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Backpacker Magazine – August 2009
Where Solitude Rules - Wilderness Hideaways
Lose yourself in a private paradise the crowds have overlooked.
Guide's Secret The Whites
"Mt. Adams is way less crowded than Mt. Washington," says Jim Shimberg, of Rhino Guides. "King Ravine on Adams is as wild as Tuckerman, but nobody's ever there." Hike 5.5 miles from the Appalachia trailhead. fs.fed.us/r9/white
SOLITUDE RULES
Find more crowd-free hikes.
Sespe Wilderness, California | Cutler Coast, Maine | Nootka Trail, British Columbia | Gore Range, Colorado | Border Route Trail, Minnesota
Sespe Wilderness, California
Escape suburbia in this surprise-a-mile wilderness.
Fifty miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, the Sespe Wilderness harbors a 219,700-acre refuge of unusual attractions: natural hot springs, a condor sanctuary, multihued sandstone formations stretching from chaparral hillsides to pine-covered mountains, and centuries-old Chumash Native American rock art. (The latter are concealed in trailside caves, but Forest Service officials don't advertise the precise locations in order to protect the paintings.)
The ideal 27-mile loop begins at Mutau Flat trailhead. Hike through the pines along the Johnson Ridge Trail, and then down to a palm-shaded campsite in Hot Springs Canyon, eight miles from the road (and well past the dayhiker crowds). Continue to Sespe Creek, the last undammed river in SoCal, and follow it downstream to Alder Creek. A faint, unmaintained trail climbs past an old miners' cabin at McDonald Camp, then over a saddle at nearly 6,000 feet, to reach the Little Mutau campsite. Descend five miles along Little Mutau Creek to finish the loop.
Days 4
Map Tom Harrison Sespe Wilderness Trail Map ($9; tomharrisonmaps.com)
Permit Adventure Pass ($30 annual)
Info (805) 968-6640; fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres
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READERS COMMENTS
We did the hike around Easter 2008 down the creek from Piedra Blanca and camped at Oak Flat. The trail crosses the river several times. The water is chilly and at that time of year but didn't go above mid-thigh on an adult. If there is a good side to the wildfires, it has to be that you can see the wildflowers better. They recovered quickly.
Posted: Oct 29, 2009 HikerAlan
If you want solitude on backpacks, go high and off trail. For 10 such great Colorado backpacks, go to this web site: http://www.backpackingofftrail.com/
Posted: Aug 29, 2009 Dale Johnson
The trail to the Sespe Hot Springs, and certainly the hot springs themselves, are not the place I'd go if seeking solitude. These are well-known hot springs.
Also, the locale suffered from wildfires a couple of years ago; recovery is far from complete. I advise you to check with the local ranger station to determine the current condition of the flora recovery.
Finally, the Ventura, CA County backcountry can get mighty hot in the summer. Visit the Sespe hot springs in the cooler months.
Posted: Aug 20, 2009 Anonymous
Solitude yes, but hiking the Border Route Trail is certainly not for the novice backpacker. The scenery is fantastic but the trail conditions inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are very rough. Blowdowns are plentiful, the trail tread is obscure in places hit by wildfires, and heavy brush is abundant.
Posted: Aug 20, 2009 Matthew Davis
I strongly recommend you not do this hike in the summer months. We did the hike a few years back and I suffered from heat stroke due to the extreme 100+ temps.
Posted: Aug 20, 2009 Marti
I just did this hike last month and only saw 2 other people on the trail. Had a great time and the scenery was awesome!
Posted: Aug 12, 2009 Brandon
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