Los Padres National Forest

Springtime, Figueroa Mountain, Santa Lucia Ranger Distict

Dolan Fire Closure - Monterey Ranger District

Dolan Fire Closure MAP- closed roads, trails and campgrounds
Forest Order 05-07-51-21-02 Dolan Fire Area Closure Order This Order is effective from January 22, 2021 through May 21, 2021
Monterey Ranger District/Big Sur Important Information

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) 385-5434 ext. 0
Mt. Pinos Ranger District in Frazier Park – (661) 556-6110

Popular Recreation Activities

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

A Note About Outdoor Recreation

Outdoor recreation can be beneficial for your health but must be practiced safely. We recommend exercising close to your home and complying with local and state guidance for not traveling for your recreation needs. If an area is crowded, please search for a less occupied location. Stay safe. For more on avoiding COVID-19, visit www.coronavirus.gov.

Features

Figueroa Wildflower Update for April 2, 2021

Happy Spring of 2021!

Much like last year, the wildflowers are off to a late start, and more than likely ‘short lived’ due to a fairly dry winter. The rain we had came in January/February and pretty much all at once, which is really not ideal for wildflowers. The flowers, which we normally start seeing in late January and early February, are the ones in bloom at this time and there’s not very many of them. Grass Mountain is bare…while it has some grass on it, it was not fully covered and there are no blooms on it whatsoever. There are some poppies blooming throughout the mountain, not in large patches but rather in small clumps and mostly lightly scattered. The only place where the poppies are quite prolific is at Chicken Springs on Happy Canyon.

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.