Santa Barbara Bikepacking

[santacruzer]

Anyone out there bikepacking in the Santa Barbara backcountry?  I just did a trip from Lompoc to Ventura along the crest of the Santa Ynez mountains, down to Paradise, on to Pendola, over Murrieta Saddle, down through Ojai, on to Ventura to catch Amtrack back to Lompoc. It was a beauty with a well placed burger/beer stop and a remote hot spring along the way. Any one ride the Corridor?   

[Rob]

Sounds like a good ride.  What were the trails like?  Any pics? 

[santacruzer]

Sorry, My camera broke a week before the ride. It was a combination of old fire road that has narrowed to singletrac, old fourwheel drive (closed to vehicles) pavement and bike path. Most of it was fire road though.  One highlight was going by the Regan Ranch on West Camino Cielo.  The summers can get brutally hot on the Upper Santa Ynez.

[mtntraveler]

Hi if you are talking about the corridor between the Dick Smith and San Rafel wilderness areas, then yes I have.  Its a good dirt road when I rode it about 10 years ago.  The problem with that ride as a point to point is its hard to get back to the start of the ride in New Cuyma.  A ride I have repeated a few times in an adjacent area starts in New Cuyam then climbs to the ridge top of the Sierra Madre Mtns, stopping for the second night at Painter rock campground.  Returning back to town on a different route, on the following day.  All dirt road but great views and interesting pictographs and rock formations at camp.   I've done a lot of day rides in the areas you mentioned but have not strung them together as you did.  Jacques

[santacruzer]

I've day rode to Painted Rock from Santa Barbara Canyon. Although it's not singletrack it is beautiful up there. I have also rode the Corridor from Santa Barbara Canyon past Madulce Saddle to Big Pine Mtn then on to Upper Oso Campground. You're right Jacques, It requires a long car shuttle. I've been wanting to do a Corridor ride starting in Santa Maria and going up Tepesquet Canyon to Miranda Pine Mtn, then on to Painted Rock, Big Pine, Little Pine, Upper Oso, Arroyo Burro to Santa Barbara. It would be a grand tour of the Sierra Madre and San Rafael Mountains. Could then catch the train back in S.B. so I don't have to car shuttle. It's too late in the year to do that now, not enough water and too hot. I think the best time is mid to late May.  Pat

[AsanaCycles]

I'm very curious about this route.  I grew up in Ventura, now live in Monterey, and have done a fair degree of endurance rides...

do you guys have maps with routes highlighted or GPS files you can post?

thanks
Devian
www.AsanaCycles.com

[mtntraveler]

Santacruzer

I've been thinking of a ride very similar to what you described.  Keep me posted on that ride.  I was figuring that water would be an issue for the 1st day or two.   On your 1st post I was trying to trace the route but could not find Pendola it sounds familiar but on my topo mapping software I don't seem to find it.


Regarding GPS tracks I may have one of the Painted rock loop ride I do.  contact me if you are really interested.

Jacques

[verve825]

Howdy, Pat-

Glad to see your post! We ran into each other out at the VV trails, and I lost your email. We need to talk, man. And ride. And explore. I've ridden the corridor a bunch, and was super stoked to see your post- and I have a question:  Which route did you take from Lompoc- up Harris Grade, and then east along the ridge, or did you follow a route closer to the coast? If you're up for some company some time, the Grand Tour of the Sierra Madre is something I've been eyeing for a long time, and I have a fit, motivated, psyched buddy who I'm pretty sure would be real interested, as well.

As an aside, did a super cool ride from Davy Brown CG this spring, up Davy Brown Trail, out the Catway, down some very poorly maintained singletrack to Manzana Schoolhouse, where I forded the Sisquoc, and explored the area north of the river and west of the schoolhouse: some super intriguing potential out there...  Could easily connect with Sierra Madre Rd for a big, big ride.

It's really too bad that McKinley Mountain Trail is in such horrible shape since the fire, because otherwise you could ride over the hill from SB, up Santa Cruz Trail or Camuesa Rd, up McKinley Mountain Trail, drop down to Cachuma Saddle, spin out to the schoolhouse, then join Sierra Madre. Lots of possibilities...

Be well, enjoy your rides, and let's get together.

Regards,

Jeff

[santacruzer]

Jacques,
            Paradise is along the Santa Ynez River. I took the road by Upper Oso campground up to Camuesa Road. This road connects to the Upper Santa Ynez River area. Pendola is an old Ranger Station located where Big Agua Caliente Canyon joins the Santa Ynez.  There is a gate on the Camuesa Road that restricts all motorized thru traffic.

[santacruzer]

Jeff, I do have your email on my home computer. I'll be in touch,  Pat

[santacruzer]

Devian,
Check out these maps for the S.B. backcountry:   http://www.bryanconant.com/     I have both the San Rafael and the Dick Smith Wilderness maps. They show the entire corridor in great detail. exellent product.
Pat

[Arctos]

Glad to see the interest in my back yard routes behind Santa Barbara. Late Spring is the best time to ride the Sierra Madre Road and the Big Pine Mtn Corridor. Winter snows have usually melted and the adobe has usually dried up on the trails. Adobe locked up my wheels one year when I tried going up early.

