Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [337]
Los Padres National Forest
Customize your own outdoor adventure in Los Padres National Forest, which stretches 220 miles from the Carmel Valley to the western edge of Los Angeles County. It’s great for hiking, camping, horseback riding and mountain biking. For information, check with the Santa Barbara Outdoor Visitor Center (Map; 805-884-1475; www.outdoorssb.noaa.gov; 113 Harbor Way, 4th fl, Waterfront Center Bldg) or with the Los Padres National Forest Headquarters (Map; 805-968-6640; www.r5.fs.fed.us/lospadres; 6755 Hollister Ave, Suite 150; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) in Goleta, located at the back of a nondescript office park.
Call headquarters or check the national forest website to determine which sections are fee areas requiring the purchase of a National Forest Adventure Pass, which must be displayed on your vehicle. The fee areas are extensive. To avoid a ticket, check before parking. Passes cost $5 per day, and you can purchase them at the Forest Headquarters, the Paradise Rd ranger station (both open Monday to Friday), some campgrounds and others outlets noted on the website.
There are several good trails off Paradise Rd, which crosses Hwy 154 north of San Marcos Pass. Try the Red Rock Trail (clearly marked from the ranger station), where the Santa Ynez River deeply pools among rocks and waterfalls, creating a great swimming and sunning spot. Many hiking trails radiate out from here. You will need an Adventure Pass. The Snyder Trail leads to great views and the remains of Knapp’s Castle off East Camino Cielo. It can be done round-trip or one-way using two cars. See A Hiker’s Guide to Santa Barbara Front Country and Paradise Road by Raymond Ford.
Paradise Rd also provides the best access to developed facilities in the forest. About 4 miles up the road there’s a ranger station ( 805-967-3481) with posted maps and information. There are campgrounds nearby: Fremont, Paradise and Los Prietos (campsites $15), with a mix of first-come-first-serve sites and reserved sites, are all before the ranger station while another, Sage Hill (group campsites $75 to $100), is just past it. Check the Los Padres website for more campground information then visit the Fed’s new recreation ‘portal’ at www.recreation.gov to reserve a spot. Eight miles north of Ojai, you can pick up information on weekends at Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center off Hwy 33. During the week, pick up information at the Ojai Ranger Station.
Paradise Rd also gives access to a great slice of Americana: Cold Spring Tavern ( 805-967- 0066; 5995 Stagecoach Rd), a legendary stagecoach stop that’s still a popular watering hole and restaurant. A rough-hewn plank floor connects a warren of dimly lit rooms decorated with an odd assortment of Western memorabilia. The food, alas, is mediocre and overpriced. The turnoff to Stagecoach Rd – and great scenic drive – is about 0.3 miles north of the junction of Paradise Rd and Hwy 154. Follow it for about 3 miles to the tavern, passing underneath the fabulous San Marcos Bridge. Continue on and you’ll hook back up to Hwy 154.
Cachuma Lake Recreation Area
Cachuma Lake, an SB county park, is a haven for anglers and boaters and also has a large campground ( 805-686-5055, recorded info 805-686-5054; www.cachuma.com; campsites/RV sites $18/25) with picnic tables, barbecue pits, flush toilets and hot showers. Sites are on a first-come, first-served basis and fill quickly on weekends. You can also rent a yurt ( 805-686-5050; per night $45-65), essentially a round tent cabin on a redwood deck. Park admission is $6 per vehicle.
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VENTURA
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Ventura, an agricultural center and the