Los Padres National Forest

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Current Fire Restrictions

Current Fire Restrictions

Visiting National Forests

Please avoid visiting national forests if you are sick and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Follow CDC guidance on personal hygiene and social distancing before and during your visit to the forest.

If an area is crowded, move to a less occupied location. Also consider avoiding the forest during high-use periods.

Virtual Services

The Los Padres National Forest's Supervisor's Office (Forest Headquarters) and ranger stations have moved to virtual services. You can access our forest maps at https://www.fs.fed.us/ivm/. If you need immediate assistance or have any questions, please call the phone numbers listed below:

Supervisor’s Office in Solvang – (805) 448-6487
Santa Barbara Ranger District – (805) 448-3648
Santa Lucia Ranger District in Santa Maria – (805) 865-0416
Ojai Ranger District in Ojai – (805) 448-4710
Monterey Ranger District in King City – (831) 242-0619
Mt. Pinos Ranger District in Frazier Park – (661) 805-1057

Popular Recreation Activities

We have lots more information about recreation opportunities across the forest!

Features

Rose Valley Creek Restoration Project

Many public resources and cultural values take place at Rose Valley Creek. Stream and habitat restoration is being proposed for Southern California steelhead and other federally protected wildlife. Along with stream restoration, floodplain function, water-holding properties, riparian vegetation, are expected to increase. Benefits to recreational opportunities and public resources will continue. Read more...

Rose Valley Creek Project News Release

May 13, 2021 Rose Valley Creek Restoration Project Public Workshop Video Recording

Mount Pinos Forest Health and Fuels Reduction Project

On April 7, Los Padres National Forest announced a plan to protect areas of the Mount Pinos Ranger District that are at risk to overstocking and the devastating impacts from disease and insect infestation. This forest health project was initially shared with the public in late 2019 during an open house and field visit to the project area. In 2006 public collaboration began when the project was listed in the Mount Pinos Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

The Mount Pinos Forest Health Project is located within a federally designated Insect and Disease Treatment Area where declining forest health conditions put the area at risk for substantial tree mortality over the next 15 years. In the 2014 Farm Bill, Congress authorized the U.S. Forest Service to prioritize work in these designated areas, and to expeditiously plan and implement projects to address the risk posed by insect and disease outbreaks.

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Spotlights

Crews Take Mule Train into Sespe

Pack Stock Center of Excellence on the Piedra Blanca Trail - April 2021

On April 14, 2021, two strings of pack mules of eight animals apiece left a trailhead north of Ojai, carrying tools and supplies for a major trail project in the Sespe Wilderness.

Region 5 Pack Stock Center of Excellence

Watch this short video to learn more about the Pacific Southwest Region’s Pack Stock Center of Excellence and how horses and mules have been used in the agency since its inception.