot to stay if you are looking to go a little further than Fish Camp! I could only find one established spot and it is right next to river which is very nice.
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	NIce spot!
Weather Conditions:	70 sunny

Big Cone Spruce Camp Survey - 04-10-2024 - by Daniel O'Shea

Link:	Big Cone Spruce Camp
Date:	04-10-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel O'Shea
Camp Description:	The trek from Manzana Narrows here was a little grueling. Lots of poison oak, downed trees, erosion, bushwhacking. So this place was a great lunch spot on my way up to McKinley Peak!
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	Good strong flow but a little tricky to get to
Weather Conditions:	70 and sunny

McKinley Spings Camp Survey - 04-10-2024 - by Daniel O'Shea

Link:	McKinley Spings Camp
Date:	04-10-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel O'Shea
Camp Description:	Crazy showing up after a long hike in 75 degree weather to a layer of snow 4 inches deep! A beautiful little site right off the trail and close to McKinley Peak. Saw some bear tracks around the campsite too.
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	Plenty of water at the springs due to the snowmelt.
Weather Conditions:	70 and sunny but cold and snowy at night!

Fish Creek Camp Survey - 04-09-2024 - by Daniel O'Shea

Link:	Fish Creek Camp
Date:	04-09-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel O'Shea
Camp Description:	Sites are in good shape with ample water! Beautiful green grass and flat ground makes this an idea site...right now at least.
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	Manzana creek is flowing heavily. No lack of water.
Weather Conditions:	70 and sunny :)

Manzana Camp Survey - 04-09-2024 - by Daniel O'Shea

Link:	Manzana Camp
Date:	04-09-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel O'Shea
Camp Description:	Manzana Creek is strong and flowing. This was a lovely little site under a big sycamore tree that was shining in the sunlight. Nice flat site with plenty of water access right now.
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	Beautiful Camp, Tons of Water
Weather Conditions:	70 and sunny

Manzana Narrows Camp Survey - 04-09-2024 - by Daniel O'Shea

Link:	Manzana Narrows Camp
Date:	04-09-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel O'Shea
Camp Description:	I decided to trust alltrails after a long day and camped just short of the campsite as there was a small flat and a tiny stone campfire ring built up. Was very tired so stayed the night here with no fire and had good enough sleep. The next morning I walked 5 minutes up the trail and low and behold found Manzana Narrows! Moral of the story is to not always trust a downloaded map from AllTrails and make sure to look around a little more :P  Beautiful campsite though with plenty of room and water!
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	Even the waterfall is flowing with all the rain! Plenty of water
Weather Conditions:	70 and sunny

West Fork Lion Camp Survey - 04-01-2024 - by Neal L

Link:	West Fork Lion Camp
Date:	04-01-2024
Surveyor Name:	Neal L
Camp Description:	I was trying to get to the East Fork camp but I lost the trail past the junction between East and West Fork camps. I crossed the creek multiple times and went through very heavy brush from one side of the canyon to the other but could not find it. My daughter was crying and I gave up and turned around. Thank goodness West Fork camp was nearby. The trail to it was easy to follow and mostly brush free. The camp itself is perfect for a small group and had everything we needed.
Water Source:	Flowing
Water Source Details:	Very strong flow. Did not check depth, but could easily fill a 6 qt gravity filter in seconds.
Weather Conditions:	Perfect weather for an exposed hike (mid-60s, partly cloudy). It dipped below freezing overnight and our gear was covered in frost in the morning. Thank goodness the sun came out and it was a pleasant

Latest Trail Reports

Please click on a report below to view the survey

Rose Lion Trail Survey - 08-01-2024 - by Neal L

Link:	Rose Lion Trail
Date:	08-01-2024
Surveyor Name:	Neal L
Trail description:	This trail is in good shape and is easy to follow. There was some minor brush in a few sections, but otherwise just fine.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Gifford Trail Survey - 04-14-2024 - by Anonymous Surveyor

Link:	Gifford Trail
Date:	04-14-2024
Surveyor Name:	Anonymous Surveyor
Trail description:	Beautiful, easy to follow, horses use the trail too. Would love to know the history about the old Gifford ranch.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Big Cone Spruce Trail Survey - 04-10-2024 - by Daniel O'Shea

Link:	Big Cone Spruce Trail
Date:	04-10-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel O'Shea
Trail description:	This trail was a bit of a doozy! Many crossings over some high flow portions of the Manzana Creek and hard to follow trail on those crossings. What didn't make things easier was the fallen trees on many portions of the trail causing you to climb, duck, scramble over them. Then the poison oak is really out and about so make sure you cover up your body! Truly worth it though for Big Cone Spruce Trail as it was a lovely campsite. Started from Manzana Narrows and then went up to McKinley so it was STEEP!
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Hard to follow
Condition details:	Trail Hard to follow, lots of fallen trees, poison oak is out!

