Hiking in Charred Areas

Fires have charred and left bare the canyons, hillside slopes and mountaintops of Point Mugu State Park and small portions of Los Padres National Forest. This is strangely good for hikers, as trails have never been more decipherable and unobstructed. But it also presents circumstances that hikers must keep in mind, according to rangers at both Point Mugu State Park and Los Padres National Forest.

IN GENERAL:

* Stick to the trail. Vast open hillsides now tempt hikers and mountain bikers to walk and ride where chaparral once made it impossible. But footprints and tread marks establish “erosion paths” that, in heavy winter rains, trigger mudslides. Recovery of these areas depends upon establishment of new root systems that hold soil in place--but this won’t happen till spring. Right now, the soil is especially vulnerable. Stay off it.

* On steep switchbacks, watch for falling rock. The burned vegetation has undermined the placement and stability of rocks on or along steeper footpaths, such as those encountered above La Jolla Canyon waterfall or along higher sections of Boney Mountain Trail. Walk more slowly, and seek to avoid being directly beneath hikers on higher-up switchbacks.

* Gauge your time carefully, as the charred canyons, in reflecting less light, darken more quickly at sundown.

POINT MUGU STATE PARK: All trails open.

LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST: While damage wasn’t nearly as severe in the Wheeler Canyon fire above Ojai, a three-mile section of Ortega Trail is temporarily closed to motorbikers, although open to hikers on foot. The section begins on California 33 just above Wheeler Gorge Campground and runs three miles to the Ortega campground. It is closed to allow burned vegetation to re-establish roots.