Summer heat can be brutal and fire closures limit access usually after July until the first Fall rains each year. The recent fires over the last three years have changed much of the landscape and  reduced the number of dependable water sources so plan accordingly.

The two portions of the Los Padres NF maps are recent editions and quite useful. They cover portions of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties including the Mt. Pinos Recreation Area accessible off of I-5 at Frazier Park. 

[AsanaCycles]

Devian,
Check out these maps for the S.B. backcountry:   http://www.bryanconant.com/     I have both the San Rafael and the Dick Smith Wilderness maps. They show the entire corridor in great detail. exellent product.
Pat

thank you very much.
so FYI:  to those out there, I'm very much up for just about any kind of jaunt.  something fairly close to Monterey/Ventura, etc...

this is me:  http://www.AsanaCycles.com

[mtntraveler]

Pat
Do your maps show the Rocky Ridge trail shown as 27W04 that starts at Painted Rock campground and goes North East to the foothills around New Cuyama.  I rode this trail a long time ago on my ridged Steve Potts and found it interesting.  While on this ride I noticed some native American artifacts a series of steps carved into a rock face going to the top of the ridge.  Anyone know anything about this and the condition of the trail?
Jacques

[rperks]

I am here in Ventura with the Santa Barbara Los Padres map up on the wall dreaming for a year and a half now, work and family commitments were the biggest block, the other was finding somebody else to go with.  Most People I know seem to think a ride over 5 miles or so is nuts. 

Things have been settling down a bit at home and work, so I have been thinking about a quick overnighter up Sisar rd, along Nordhoff ridge and down Gridley.  I have also thought about riding up behind Matilija and heading towards SB a bit before dropping back down to sea level.

What are you guys doing for water up there?  that has been another of my excuses for not heading up there for mpore than an afternoon ride.

Rob

[AsanaCycles]

my grandfather lives off of Telephone Rd, near Kimball Ave.
and my buddy lives next door.  we'd probably be up for a ride just like that.
we've done gridley and sisar
I think that Gridley has a very small spring that is trickling, and a "horse trough" with a hose/pipe running into it.
I filter that water.  my buddy Tony has said that there is water in a campground over towards "Piedras Blacas?"
its hot up there!
this was 7/9/09

I'm interested, as I need to make a trip to SoCal, visit with family, and honestly I'm very much intrigued with exploring these areas.

Devian Gilbert
www.AsanaCycles.com

[rperks]

The horse trough on gridley is about half way up and could save you some water carry, but by the time you pump it it may have been less work to just carry.  Other than that and maybe at homes on the way up Sisar the next water is likely near the camps at Piedra and lions camp etc.  That is the valley between Nordhoff and Pine Mountain.  I have never ridden the trail down from Nordhoff to the camps, but have heard it is pretty rough.  The heat is a whole nother problem, I have never ridden up there after May, but I have hiked, and thought I was going to pass out.  There is no shade, all scrub and sage

Once the weather cools a bit I would be up for riding from town, either up the 33, and over sulphur mtn to Sisar.  Or the other way up the 150 from Santa Paula, but that is a long slow climb.  I would think the best way down from Lions camp would be the 33, a couple thousand feet of smooth paved decent with very little traffic.

Has anybody here ever ridden from Nordhoff to the 33?  I know there has to be a way because the 4x4 guys start there, but I have always seemed too dense to figure it out.

Rob

[verve825]

"Once the weather cools a bit I would be up for riding from town, either up the 33, and over sulphur mtn to Sisar."

I'd be very, very keen on joining you on this one, if you'd be up for some company.

"Has anybody here ever ridden from Nordhoff to the 33?"

No insight here, but every time I'm up there, it feels like there's got to be singletrack heading to the 33 somewhere... Worth exploring, for sure.

Regards,

jb

[santacruzer]

Jacques,
I've seen the start of trail 27W04 at Painted Rock but I've never took it. Not sure about the access down in the Cuyama Valley.  There is a trail further up towards MacPherson Peak that drops down to Hog Pen Spring>Aliso Park. It's narrow but passable.   


As for water, sometimes I pump out of the dish-topped water tanks that are in the S.B. backcountry. They're usually on the U.S.F.S  maps. They have always been within a foot from the top.    Pat

[AsanaCycles]

camino cielo:

so I'm midway in a tour from Eureka, going down south.
I'm thinking of trying Camino Cielo from HWY 1 at Las Cruces to HWY 33.

any info on that route?

water, food, etc...

i'm rethinking the route:  Refugio, up to the top of the ridge, and along Camino Cielo to HWY 33.  looks like 65 miles and over 17,000ft of climbing.