kneecapTo the Chumash Indians, who inhabited the region thousands of years before the Spanish arrived, it was known as S'eqpe , a word in the Ventueno dialect meaning kneecap. Today it is called the Sespe. Little-known to most Southern Californians, it is barely an hour's drive from the din and sprawl of Los Angeles.Jul 7, 1991
The water in Sespe Creek can warm by twenty degrees over the course of the day, making the temperature perfect for an afternoon swim. For this reason, April through June is the best time to visit Sespe Creek. While springs feed the creek year-round, water levels in the fall may be too low for good swimming.
Sespe Creek (Chumash: S'eqp'e', "Kneecap") is a stream, some 61 miles (98 km) long, in Ventura County, southern California, in the Western United States....Sespe Creek.Sespe Creek Arroyo Sespe, Cespai River, Sespe River• elevation355 ft (108 m)Length61 mi (98 km)Basin size260 sq mi (670 km2)Discharge33 more rows
You may see petroglyphs and other evidence of ancient Indians. You might also spot black bears, deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, rattlesnakes, red-tailed hawks, and golden eagles. The 53,000-acre Sespe Condor Sanctuary is located here, but public entry is prohibited to protect California condors.
The cold little creek now has trout, wild rainbow trout. This is a relatively new development. And in 1986, Sespe's wild rainbows were granted official protection when 26 miles of the waterway were declared part of California's Wild Trout Program.Feb 19, 1987
Hot Springs: ​Sespe Hot Springs is a rock walled natural hot springs pool. The source comes out about 130 degrees and cascades into a hot spring stream. There is man made rock walled hot springs that pools together to form a nice soaking area. The temperature of the natural pool is about 105 degrees.
Sespe Hot Springs (Chumash: S'eqp'e') are a system of thermal springs and seeps that form a hot spring creek in the mountains near the Sespe Condor Sanctuary near Ojai, California.
There are no cabins on the Los Padres National Forest, only campgrounds. There are cabins at Rancho Oso and Lake Cachuma County Park. Lodging is available in the nearby communities of Santa Barbara, Solvang and Buellton.
Note: Good news! The entirety of the Pine Ridge Trail is open effective April 13, 2021. The Pine Ridge Trail is once again open to the public after being closed for five years due to the human-caused 2016 Soberanes Fire and damage inflicted by the winter storms of 2017.
Pets. Please keep your dog on a leash no more than 6 feet long, or otherwise restrict its freedom to roam at will. At night keep your dogs and other pets inside an enclosed vehicle or in a tent.
The hike begins from Piedra Blanca trailhead just north of Ojai. The parking area for Piedra Blanca Trailhead. Follow the trail west towards the Sespe River where the trail will follow the rock-bed upstream or the water upstream (if there is water during the time of year you go).Nov 13, 2020
Still working on new California stories. Here’s another piece published on matadornetwork.com
While I work on my new stories from the California back country, I’ll be posting links to some of my published work for Matadornetwork.com.
The “American Riviera” has plenty to keep you occupied: glorious beaches, the Santa Barbara Mission, the Santa Barbara Zoo, shopping on State Street and bars (Blue Agave, SoHo) and restaurants (Bouchon, Cielito) aplenty. If you’ve never been to this palm and Spanish architecture haven, then sure, don’t miss the hot spots.
Drive through the Oak tree shrouded Mission Canyon neighborhood and past the Santa Barbara Mission itself, and (while still fantasizing about living here) turn left into the Botanic Garden. The grounds are sectioned into six distinct native California botanic environments: redwood, meadow, manzanita, desert, canyon and arroyo.
After getting your photosynthesis fix for the day, cool down at the Telegraph Brewing Company with a refreshing and unique beer. Telegraph crafts their brews in small batches using copper clad equipment with a focus on regional ingredients. The brewery is tucked away in an industrial area, inside a long Quonset hut style building.
This place is as authentic as it gets. It’s not much to look at, but then again these places are usually the best. Here, it’s all about the food. Inside you’ve got TV en Espanol and a salsa bar that you’ll not soon forget. The al pastor super burrito is well, super; bursting with pork covered in zesty red sauce. The tacos don’t disappoint either .
Local Motives is a new series showcasing interviews with Southern California artists, musicians and people up to something original.
Chief Equipment Officer Robert Sears, 41, who’d been posted to Rose Valley after being badly wounded in Vietnam, volunteered to drive.
The caller said that six young boys from the Canoga Park area, on the edges of Los Angeles, and their chaperone, Robert Samples , had been camping along the Sespe over the weekend and were overdue.
Eckersley had first seen Samples’s group at Sespe Hot Springs on Saturday when the rain started. He’d left immediately, in his converted 1953 GMC refrigerator truck, and gotten bogged down on a ridge overlooking the flat, a few miles along the road from the hot springs.
Larson got the call to help Creagle just after lunch that rainy Monday. He put on his slicker, donned a yellow helmet outfitted with a miner’s lamp, and paused in the door, as he always did, to tell Pat he loved her. Then he disappeared into the rain, his German shepherd, Duke, at his heels.
Deputy Sheriff Gary Creagle was dispatched to Lion Camp and reported back that the Sespe, normally less than a foot deep, was now running more than five feet deep at the first crossing. It might be days before any vehicles could get into the area by road, and the weather prevented flying.
Deflated, Jan and Pete headed back to their car. Before they got in, Jan stood on a bluff over the raging torrent of the Sespe. She had never seen water look so powerful or move that fast. Back at home, Jan tried to control her fear. They’ll have such stories to tell, she thought.
The last time Debra and Jan saw the boys was Friday afternoon, January 17, 1969.
Mike Herdman, age 36, and his friend were hiking near Sespe Creek in the Sespe Wilderness when Herdman’s dog “Duke” ran off from their campsite. Although barefoot at the time, he chased after his dog while wearing only a T-shirt and shorts as he followed after the dog.
Note: The information in the video was current at the time the video was created. In some cases new details may have become available since the recording.
Sespe Creek to Willett Hot Springs. in Los Padres National Forest. Located just north of Ojai, Sespe Wilderness is the largest wilderness area within Los Padres National Forest, occupying 342 square miles. Sespe Creek cuts through this land and the adjacent trail offers great views of a wide valley and scenic creek.
Backcountry camping in Sespe Wilderness is free and easy, and there is plenty of it along Sespe Creek between the Piedra Blanca trailhead and Willett Hot Springs (and beyond). Traditional carry-in carry-out rules apply, but backpackers may pitch a tent wherever they like. Four wilderness campgrounds are located along the creek, each with a few clear places to put up a tent and build a fire. Beyond the mapped sites, are many more places where people have clearly camped in the past. This makes it easy for you to camp in several private locations along the creek.
For this reason, April through June is the best time to visit Sespe Creek. While springs feed the creek year-round, water levels in the fall may be too low for good swimming.
If those distances intimidate you, do not rule out a visit to Sespe Creek. While shallow, the water in the creek is so pleasant for swimming that you could have an enjoyable time without going all the way to the hot springs.