Los Padres National Forest · California

Alder Creek

7.6 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 20W11 · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse

Trailhead Dough Flat Trailhead - Alder Creek Trail Drive there

Dough Flat Trailhead - Alder Creek Trail the Forest Service's write-up

Adventure Pass is not required for parking at the Dough Flat Trailhead. No fee to park.  · reservation required

Updated 11/1/2023 - The Dough Flat Trailhead/Alder Creek trail is open. The Dough Flat Rd is open all the way up to the Dough Flat TH.

General information: There is access to the Dough Flat Trailhead during the spring, summer and fall and is within the winter seasonal closure between approx. December 15th – April 30 th . When Dough Flat Road is dry, you can drive a 2WD vehicle on the road. During wet weather, 4WD is strongly advised. The road is a combination of dirt, gravel and pavement. The Dough Flat gate is locked from approx. December 15 - April 30. This closure adds 2 1/2 miles of additional hiking from where you park at the gate to the trailhead.

Alder Creek Trail (20W11)

Difficulty: moderate from trailhead to Cow Spring Camp; difficult to Shady Camp turnoff

From the Dough Flat Trailhead, you will enter the Sespe Wilderness within ¼ mile. Hike 2.5 miles north to the Bucksnort Trail Junction. Continue west one mile to reach Cow Spring Camp. Continue 3.2 miles down to Alder Creek Camp. The trail below Dripping Springs becomes narrow and sections of the tread have been destroyed from winter flooding. There are two campsites separated by the creek crossing. Continue west along the creek .8 miles to reach the junction with Sespe River Trail (20W13). Water is usually only available here during winter and spring.

Length: 7.5 miles

SESPE WILDERNESS - More information on the Sespe Wilderness: www.wilderness.net

Maps: Tom Harrison - Sespe Wilderness Map or 7.5 minute USGS topographic maps (Devils Heart Peak)

Take Highway 126 to Fillmore. Turn north on A Street/Goodenough Road and drive 14.1 miles to Dough Flat Trailhead. This is a narrow, rough road that is traveled by large oil trucks. Be very cautious en route to trailhead. Follow the road, being careful to stay on the main road, the side roads will take you to oil well pads. The Dough Flat parking area is adjacent to the public access corridor of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Los Padres National Forest

Other trails from the Dough Flat Trailhead - Alder Creek Trail

All 343 trails in Los Padres National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.