Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Kids Hike Idea please

does anyone know anywhere maybe within 2 hour drive
of Thousand Oaks (101 west of LA) that
I could take my son to hike and camp...

we are looking for something were we could hike ,,,,,set camp,,,,,
then hike....set camp.... and loop back the third day to the car.

he is only 10,,,,, so I am thinking maybe day one... less than 8
miles...day two maybe 12 miles...then short like 5 miles
to the car....

I thought
maybe there is something up around Ojai areas so
I thought I would ask

please feel free to email me cause I don't check this board often
Jdesey@gmail.com

i hike/backpack with my kids quite often...i live in los angeles.
my kids are 12,11, and 5. some spots that are fun and easy that are pretty close.

1] east fork of the san gabriel river....great swimming holes and you have many choicesof great camp sites right on the river
the bridge to nowhere is a fun place towatch people bungee and beyond that there are more secluded campsites...

2] santa paula canyon......fun to swim on a hot summer night with a full moon

3]chantry flats loop.....1st night at spruce grove second at hoegees....maybe squeeze in a hike up to mt wilson.

4] if you are willing to drive a little bit more one of my older kids favorites spots is hetch hetchy and campout at rancheria falls...cool spot

5] last but not least....ice house canyon...with a night at cedar glen then next night at kellys camp with a summit of ontarioor/and bighorn peak....i like this place

oh shit...i also forgot the san gorgonio wilderness....good luck and happy trails

This is supposed to be a great hike! Going to take my 18 year old and his friends in a couple weeks.

California's Sespe Wilderness
A roadless wonder in California's Los Padres Wilderness.

by: Brett Pauly

Unlike most waterways in the United States, Sespe Creek still flows undammed and crystal clear through one of the nation's largest roadless areas, the 220,000-acre Sespe Wilderness in Los Padres National Forest. A vigorous grassroots campaign to "Keep the Sespe Wild" led to the creek's wild and scenic designation in 1992, and the slogan is now a victory banner on Ventura County car bumpers.

There is much worth saving in this southern California wilderness: sheer gorges, cool pools, hot springs, parched badlands, barren chaparral, chalky sandstone with bizarre outcroppings, aboriginal petroglyphs, pine-spattered peaks, and a variety of wildlife, including bears and bobcats. It all adds up to limitless possibilities for trekking in an untamed land that's just a short drive from Los Angeles.

TRAILS: There are 18 trails offering a total of 136 miles of hiking. The 11-mile Alder Creek Trail from Dough Flat to Sespe Hot Springs is exceptionally mouthwatering. A short bushwhack away from the lazy-flowing Sespe leads into Hot Springs Canyon and a sulfur-scented nirvana.

DIFFICULTY RATING: Moderate; elevation, 2,225 to 3,700 feet.

WHERE: The Alder Creek trailhead is only 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles, but allow 21/2 hours driving time for traffic and bumpy back roads. Take I-5 north to CA 126 west; turn north in Fillmore on A Street-Goodenough Road for 141/2 jolting miles (high clearance or 4WD vehicle is recommended).

MAPS: Overview of Sespe/Ojai District Trails ($1.07), USGS quadrangle Devils Heart Peak, and Los Padres National Forest Map ($4.29 each) available from Ojai Ranger District (see address at right; make check payable to "LPIA").

CONTACT: Ojai Ranger District, 1190 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, CA 93023; (805) 646-4348. User fee: $5 per day/per vehicle, $30 per season/per vehicle; free campfire permit required. ($4.29 each) available from Ojai Ranger District (see address at right; make check payable to "LPIA").

There are places north of Ojai that may meet your requirements, but the Day fire destroyed a lot of wilderness several years ago so you may want to check with the ranger station.

The Middle Fork of Lytle Creek is a good choice for beginners. There are a lot of people around...if there is water in SoCal there are people. Hike out to Third Stream Camp as a base camp. There is a really cool water fall that you can hike back to just east of the camp. Second day, hike up to Icehouse Saddle and if you have enough energy up to Timber Mountain.

Also, with Angeles Crest Highway open, you can head out to Little Jimmy Campground from Islip Saddle with its outhouses and water. The following day you can do the ridge crawl over as far as Mt. Badden-Powell.