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Judell Trail - Los Padres National Forest
Trail Distance 4.90 Miles

The Judell Trail descends from Santa Barbara Potrero into the San Rafael Wilderness to its terminus at the junction with the Sisquoc Trail. The trail has seen quite a bit of LPFA and VWR attention after the 2007 Zaca Fire but sees little traffic. As a result you should expect the trail to be very followable but overgrown in places. There are a few large washouts as you get closer to the Sisquoc but they have established reroutes that you can follow to get around them. The trail is very scenic and well designed. If you like trail design, this has it all from switchbacks to narrow gorges, cree crossings and big views. The upper part of the trail is regularly damaged by stock grazing and can make finding the start of the trail difficult. From the spring trough at Oak Spring, head west to the far side of the canyon and look for the tread dropping from that side. After a short ways you'll find the trail proper and from there you are off and running. Cattle follow the trail for the first mile or so into the canyon but stop after that, just about where you pass the wilderness sign. Speaking of the wilderness sign, it is a beauty. The sign along Judell is 'bearly' readable anymore due to the bear scratches that proliferate all over the sign. Very cool sign!

Judell is a great canyon, a very scenic with a wild feel and best of all it takes you to the splendor that is the Upper Sisquoc. It's a must for any Los Padres explorer. Make it happen!

Trail Details

Trail #: 26W05
Wilderness Area: San Rafael
County: Santa Barbara County
Ranger District: Santa Lucia Ranger District
Trail-head Latitude: 34.77666
Trail-head Longitude: -119.64381
Water Sources: Water is usually available at Oak Spring, which is located at the top of the Judell Trail. Oak Spring can go dry during the summer or drought years. Water flows through Judell Canyon during the wet months. The Sisquoc is reliable for water.
Trail Condition: Bad - Trail may require some bushwhacking and/or searching for markers due to potential sub standard trail conditions
Topo Maps:
Big Pine Mountain

Activities & Features:

Backpacking
Creek
Horseback Riding
Hunting
River
Spring
Wildlife Viewing
Wilderness Camping

Trail Stats

Total Elevation Gain: + 886 feet.
Total Elevation Loss: - 2561 feet.
Overall Average Slope Gain: + 10 %.
Overall Average Slope Loss: - 11 %.
Kilometers: (km)
Meters: (m)
Miles: (mi)
Feet: (ft)
Average Slope: (%)

Trail Camps

Heath Camp, located at the junction of the Judell and Sisquoc Trails

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Survey This Trail

Survey Photos:

Hike Los Padres - 04-06-2015
Hike Los Padres - 04-06-2015
Hike Los Padres - 04-06-2015
Hike Los Padres - 04-06-2015
Hike Los Padres - 04-06-2015
LKasko - 09-05-2015
LKasko - 09-05-2015
LKasko - 09-05-2015
LKasko - 09-05-2015
Los Padres Forest Association - 04-26-2015
Los Padres Forest Association - 04-26-2015
Los Padres Forest Association - 04-26-2015
Los Padres Forest Association - 04-26-2015
Los Padres Forest Association - 04-26-2015
Sonia Connors - 03-28-2016
Sonia Connors - 03-28-2016
Sonia Connors - 03-28-2016
Sonia Connors - 03-28-2016
Mark LaFevers - 05-20-2016
Mark LaFevers - 05-20-2016
Mark LaFevers - 05-20-2016
Mark LaFevers - 05-20-2016
Duane Waite - 07-04-2017
Los Padres Forest Association - 12-03-2017
Los Padres Forest Association - 12-03-2017
Los Padres Forest Association - 12-03-2017
Steve Cypher - 06-18-2018
Steve Cypher - 06-18-2018
Anonymous Surveyor - 03-11-2022
Anonymous Surveyor - 03-11-2022
Anonymous Surveyor - 03-11-2022
Anonymous Surveyor - 03-11-2022
Anonymous Surveyor - 03-11-2022
Jimmy Cooper - 06-03-2023

