Santa Paula Canyon to Cienega, East Fork Trail
Falls at The Punchbowls
Submitted by: Jeffrey Scott Hanssen
Many years ago, my son and I backpacked to a remote camp called Cienega on the north side of Santa Paula peak. We hiked over the 5000-ft. peak from Timber Canyon, east of Santa Paula. An erstwhile, easier route up the east fork of Santa Paula Canyon had been partially washed out by the rains of 1969. Around the late 1980s we tried to reach the camp via the washed out trail, but we ran into problems since the trail was sporadic and I believe we passed up the trail leaving the canyon, going up to the camp. As a result, we came upon what seemed to be an impenetrable barrier in the canyon which, combined with our fatigue, caused us to turn back. It would have been nice if we had had GPS to know how far we had to go. Now comes the present day; we have GPS, and the idea strikes me – let’s try that east fork hike again. Armed with the coordinates of the camp, and those of the start of the trail up to the camp, we set out, full of vinegar. Alas, the rain storms of 2005 had completely washed away any remnants of the trail, and we found ourselves slugging it out over boulders and through dense forests of alder trees. It was exhausting and slow progress. We managed to go about 0.7 mile up the canyon from the Punchbowls. GPS said we had 1.18 miles to go to get to the trail up to the camp, and then probably another mile of hiking up to the camp. We were running out of time and stamina and so, decided to end the hike at 4.6 miles in. The trip to the Punchbowls is a very popular and fairly easy 4-mile hike. Beyond that, up the east fork, you won’t see another human being. That makes it a little scary, but there’s lots of water and beautiful scenery. This is not a trek to be taken lightly. You need to be a strong hiker. If you go, take plenty of water, don’t go alone, and let someone know where you’ve gone. If you want to feel like you’re away from civilization without going too far, then then hiking up the east fork of Santa Paula Canyon is for you.
Directions:
Park along highway 150, north of Santa Paula, at St. Thomas Aquinas College. You are not allowed to drive into the campus, but there are parking areas along both sides of the highway. Lock your car and don’t leave any valuables inside. The first part of the hike goes through the campus and past a ranch and oil fields. Shortly after the second group of oil wells, you will cross the stream and the real trail hiking begins. The trail is difficult to pick up at times, but if you look for the graffiti, you should be ok. Eventually you will make a final stream crossing where you will start a fairly steep climb up to Big Cone campground. Along this part of the trail, you will come to a washed out ravine with a steep descent and ascent (a result of the 2005 storms) that might be difficult for older people. After Big Cone camp, the trail descends to the stream below, If you’re smart, you’ll turn left at the bottom, or cross and go up the other side, to enjoy the Punchbowls. If you’re ready for a challenge, turn right and proceed up the east fork of Santa Paula canyon.
Trail to Big Cone Camp and The Punchbowls
Big Cone Camp, above Punchbowls
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Is that a recent picture of the punchbowls? Heard two rumors – first that the bowls were silted-up (no diving possible); second, that all the graffiti had been removed.
Both seem unlikely. But that’s what I heard.
Hi Phil,
I believe that photo was just taken last week. I’ll ask the person who was just there, who submitted the images and write up, and get back to you.
Ashley, Customer Service
Ashley, we didn’t go down close to the pool under the falls, since we were intent on going up the east fork, but there was a pool, and I saw people jumping in, pretty high off the rocks. As for the graffiti, that is a recent picture, and I didn’t notice any from that distance. I had read in the paper that it was going to be removed. Let’s hope so. Hope this helps. Scott
I tried this same hike last year. We bushwhacked a few miles and came to a dried up waterfall that was not passable. Could not find any trail up to Cienega. It seems like the only way there is over Santa Paula Peak. Has anybody ever been to Bluff Camp, near Bear Heaven?
Eric, my son and I many years ago hiked over S.P. Peak and camped out at Cienega. On that trip, we visited Bluff Camp and even walked a couple of miles beyond. Even then, the trail to Bluff was a little overgrown, but passable and easy to follow. What I remember most about Bluff Camp is the giant pine cones laying about. They were about a foot and a half long.
Do you remember if there was any water up at Bluff Camp? Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it.
I was replying to the post above where Scott says, “Eric, my son and I many years ago hiked over S.P. Peak and camped out at Cienega. On that trip, we visited Bluff Camp and even walked a couple of miles beyond.”
