I'm checking out my maps looking for some very out of the way rides in the
Los Padres National Forest. I haven't found any info on the usual sites
nor in any guide books, even hiking books.
If you, or anyone you know (maybe from Santa Barbara or Santa Maria), has
ridden these areas please let me know.
These first ones are in the Cuyama/New Cuyama area of northern Santa
Barbara county:
#1, 26W01, up to Salisbury Potrero, NW along the top of the Sierra Madres
on 32S13, Painted Rock, then down 27W04. Looks to be about 10 miles of
singletrack and about 3 miles of fireroad.
#2, Aliso Park, up 10N04A, Hog Pen Spring, up 27W02, NW along the top of
the Sierra Madres on 32S13, hit McPherson Peak, down 27W01. Approx 5 miles
of singletrack, 2 miles of jeep trail, 2 miles of fireroad.
Maybe do both of the above in one day, or use the Aliso Park ride as a late
afternoon ride.
These following possiblities are further to the west, closer to Twitchell
Reservoir:
#1, Pine Canyon ranger station, 11N04, 11N04A, 31W01, Hwy 166. About 6
miles of dirt road, 6 miles singletrack, and 3 miles of Hwy 166.
#2, Brookshire Springs, 31W02, 30W02, down Kerry Cyn, Lazy Campground,
11N04, 32W01, 31W12, 11N04, 11N04A. About 12 miles of singletrack, 2 miles
of jeep trail, and 3 miles of forest service road.
#3, Colson Campground, 31W06, 31W17, 31W13, 31W14, 31W05, 11N04. Looks
like 10 miles of singletrack, 3 miles of jeep trail.
#4, the grandaddy of this section: Goodchild Ranch, up La Brea Creek on
31W09 and then down Horse Canyon on the same trail, then some unmarked jeep
trails back to Goodchild Ranch. 17 miles of pure backcountry singletrack
and 10 miles of remote jeep trail.
These next rides are closer to the usual Santa Barbara rides of Little Pine
Mtn:
#1, P-Bar Flats Campground, up an old jeep trail/singletrack to Hildreth
Peak, over to 6N03 and south on it, west on 5N01. 21 miles of old jeep
trail/singletrack, 5 miles of jeep trail.
#2, this would be a point-to-point and passes right between the [censored] Smith
and San Rafael wildernesses for 10 miles, start near Ventucopa, head south
up Santa Barbara Cyn on 9N11, west on the Sierra Madres, continuing south
on 9N11 to Big Pine Mtn, continue past Bluff Camp ranger station, hit
Little Pine Mtn and then descend the popular 27W09 Little Pine Mtn/Oso Cyn
singltrack. This would be about 25 miles of VERY remote jeep trail
finished with the seven miles of 27W09 singletrack.
And lastly east of San Luis Obispo:
#1, Hi Mtn Campground south of Pozo, 30S05, 15E06, M3094, 16E06, back on
15E06, 30S05.
If anyone in SoCal would like to check these out with me let me know. It
would probably have to be soon, or in the fall as these areas get extremely
hot in the summer. They could be mostly unridable which I would not want
to do in the middle of summer.
Thanks for reading,
Greg