Submitted Trail Reports

Judell Trail Survey - 03-11-2022 - by Anonymous Surveyor

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	03-11-2022
Surveyor Name:	Anonymous Surveyor
Trail description:	Oak spring was dry. Didn’t see any cattle but as the trail description states it is a bit torn up. Many dry creek crossings. Lower on the trail there was some ponded/slowly flowing water. I’d only refill a bottle in the Sisquoc River. No wildflowers. No wilderness sign. A new trail sign was present up on the road. I’d recommend going down the trail and not up.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow
Images:

Judell Trail Survey - 01-11-2020 - by Stephen S

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	01-11-2020
Surveyor Name:	Stephen S
Trail description:	Hiked down and back up for an overnight at Cottonwood and there were probably a dozen downed trees along Judell trail. Some were small and able to be hopped over with others being quite large and bushy making us go off the trail in order to get around. The trail itself was in good shape and was easy to follow. The new wilderness sign posted by LPFA in 2017 looks like the one posted by Duane earlier in 2017 and is mostly destroyed again.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Judell Trail Survey - 11-24-2019 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	11-24-2019
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	Got a report from a backpacker who spent 4 days along the Upper Sisquoc and came in via Judell and SB Potrero.Â The quick report: - One downed tree on Judell but otherwise in great shape and easy to follow. - Three downed trees on the Sisquoc all in the Cottonwood vicinity. - Sisquoc Trail from Judell down to Skunk in good shape and easy to follow. - Water in the Sisquoc at all locations. - Didn't see a soul but lots of bear signs and tracks.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Judell Trail Survey - 10-13-2019 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	10-13-2019
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	LPFA weekend volunteers spent some time clearing the Judell Trail. Judell was hot and swarms of little black flies were quite annoying. A large 12 inch diameter branch, fell from an oak across the trail at -119.67593 34.74309 (WGS84). It is lying flat on the ground so it isnâ€™t much of an obstruction now that we cut away the smaller branches. We cleared perennial shrubs at various places where they were becoming obstacles. We also did concerted brushing on the quarter mile of trail that was most overgrown.Â The trails were in good shape overall. Shrubs are already starting to grow back. A quick pass to trim ambitious shrubs and grub sprouting staubs would go a long way toward slowing the invasion of new growth over the long term.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Judell Trail Survey - 06-18-2018 - by Steve Cypher

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	06-18-2018
Surveyor Name:	Steve Cypher
Trail description:	The week after Duane's survey a TrailSmith led project did significant work on this trail. The thick brush and poison oak sections were blown out by the crew. This is still a brushy trail, poison oak is going to be an issue, there's some narrow tread on hillsides, and the meadows at the top will never have an obvious hiker path. But the trail is now good for stock and it won't be a bushwhack for a while.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow
Images:	Volunteer trail crew work on middle section of Judell Trail. Volunteer trail crew work on middle section of Judell Trail.

Judell Trail Survey - 06-10-2018 - by Duane Waite

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	06-10-2018
Surveyor Name:	Duane Waite
Trail description:	After my misadventure last year where I attempted to descend the Judell after dark, I decided to hike down in the day. Turns out, it's a lot easier! The top third is lousy with converging and diverging cow paths, but once you cross into the wilderness those go away. The middle third needs brushing, particularly the poison oak, but the tread is solid. The bottom third has been reworked and it shows. If you don't mind full sun exposure, you will have no problem with the trail. There is a trail camp 15-30 minutes downhill from the wilderness sign. Water is present, but it was iffy. I used two chlorine tablets per liter of water to make sure it was purified. All in all, it took me three hours to descend the trail from the potreros to the Sisquoc River and 3 1/2 to go back up. Literally rubbing tech-nu over all exposed parts of my body saved me from a severe poison oak rash. Word to the wise.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	Diverging cow paths and poison oak, but followable.

