I have reserved a spot at the Los Prietos Campground in the Los Padres National Forest for 7/11 Sunday night and 7/12 Monday night. I am putting together a couple of hikes for Monday and Tuesday.
Monday morning will be the main hike and will cover the following
Aliso Canyon – a pretty little hike through riparian and chaparral habitats.
Oso Canyon & Santa Cruz Trail to Nineteen Oaks Campground – after Aliso we will follow Oso Canyon through the steep sandstone cliffs of Oso Narrows. The trail parallels Oso Creek up the canyon to the camp located at the base of Little Pine Mountain. The camp sits on a shady knoll in an oak tree grove (with 19 oaks?) with picnic tables and beautiful views down Oso Canyon. This will be appx 8-10 miles.
On Tuesday, road conditions permitting, we’ll drive up the road 6 miles to the Red Rock day use parking lot ($10.00 without a pass) and do a 7-mile loop covering Red Rock, Gibraltar Dam and Mercury Mine.
Camp sites are $30/night (plus $10.00 for additional vehicle) and you should be able to reserve a spot for these days. I am in Site 002.
Reserve a spot here: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234001?tab=campsites
I’ll post more info as the days progress, but I recommend getting a reservation as soon as possible
Adventure pass not required
Note: Some of the trails were damaged during the Rey Fire of 2016 and we may have to do some improvising along the official routes.
