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| Class IV fun on Sespe Creek |
Sespe Creek is indisputably the finest wilderness run south of the Sierra Nevada. Its also been the site of several epics, so bring those wilderness skills!
The first 14 or so miles pass fairly effortlessly. Its when the river takes a bend to the south, and starts cutting through the colorful Sespe Formation, that things get serious. Class IV and IV+ rapids become commonplace, and a couple of challenging portages await all but the most brazen of boaters. Its strongly recommended to avoid this run when storms threaten; in many places the gorge is narrow and vertically walled. High water would make portaging extremely difficult.
The action doesn't let up until you've exited Devil's Gate. Floating through the fragrant orange groves above Fillmore provides a great finish to this multiday adventure.
To get to the takeout, take Highway 126 to Fillmore. The put in is reached by taking 126 west to Santa Paula, getting on 150 through Ojai to Highway 33. Go north on 33 to the turnoff for Lion Campground, on FS Road 6N31. 5 miles of good dirt road leads to the put in.
| Sespe Creek
Ventura County, California |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | IV-V with portages | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Flow(cfs)
Optimum |
400-1000
800 |
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| Miles | 31.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Paddling Time | 3 days | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Portages | Many! Rock climbing skills useful. At very low flows the run has been done with only a couple portages. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Put In | Lion Campground (2980') | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Take Out | Highway 126 bridge west of Fillmore (400') | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Shuttle | 45 miles, 1.25 hours | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Average Gradient | 82 fpm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mile/Mile Gradient | 40, 60, 40, 50, 80, 50, 70, 50, 50, 60, 70, 70, 50, 70, 50, 80, 120, 100, 130, 90, 120, 140, 170, 190, 140, 140, 130, 40, 30, 50, 45, 45 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Gage | The stick gage at the end of Goodenough Road was destroyed by the
1998 flood (est. at 65,000 cfs!). The Ventura County Water
Resources Division monitors the USGS's nitrogen
gage at the end of Grand Road. A conversion table:
|
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| Season | Winter | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Source | Runoff | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Topo Maps | Lion Canyon, Topatopa Mountains, Devils Heart Peak, Fillmore 7.5 min. quads | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Geology | Tertiary marine and non-marine sedimentary rocks, featuring the 54 million year old Sespe Formation. Local oil and gas exploration began in the 1860's, and the area's first oil wells were drilled in 1887 in Sespe Creek. Natural oil seeps are commonplace on this run; leave paint thinner and rags in the takeout vehicle for cleanup (seriously). | ||||||||||||||||||||
This document was last updated on Tuesday, December 14, 1999
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