Judell Trail Survey - 05-21-2018 - by Nate

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	05-21-2018
Surveyor Name:	Nate
Trail description:	Â The trail is in a very beautiful area, but it is not easy to access with the gate near Dry Canyon locked. It added an additional 11 miles to our trip, which is pretty inconvenient. A 9 mile hike down the Judell wound up being over 20 miles. Â Â Â Â About 2 miles down the Judell, the trail starts to get pretty overgrown with poison oak and sage. I bushwacked what I could along the way, but a lot more work would be needed by a crew to clear the trail completely. The Judell creek is stagnant in the upper portion, but flowing in others. The Sisquoc River is flowing nicely at the bottom Â Â
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work

Judell Trail Survey - 05-09-2018 - by Jeff Wheelwright

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	05-09-2018
Surveyor Name:	Jeff Wheelwright
Trail description:	Excellent recent maintenance. There is some damage at creek and wash crossings from hooves of stock parties. Poison oak beginning to encroach again but only at the middle section. Glorious flowering shrubs as of early May: whitebark ceanothus, bush poppies, prickly phlox, blue witch, lupine, clematis. Nice to see big cone spruce here and there. The Zaca fire must have burned hot in here, because several tall oaks and conifers were turned into skeletons, but the recovery is almost complete. Water in the creek should be sporadically available for another month.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Judell Trail Survey - 12-03-2017 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	12-03-2017
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	LPFA led a three day trail maintenance project down the Judell Trail from December 1-3, 2017.Â We were joined by Ventura based Scout Troop 111 and Mt Pinos Ranger District Volunteers.Â We accomplished solid trail work covering the top half of the trail, approx 2.5 miles.Â Work included removing downed trees from the trail corridor, extensive brushing, tread repair, proactive felling of hazard trees and the installation of a new San Rafael Wilderness sign (see photo).Â The bear seem to REALLY love the wilderness signs in this canyon, lets hope this one fares better than the previous ones and we get at least a decade of use from it.Â
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Images:	Trail restoration along the upper portion of the Judell, photo Subbotin Looking sweet! You can see the flood debris from the Summer 2015 storms in the drainage, photo Subbotin BAM, new wilderness sign, photo Subbotin

Judell Trail Survey - 07-04-2017 - by Duane Waite

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	07-04-2017
Surveyor Name:	Duane Waite
Trail description:	Ignorance is bliss. I'm one of those people who enjoys hiking at night, so I wasn't too concerned when I headed out to SB Canyon from LA in late afternoon instead of early in the morning as I'd planned. After a hike up Sierra Madre Road, I arrived at the trail head as the sun was setting. I had hiked the trail several years before, but with the recent storms, finding the trail through the washouts and overgrowth in increasing darkness became more and more difficult as I descended. By the time I made it to the wilderness sign, I knew there was no way I could continue, even with my bright headlamp and trail finding skills. After 45 minutes, I I turned back at the bear clawed wilderness sign. It took me nearly two hours to find my way back up the maze of trails, washouts and blind turns to the trail head. At midnight, I laid out my tent right there on Sierra Madre Road and thought to myself, "a misadventure is still an adventure." About a billion coyotes howled, barked and yipped the rest of the night in response.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Hard to follow
Condition details:	Aborted attempt to hike down the Judell at night. But I will be back (when the sun's out!)
Images:	Turnaround Point

Judell Trail Survey - 05-20-2016 - by Mark LaFevers

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	05-20-2016
Surveyor Name:	Mark LaFevers
Trail description:	Blind footing in much of the upper trail in tall grass, just turning brown. The Spring is dry, water is flowing at crossings about 3 miles down. From mile 2.5 down, half a dozen tree falls await sawyers, and a solid wall of poison oak requires dropping off trail into the creek to bypass. The rockslide and deep wash areas are passable to hikers, but the trail is hard to follow in sections for heavy ovegrowth and little apparent use. Despite the thigh high contact with brush the three of us picked up only two ticks between Santa Barbara Potrero and Heath Camp. No snakes, lots of bear scat from mile 3 down to Heath and beyond to Mansfield. Lots of poison oak on the Sisquoc Trail between the camps down stream to Skunk Camp, but passable, campsites in good condition with clearing tools in place at some. The Sisquoc is flowing and the pools at Cottonwood Camp are particularly nice. We enjoyed a 2 1/2 hour hike between S.B. Potrero and Heath, and 4 1/2 hours on the uphill leg between Cottonwood and S.B. Potrero, in mild temperatures high 70s and breezes.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	3 days 2 nights backpack
Images:	Tall grass Detour to bypass poison oak Water at crossings in lower half Lots of widlflowers

