Sespe bpack trip - Upper Reyes Trail Camp

MattCav · Post by **MattCav** » Sat Jun 15, 2013 12:28 am

Some friends and I hit Upper Reyes from Lockwood Valley for the last 2 nights. Conditions were great - a little buggy and hot as heck, but plenty of water for filtering/drinking. If you haven't ever done Upper Reyes and are looking for a good place of seclusion that isn't too far from LA (2 hrs drive), check it out.
I've got some pix and that jazz here if you're interested. http://summitascents.com/2013/06/15/6-1 ... pack-trip/

tpfishnfool · Post by **tpfishnfool** » Sat Jun 15, 2013 12:04 pm

Great pics. I love the upper sespe. Used to hike in from lions gate camp grounds and fish the native rainbows. My memories also remind me of the many snakes we used to encounter on our hikes in that area in the spring/summer. I need to clalender a trip for this fall up on the sepse.

Thanks for sharing your trip.
TP

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Sat Jun 15, 2013 7:45 pm

Nice matt. That's a trip I've been wanting to make. Nice to here there is still flowing water at Reyes.

MattCav · Post by **MattCav** » Sat Jun 15, 2013 9:44 pm

Thanks guys! Rico - there was also water at Bear Trap for what its worth.

Phil B · Post by **Phil B** » Sun Jun 16, 2013 8:09 am

That's an informative report Mattcav, to be honest I had not heard of the Upper Reyes Trail before, is there an Upper Reyes Peak? if so how far out from the trailhead is it?
Phil

MattCav · Post by **MattCav** » Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:49 am

Hey Phil - There is a Reyes Peak that is quite a bit further down the trail. I've never been up to it and I think most people usually visit it via a drive up Pine Mountain Road. However, that road is closed right now. It's supposed to be a good view at the top of Reyes with a bunch of fun bouldering underneath it. I know there are some TR's of it if you google Reyes.

palmeredhackle · Post by **palmeredhackle** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:09 pm

Hey dude, I'm a little confused. My friend and I overnighted at Beartrap 6/11-6/12 and your report says some of you went up to Beartrap?

We didn't see anyone with us at Beartrap that night, but I think that we went through your camp at Upper Reyes on our way out wednesday morning. Sorry if we woke any of you guys. You had a slackline in the first area and a bunch of tents under the oak tree across the creek right?

Quite a big group you guys have!

MattCav · Post by **MattCav** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:28 pm

Hey palmeredhackle!
There were 17 of us... definitely a big group! Some of the group dayhiked into beartrap on the 12th (Wed) afternoon. Did you see them when they hiked into b/t? I'm guessing we just missed each other.
How was BT?

palmeredhackle · Post by **palmeredhackle** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:30 pm

Ah makes much more sense. No we left early in the AM of Wednesday. Too bad you guys were all still sleeping, we could've introduced ourselves!

BT was pretty nice, there is only water in i'd say about 200 yards of the creek. If you go upstream much it disappears and the same goes for going downstream. It's a sad year for water down here.

MattCav · Post by **MattCav** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:32 pm

One thing we noticed was that our water level fluctuated drastically near Reyes. Throughout the first day, it went down from maybe6 inches at its deepest to 3." Pot farm?

palmeredhackle · Post by **palmeredhackle** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:33 pm

Wow that's freaky.

I have no clue what that's all about but I doubt it's a grow op. I've come across two both in the SB mountains and they tend to just have piping going straight away from the creek so theoretically it should just take the same amount of water all the time but who knows?

Beantown · Post by **Beantown** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:07 pm

I love it up there. I have done the genemarshall piedra blanca trail a handful of times. I've hike the reyes peak trail into haddock camp where it intersects, that is a wonderful hike and great views along the ridge. Shorro Grande is another hike up since the road is closed up to pine mountain / reyes peak. it may be hot now though for that one.

I've camped at bear trap, haddock, three mile and pine mountain lodge, and if you know where the real pine mountain lodge camp is off the trail its even better. have not been up there since march or april I forgot when I went last but it must be getting dry. can't wait for next year. this winter I want to try and snow camp at bear trap.

tarol · Post by **tarol** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:46 pm

Hey can anybody tell me recent trail conditions for this area? Thinking about hiking from Reyes Creek to Piedra Blanca over the course of 3 days - car shuttle required, of course. Camping at Bear Trap one night and Pine Mountain Lodge Camp the second. Any pointers for finding the real PMLC and water in that area? Thanks in advance!

VermillionPearlGirl · Post by **VermillionPearlGirl** » Wed Nov 05, 2014 9:04 am

I'd give the rangers a call for sure. I was in the lower Sespe area last weekend and even after the rain it was dry dry dry (also, it was a giant rock mess after the rain, the roads too, so you may want to check on that as well). With an occasional gross stagnant pool of water. I imagine the situation is a little better in the upper?

I've been to the Piedra Blanca area fairly recently and dry dry dry. Literally nothing.

bsmith · Post by **bsmith** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 9:38 am

tarol wrote: ↑Any pointers for finding the real PMLC and water in that area? Thanks in advance!

10.29.14 - there was s l o w water flow filling small pools at the entrance to the pine mtn lodge camp located at the junction of the gene marshall / piedra blanca national recreation trail. i did not follow the drainage upwards to the source.

real pml = pass by the pml described above and head towards the piedra blanca trailhead. you will very soon, on your left, pass by a large, recently cut tree that was blocking the trail. very shortly, on your right hand side, you will see a 2" - 3" round, steel pipe that protrudes from the ground about 5 feet and is bent at an angle. if you miss it you shouldn't be hiking. turn off trail here and head down drainage. you will be on and will see the use trail. follow to the camp. there's a bench and stove / grill - but no open fires, please.

next water is about 2 miles down (1800' elevation loss) the gm/pbnrc at the bottom of the hill after the trail levels off. lots of water at both twin forks and piedra blanca camps. sespe is dry.

tarol · Post by **tarol** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 11:14 am

thanks very much for the info!

tarol · Post by **tarol** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 4:55 pm

So our trip was good - we hiked from Reyes Creek to Piedra Blanca, camping one night at Bear Trap and the next at Pine Mountain Lodge. It's a challenging hike not for the inexperienced. But it is gorgeous wild unspoiled country. Except for a couple of hunters and a couple of lost trail runners we saw near Bear Trap we had the trail to ourselves.

There was water in Reyes Creek near the camp, at Bear Trap, about 5 spots in the two miles of trail south of Bear Trap, about 4 spots between Haddock and Three Mile, at PML, at Piedra Blanca Spring, at Twin Forks, and at Piedra Blanca Camp.

A bit of a bushwack in upper Bear Trap Creek and the head of the canyon is a very steep narrow sketchy eroded out trail. A bit of poison oak to contend downstream from Piedra Blanca Spring. But nothing we couldn't manage.

Beantown · Post by **Beantown** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 12:36 pm

Absolutely love that trail, I've done it a few times now over the years. Just read your trip report on your site, amazed you said there was bear scat all over bear trap. I've never seen any there. Did you see the dead bear bones in the canyon past bear trap? Its been there for years now. My favorite part is from top of the canyon before haddock to 3 mile. I've been at 3 mile when the creek is roaring where when you drop down into the camp. 3 mile is my favorite place to camp when there is water. The reyes peak trail to haddock is also a really good hike too, and the chorro grande.