Sellers Potrero Trail - Los Padres National Forest
Trail Distance 5.43 Miles

Submitted Trail Reports

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 01-26-2024 - by Ryan

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	01-26-2024
Surveyor Name:	Ryan
Trail description:
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Non existent
Images:	3 miles of crawling under manzanita and scrub oak branches on our hands and knees. It took us an hour to go one mile. Here's a photo of "the trail" The hike had these huge washed out sections where we had to climb down an eroded cliff and back up the other side to follow the trail. Another photo of the trail

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 04-12-2022 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	04-12-2022
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	LPFA Trail Crew worked the northern side of the Sellers Potrero Trail from the Salinas up Sellers proper. Work included tread, brushing and clearing downed trees. The trail south of Sellers proper should be open but likely involves the usual poison oak patches and narrow creek crossings.
Mode of transport:	Array
Trail condition:	Needs some work

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 03-26-2021 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	03-26-2021
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	LPFA Trail Crew in conjunction with SLOPOST cleared the Sellers Trail from the junction of Trout Creek out to Sellers Potrero. All trees were cleared as well as a large amount of brush. There remain brushy sections, especially above Balm of Gilead but the trail is stock passable and in better shape than it's been in a few years.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 04-14-2021 - by JB

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	04-14-2021
Surveyor Name:	JB
Trail description:	Enjoyed a fantastic ride along this wonderful trail in early spring during a drought year. Wildflowers present. Sign for Buckeye Camp is down, broken, leaned up against some rocks but easy enough to miss. Needs replacing. Quite overgrown in long stretches, gave abundant ticks extra easy access to us. If there was any signage for Balm of Gilead, we missed it. Minimal water at creek crossings, largely still.
Mode of transport:	Array
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	Needs serious brushing, lots of ticks, otherwise great trail

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 03-06-2021 - by Steve Cypher

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	03-06-2021
Surveyor Name:	Steve Cypher
Trail description:	Trail from wilderness boundary on Salinas River is good to Sellers Potrero. A large oak is across the trail headed down to the creek bed. The trail travels through some intense poison oak patches on the way to Balm of Gilead but also passes some nice open grassy spots to camp. The world must have been much different when Balm of Gilead was a good place to camp. It's consumed by poison oak and I've never seen water there. The trail is much brushier crossing the ridge and following a creek towards the Trout Creek Trail. Lots of pushing through tall vegetation including poison oak. Some good water flowing in that section. The trail leaves the creek and traverses the mountainside and is in pretty good shape except for one large log across.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Condition details:	Rough remote trail

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 03-10-2019 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	03-10-2019
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	The LPFA in conjunction with SLOPOST spent a few days clearing downed trees from along the Sellers Potrero Trail.  In total we cleared approx a dozen trees from the Salinas River out to the flats above Buckeye Camp.  We also spot fixed some false-tread sections and brushed a few of the crossings that were getting overgrown and hard to figure out.  The trail is certainly narrow in spots but is holding up nicely after the work that was accomplished in 2017.  Lots of water, lots of green; very lush trail for the spring time.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Images:	Map view showing where we worked. A before picture of one of the downed trees. Certain areas looked like something out of an Irish Spring commercial. Signs of motorcycles in the wilderness. The Ledges, nuff said.

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 1-17-2017 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	1-17-2017
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	LPFA surveyed the Sellers Potrero Trail in January 2017 in advance of scheduled trail work in March 2017.  There were an abundance of downed trees along the trail, some washouts and an extensive slide along the "Ledges".  Plenty of water, very beautiful but you can tell this part of the forest doesn't see a lot of visitors.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work
Images:	Garcia Wilderness sign, Avenales Ranch trailhead Sellers Potrero Trail, Sellers Potrero Major slide on the Ledges section View up at the Ledges Junction Sellers and Caldwell Trail

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 03-17-2017 - by Los Padres Forest Association

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	03-17-2017
Surveyor Name:	Los Padres Forest Association
Trail description:	LPFA coordinated trail work along the extent of the Sellers Potrero Trail in March 2017.  All trees and slides were cleared by a combination of trail crews working both from the Caldwell and Avenales side of the trail.  It was stock passable.Â
Mode of transport:	Array
Trail condition:	Good shape and easy to follow

Sellers Potrero Trail Survey - 10-19-2016 - by Mike Splain

Link:	Sellers Potrero Trail
Date:	10-19-2016
Surveyor Name:	Mike Splain
Trail description:	Since the (apparently) older route that ascends the nose of the ridge below Sellers Potrero isn't given mention here, I'll start with that description & then move on to the Sellers Potrero Trail proper. Section- Wilderness boundary to Sellers Potrero Trail- This route, apparently an abandoned jeep road, alternates between open &very brushy, but is never very hard to follow. A few downed trees complicate progress, but the tread is always easily discernible. Section- Sellers Potrero Trail from Wilderness boundary to junction of (historic?) trail described above- Trails is generally in excellent condition, with some encroaching vegetation & a bit of deadfall. Minimal restoration needed, but all could likely be accomplished with loppers & a small hand saw. Section- aforementioned junction to Balm of Gilead Camp- Trail is generally in good condition, but 3 downed oaks force detours. As I recall, all are large enough to necessitate crosscut saws for removal. Some brushing would be helpful here & there as well. Once in the canyon, poison oak abounds; Balm of Gilead Camp was basically bone dry, save for a tiny puddle of standing water (& this was just after a heavy rain). Campfire ring needs hazard reduction to clear vegetation & dry grass, camp toilet is completely defunct & somewhat dangerous as the platform looks rotted & could collapse under weight, recommend filling it in, decommissioning, burning wood & packing out the seat/hardware.
Mode of transport:	Hike
Trail condition:	Needs some work

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