Rose Lion Trail Survey - 04-07-2024 - by Mark Wieneke

Link:	Rose Lion Trail
Date:	04-07-2024
Surveyor Name:	Mark Wieneke
Trail description:	Easy to follow, a couple of downed trees (-18” dis) near Rose Valley should be cleared. As mentioned above needs some tread work and could use some brushing. Creek crossing near Lion easy to cross, water a little over boot high.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	The side slope portions of the trail could use some tread work.

Manzana Trail East (Upper) Survey - 04-04-2024 - by Ryan Hubbard

Link:	Manzana Trail East (Upper)
Date:	04-04-2024
Surveyor Name:	Ryan Hubbard
Trail description:	It was quite ironic at exit when I saw the horse trailer at the Nira trailhead with "Trail Maintenance Project" passes on the dashboard, and one truck had the LPFA logo on the door. The workers were there clearing brush up to Happy Hunting (thanks!), but the horses they rode in on are doing major damage to the trail surface itself. One step forward, three back. Not efficient... The horses were being tied up at Alcove camp and were destroying the muddy trail in to the camp and all around the tie up zone. I know that horses have a place in the forest, but they really should be restricted until after the trails dry and can handle the heavy traffic. Just a couple of horses on those wet clay trails this week have done more damage in a few days than hikers would do in many years.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	Lots of damage to the trail surface from horses. Several spots on the steeper slopes where the horses have pushed the trail down the hill.

Lion Canyon Trail Survey - 04-01-2024 - by Neal L

Link:	Lion Canyon Trail
Date:	04-01-2024
Surveyor Name:	Neal L
Trail description:	I got on this trail from the Rose-Lion Connector and headed to East Fork Camp. I missed the 4-way junction, following a trail on my Gaia.gps app that stayed against the north wall of the canyon. I ran into a wall of brush and crossed the East Fork of the creek to find the trail. I spent about 30 minutes going up various paths that all ended in thick brush. I could not find the trail even after reaching the opposite wall of the canyon. I gave up and turned around, coming upon the trail that led me to the junction. I went to West Fork Camp to stay the night and had no problem following that trail. It is hard to say how much of this was my fault, my apps fault or the trail being overgrown and difficult to follow after the recent storms.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Hard to follow
Condition details:	Section from Rose-Lion Connector to East Fork Camp

Lion Canyon Trail Survey - 03-31-2024 - by Daniel J. Hall

Link:	Lion Canyon Trail
Date:	03-31-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel J. Hall
Trail description:	From trailhead at Middle Lion Campground to the junction for East Fork Lion Camp, the trail is in generally good shape and easy to follow.  However, there are 2 large boulders in the trail and a few minor erosion areas developing, and it is a little hard to find in the 100 yards of floodplain before the noted trail junction, but those conditions only slow hikers a little.  Stock probably cannot get around the 2 boulders. Regarding the spur trail to East Fork Lion Camp, about a quarter mile of it is sketchy to nonexistent.  It runs across a floodplain and the high water resulted in fallen trees, large obstructions and erosion, while brush has also grown over the trail.  Real slow finding the way.  For more detail see https://tinyurl.com/2doga89o
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Rose Lion Trail Survey - 03-31-2024 - by Daniel J. Hall

Link:	Rose Lion Trail
Date:	03-31-2024
Surveyor Name:	Daniel J. Hall
Trail description:	From the Lion Canyon Trail going south and up to the highest point, only, the trail is in good shape and easy to follow, with on some minor erosion developing at a couple places.  For more detail see  https://tinyurl.com/2doga89o
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Hurricane Deck Trail Survey - 03-25-2024 - by Casey Horgan

Link:	Hurricane Deck Trail
Date:	03-25-2024
Surveyor Name:	Casey Horgan
Trail description:	Trail was in better shape than I was expecting and was easy to follow apart from a few locations. Briefly lost the trail once. The trial was generally overgrown with moderate bushwhacking needed in spots. Some mud in locations also made the tread slick. Don't recommend hiking immediately following large storms.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	Hiked east portion of Hurricane Deck from White Ledge to Lost Valley Trail on 3/23

Buckeye Trail Survey - 03-25-2024 - by Kaylynn OCurran

Link:	Buckeye Trail
Date:	03-25-2024
Surveyor Name:	Kaylynn OCurran
Trail description:	A lot of poison oak and ivy during the first half mile of this trail, to the point that it is impossible to not brush up against it. I suggest not bringing animals as bringing my dog resulted in her getting poison oak. We had about 6 or 7 ticks on us. Lots of flowing water and maybe 4 or 5 downed trees that you have to crawl over or under. Trail isn't too overgrown at all, only in the very beginning. Not muddy really at all. Beautiful weather we got and gorgeous views at Buckeye Camp! Really great experience and conditions overall.
Mode of transport:	Array
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	Lots of poison oak and ivy and ticks!