Los Padres National Forest · California

Rose Lion

1.6 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 22W16 · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 34.5334, -119.1823 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Rose-Lion Connector - 22W16 the Forest Service's write-up

An Adventure Pass is required to park at Piedra Blanca Trailhead/Sespe Creek Trail.  Rose Valley Campground and Middle Lion Campground are concession-managed by the Parks Management Company for the Forest Service. Camping is $30/night. Extra vehicle parking is $10/night. Day use in the campgrounds is $10/day. If you park outside of the campgrounds and walk in for day use or to access trails, there is no fee.

Rose-Lion Connector Trail (22W16)

Length: 1.6 miles

Difficulty: moderate

This trail connects the Rose Valley Campground with the Lion Canyon Trail (22W06). The junction is 1.3 miles south of Middle Lion Campground. This trail gives hikers wonderful views northward toward Pine Mountain and provides access to the camps and waterfalls in Lion Canyon. Parking is alongside the road near the Rose Valley Campground.

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Los Padres National Forest

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.