Hiking: Los Padres National Forest : Spring Blooms Anew on Figueroa Mountain

The U.S. Forest Service has wasted no time in responding to last September’s Murre Fire on Figueroa Mountain in Los Padres National Forest.

Though thousands of acres of forested slopes and backcountry were scorched by the blaze, the Forest Service has been clearing and repairing existing trails and building new ones.

The newest addition is the Pino Alto Trail, a paved path that’s great for walkers of all abilities. The interpretive path through a pine-and-spruce forest is even accessible to those in wheelchairs.

Sometimes after a fire, there’s a spring explosion of wildflowers. Wildflower lovers were hoping 1994 would bring spectacular, “Sound of Music”-like displays. Alas, I must report it’s a so-so wildflower year on Figueroa Mountain.

For hikers who want to do more than stop and smell the flowers (or pines), I recommend two longer hikes on Figueroa Mountain: the Davy Brown Trail, which climbs the mountain, and the La Jolla Trail, which descends.

Directions to trail heads: Getting to Figueroa Mountain can be half the fun. It’s a lovely drive through the Santa Ynez Valley into Los Padres National Forest. From U.S. 101, about six miles north of Solvang, exit on California 154 and head five miles to Figueroa Mountain Road in the town of Los Olivos. Turn left and wind 13 miles to the signed turnoff for Pino Alto Picnic Area. Ascend 1 1/2 miles on a dirt road (suitable for passenger cars) to the just-renovated picnic area.

For an even more scenic route, leave U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara by taking the California 154 exit and traveling 30 miles to Figueroa Mountain Road.

The Davy Brown Trail starts at Davy Brown Campground. To reach it from the turnoff to the Pino Alto Picnic Area, continue east on Figueroa Mountain Road to Sunset Valley Road. Turn left and drive five miles to the campground. The La Jolla Trail starts about a mile west (downhill) from the Pino Alto turnoff on Figueroa Mountain Road.

The hikes: The Davy Brown Trail (7 1/2 miles round-trip with a 2,400-foot elevation gain) ascends cool, moist Fir Canyon, climbs to the headwaters of Davy Brown Creek, then continues to the very top of the mountain with its spectacular views.

Another pleasant springtime jaunt is the four-mile round-trip La Jolla Trail, which descends northwest through a mountain meadow seasonally bedecked with lupine. The path drops through a pine-oak woodland, then down a slope dotted with (nature willing) clarkia, California poppies, Plummer’s Mariposa lilies and Chinese houses to creekside Ballard Trail Camp, shaded by towering oaks and sycamores.

Pino Alto Trail WHERE: Los Padres National Forest, Figueroa Recreation Area. DISTANCE: 1/2 mile round-trip. TERRAIN: Forested slopes, meadows. HIGHLIGHTS: One of most botanically intriguing areas in Southern California. Good wildflower displays. Grand views of Santa Ynez Valley, from atop Figueroa Mountain. DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Los Padres National Forest, 6144 Calle Real, Goleta, Calif. 93117; tel, (805) 683-6711. Or Santa Lucia Ranger District; tel. (805) 925-9538.