It’s been a while, but I don’t remember there being much water at Bluff Camp. I think there was a little pool at the base of a cleft, but I would not count on it. Definitely no flowing stream.
there is water near bluff camp…. and in most directions you walk will you find small out pourings of water. filter would be wise.
found this link
http://www.craigrcarey.net/2011/01/the-santa-paula-trifecta/
Hello,
I’m researching trails in the Los Padres National Forest. I was told that a trail named ‘Little Sur’ was losing access (either because of changes in land ownership or not being maintained). The description of the trail only says “It leads to access to the Sespe Wilderness by way of the Santa Paula Peak Trail, Cienega Trail Camp, and Bluff Trail Camp.” I can’t find any trail named Little Sur matching that description, but this Santa Paula Canyon, East Fork trails seems like it might. Can anyone confirm if this trail meets up with the Santa Paula Peak Trail and/or leads to those two campgrounds?
Thanks so much,
Not sure. We’ll ask around!
The Santa Paula East Fork Trail is designated 21W11 by the Forest Service It starts at the Santa Paula Canyon Trailhead at Thomas Aquinas College and goes to Cienega Camp onto Bluff Camp. The Santa Paula Peak trail is 21W16 and comes up Timber Canyon and ends at Cienega Camp where it turns into the 21W11. Both trails have trailheads on private land. I’ve never heard either of these trails referenced as “Little Sur”. There is a “Little Sur” trail in the Ventana Wilderness. Hope this helps.
I am not familiar with Little Sur trail. Just to reiterate, the trail (the one starting at St. Thomas Aquinas), beyond Big Cone camp, and going up the east fork of Santa Paula Canyon, is completely gone. As a point of interest, there is another interesting trail in the area which I’ve always called the Last Chance Trail because it goes through a camp of that name. The trail eventually leads to Topa Topa Bluff. It zigzags up the hill to the left, just beyond Cross Camp. I haven’t been there in a while, but my son said it looked like some work was going on to maintain it. Since it doesn’t follow the canyon floor, it has a better chance of surviving the rains. The trail over Santa Paula Peak used to be accessed going up Timber Canyon, but there’s been a locked gate there for several years now. It may be possible to get to it from Toland Road, but I’ve never tried it. Again, I would guess that this trail is still passable since it doesn’t follow any stream bed and the face of the peak is sparsly vegetated. This was always a fantastic hike. It’s a shame how these wonderful trails have been allowed to deteriorate over the years.
The Santa Paula Peak trail (21W16) is in great shape. It gets maintained by some locals. As far as getting past the gate, you probably need to know somebody who knows somebody. I think the Sierra Club gets back there a couple of times a year.
The East Fork Trail (21W11) is pretty much gone. I know people have made it to Cienega and Bluff using the East Fork Trail. It’s tough and nasty, but can be done. I recommend the SPP trail.
my friends and i attempted to hike up to SP Peak this past weekend.
we made it to big cone campground and continued on to the junction to go left down the hill to the punch bowls or go right. we went right. we ended up going roughly 7 miles back (from hwy 150) and turned around. can anyone describe to me where the “trail” turns to go up to SP Peak? we obviously missed it somewhere… do we have to go through big cone campground?
We’re asking around….hope to find someone who knows…
If you hiked 7 miles from Hwy 150, you probably went past the trail leading up out of the canyon to Cienega camp, and eventually to Santa Paula peak (you’ll come to a fork, left to Cienega, right to S.P. peak). I estimate that it’s about 6 miles to the trailhead, or approximately 2 miles up the east fork from Big Cone camp. I’d say it was a monumental achievement to go that far in that difficult terrain. If you’re really intent on doing this, I can give you my estimate of the coordinates for the trailhead leaving the East Fork creek. I obtained them from the MyTopo maps in the Gaia app for iphone (also available for Android), which shows the old trail. Be aware that it still may be difficult to find the trailhead because of all the flooding that has taken place over the years. As you proceed upstream, look for the trail on the right in the vicinity of coordinates: N34 26.833, W119 01.542
It may be possible that even if the trailhead is obscured, you may be able to see the trail coming down on the other side of the creek, which would give you a good indication that there’s a trail continuing up on the right. Good luck. If you go, I hope you post your results in this thread. Above all, be careful, and think about following the suggestions of others in this thread to approach S.P. peak from the south at Timber Canyon.
It’s been said in this thread before, the trail up to Cienega and SP Peak coming out of the SP East Fork is basically gone. If you are willing to do some serious bushwhacking you can try bulldozing it. Your best chance of getting to SP Peak is to read the Santa Barbara Sierra Club news letter and see when they have an organized trip up there. They can get access to the Timber Canyon Trailhead, it’s far easier than the East Fork route.
we have set a 2nd date of 11/5 to try and conquer this sneaky trail/hike.
Scott, i greatly appreciate your information.
if you have a little time at some point i would like ask you a couple more questions. my e-mail address is —- jjauregui@missionpro.com
thanks again…