Judell Trail Survey - 03-28-2016 - by Sonia Connors

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	03-28-2016
Surveyor Name:	Sonia Connors
Trail description:	Upper half of trail was in excellent shape. Â Green grasses and wildflowers abundant, as well as plenty of bear scat and a rattler. Â Occasional water in creek in the lower half. Â There is an established campsite about half way down (we named it Hail Flat because is was hailing while we stayed there). Â Lower half has a few sections of fallen trees and overgrown poison oak. Â Watch out for the alluring sandy creek bed - I sunk thigh deep in "quick sand" !!!
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow
Images:	Upper Judell Rattlesnake on upper Judell Hail Flat Campground (we named this) Judell Trail sign from Heath Camp

Judell Trail Survey - 04-26-2015 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	04-26-2015
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	April 2015 The LPFA hosted a 10-day Working Vacation to work the Judell and Upper Sisquoc Trails. Â We spent 3 days on the Judell making it stock passable. Â Cleared trees, removed a few slides and brushed to make it passable and to standard. Â The trail is in great shape, especially after having stock traveling up and down the trail at least half a dozen times over the 10 days.
Mode of transport:	Array
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow
Images:	Top of Judell, outside the wilderness Best San Rafael sign Trail along a higher section above the creek The famous Judell oak Switchbacks into Rattlesnake Alley

Judell Trail Survey - 09-05-2015 - by LKasko

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	09-05-2015
Surveyor Name:	LKasko
Trail description:	Beautiful trail! Thanks for all the maintenance. No trouble following the trail; had to look around from Oak Spring (dry) but picked out the trail easily. Good signs. Walked down the canyon on Saturday, Sept 5, and back up on Monday, Sept 7. At Heath camp found good water in a fairly deep pool (about 1 foot+ deep) about 100 yds downstream from Heath. There was also scummy water in the Judell canyon, most noticeably at the 4th trail crossing of the canyon stream north of Heath camp (photo below.)
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow
Images:	Judell Canyon water at 4th trail crossing north of Heath Camp. Small amount but plenty for a good filter. Same as above: Judell Canyon water at 4th crossing north of Heath. Judell Canyon: some water, shallow, a short distance farther north than previous photos, visible from trail. Photo of the Judell Canyon while walking the trail.

Judell Trail Survey - 04-06-2015 - by Hike Los Padres

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	04-06-2015
Surveyor Name:	Hike Los Padres
Trail description:	TheÂ trail was difficult to find, but we have hiked it and rode it many times, so we knew where to go. Our first obstacle was at the junction of the Sierra Madre Road with the Judell Trailhead (Function Junction!).Â There is a pretty deep gully in the jeepway that would be extremely difficult for trucks and horse trailers to get down. It goes for about 200 ft before it evens out to a drivable road.Â This would be a fairly easy fix with a few volunteers and the right tools. The trail is very overgrown and needs lots of brushing, the tread is questionable in many spots, especially along the high trails and switchbacks,and there are at least 5 bigger trees that require a cross-cut saw prior toÂ Heath camp.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Hard to follow
Condition details:	Judell has not been used for many months.
Images:	Tread typical of the middle oak filled section of the Judell Some rutting that needs to be fixed, yes that is the trail Gets brushy in sections but is followable The large washout along the lower section. Work needed. The boulder field section just after the trail goes high on the west side.

Judell Trail Survey - 03-09-2015 - by Nico

Link:	Judell Trail
Date:	03-09-2015
Surveyor Name:	Nico
Trail description:	Didn't see any running water at Oak Spring, just a little bit of standing water in the trough. Intermittent sections of flowing water along the lower half of Juddell Canyon; upper half was completely dry. Didn't look like the trail has seen too many feet in the recent past. Â Trail was a little brushy but easy enough to follow. Â There are about 20 tree falls across the trail, most can be handled with a handsaw but there's two or three larger trees laying across the trail that will require a sawyer team. All in all, it was a nice walk.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	Trail is a little brushy; some sections could use some tread work. Lots of tree falls.

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Last Updated: Monday, February 22, 2016

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