Recent trail closures, including those in Los Padres National Forest and frontcountry trails such as Rattlesnake Canyon, had left this columnist topographically challenged and hunting around for strenuous hikes.
The picturesque Bill Wallace Trail, beginning at the Ocean Mesa camping site (El Capitan State Beach exit; see 4.1.1.), presents distinct challenges yet remains open to the public.
When my two teaching colleagues and I undertook the 12-mile trek on Sept. 20, we realized we had a midpoint choice: After three hours trudging out on the (mostly) open ranch road, we could decide to turn back at the halfway point (top of the loop) and still get the full 12 miles, or we could “round” the loop and go down into El Capitan Canyon (and creek), which would make it tricky, extremely taxing, but also give us a 12-mile hike.
For this extraordinary trek, I have to ask potential hikers at the outset to bring plenty of water (I had 4 liters), twin hiking poles, long trousers, a wide-brim hat, a nutritious lunch, and at least one hardy companion who has made the hike recently.
While the Bill Wallace Trail is mostly a road hike running along both sides of lengthy and spectacular El Capitan Creek, after six miles it becomes trail at the top of the loop as you scramble across the creek. This crossing has been blown out by winter floods, particularly the notorious January 2017 debris flows that floated five rental cabins “downstream” through the El Capitan Canyon glamping resort.
I remember voting for former Santa Barbara County Supervisor Bill Wallace, a vital defender of nature and an environmental activist, at the end of the last century. In 2011, the new trail leading inland from the beach was named in his honor, and is now part of El Capitan State Beach Park.
The trail, mostly the old ranch road, basically circumambulates the 2,500-acre parcel in a gigantic oval. I am grateful for the combined efforts of The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, El Capitan Canyon Resort, Friends of Channel Coast State Parks, California State Parks, and a host of individuals for making the Bill Wallace Trail a reality.
Hiking along the former oil road, you amble easily, but the recently mowed road will rise more than 1,000 feet and climb up and down the coastal hills. One realizes how walking humans always find easier trails that generally go around tall hills, but this bulldozer-created “road” often goes straight up and down, meaning hikers get a terrific workout.
We enjoyed fairly cool temperatures since we embarked at 7 a.m., and the fog-enshrouded ocean kept temperatures below 85 degrees. The fog blocked the usual spectacular ocean views of the Channel Islands and glittering sea, but inland we could see Broadcast Peak and the gorgeous coastal range.
Along the way, we picked out various grasses, and a few white blossoms of the toxic herbal plant datura. There were also many new plants that sprouted up after the 2016 Sherpa Fire — in particular, I noticed plentiful Indian tobacco stalks.
So-called “machine-gun mesa” marks the halfway point, and the huge but dilapidated wooden table offers a great place for lunch. I strongly recommend turning back here — you still get a 12-mile hike! — unless you’re outfitted as recommended above, have a reliable trail guide and feel pretty frisky.
Wild Peter does the trek frequently, so he led us gaily down into the second half.
It begins shortly after the old table, becomes a genuine trail and then plunges down into the snarled bed of El Capitan Canyon Creek. I’ve been hiking for more than 45 years, but the wide arroyo of El Cap Creek presented very difficult challenges and required the three of us to assist one another in a few places.
At one place, down and in the new canyon growth, a few humongous oaks had fallen, and I had to scramble on top of the huge boughs. We could see through below, and we had to place our booted feet very carefully. The hiking poles were crucial there, and the transit took more than 20 slow minutes.
On the other side of the riparian canyon, I faced a dilemma: clamber up the near-vertical 12-foot canyon wall, or turn back. Feeling 12 years old, haughty with experience and the hubris of senescence, I hurled my poles up onto the cliff-top, and grasping several small plants, humped up and over with a triumphant gasp. (Gloves and my very small fanny pack helped.)
There are plentiful wooden signs indicating where you are on the Bill Wallace Trail — so many that it can even be a bit confusing.
You know you’re returning along but above the creek, and can easily see where to go, as well as where you have been. It’s a great contrast to most of my riparian backpacking treks along the Manzana or the Sisquoc River.
Eventually, you get back down near the creek, and we were moderately surprised to find it running strong and clear even in mid-September.
After ascending again, the final mile’s steep drop brings you to the entrance of the concession at El Capitan Canyon Resort. You can see it easily by studying the map included in the slideshow accompanying this column.
Note that the red “Trailhead” box where one begins the hike is somewhat distant from the green line at the end of the trail section. You then respect the private property and quickly move through the front of the resort back to the Ocean Mesa parking area.
A big problem is that someone has removed this colorful detailed map from the larger wooden map. You can see the lighter space on the right where the detailed map had been (my photo is from a January 2017 column).
While some resort employees have tried to tell us that the Bill Wallace Trail is closed, that is not the case.
We did the entire 12-mile loop on Sept. 20, the fall equinox. In order to honor Wallace and the strenuous trail, it matters to complete the 12-mile loop, and make it safely (there were no closed signs anywhere).
In an age of nanny-state protections and overzealous and private resorts, don’t let these folks impede your trekking on public lands!
4.1.1.
» Drive Highway 101 north to the El Capitan State Beach exit, but head inland rather than toward the sea. Turn left at the frontage road and drive past the El Capitan Canyon Resort to the signed entrance to the Ocean Mesa Campground. Park immediately inside on the left (dirt). You will see a Bill Wallace Trail sign there, and parking is free.
— Dan McCaslin is the author of Stone Anchors in Antiquity and has written extensively about the local backcountry. His latest book, Autobiography in the Anthropocene, is available at Lulu.com. He serves as an archaeological site steward for the U.S. Forest Service in the Los Padres National Forest. He welcomes reader ideas for future Noozhawk columns, and can be reached at cazmania3@gmail.com. Click here to read additional columns. The opinions expressed are his own.