U.S. Forest Service - Los Padres National Forest

06/08/2026

Los Padres NF is mourning the loss of Allan West who passed away June 3 at his home in Ojai at the age of 92. Allan began his Forest Service career as a snow hydrologist before serving as the Ojai District Ranger, as Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Sierra NF, Forest Supervisor on Los Padres, before retiring in 1993 as the Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry at the Washington Headquarters. Allan and his wife of 71 years, Joyce, remained active in the Ojai community as members of the Society of American Foresters and the Rotary Club. Whenever a new Forest Supervisor or Ojai District Ranger joined Los Padres, it went without saying that one of their first stops was the West home in Ojai where Allan and Joyce would share stories of their time with the Forest Service. This picture is of Ojai District Ranger Marshall Alford with Allan during his visit to the West home in April 2025. We send our heartfelt condolences to Joyce and the entire West family on the passing of a true Los Padres legend.

06/03/2026

The first Automated Fee Machine in Los Padres National Forest is now in service at the Piedra Blanca Trailhead on the Ojai RD. The automated machine provides convenient access for visitors to purchase the Daily Adventure Pass at the trailhead, which is the primary gateway to the Sespe Wilderness, Sespe Creek Wild and Scenic River, and the Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail.

The Daily Adventure Pass can be purchased using debit or credit cards for $5.00. These machines do not accept cash.
The Adventure Pass can also be purchased within our District Offices forest wide using cash, credit card, or debit card. The recreation fees collected are reinvested into operations, maintenance and improving recreational opportunities.

To learn more about the Adventure Pass, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/passes/adventure-pass

05/22/2026

🚨Spolight on our LEO🚨

On February 9th, 2025, Officer John Blakely of our very own Los Padres NF and two deputies from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office responded to a distress call via GPS for a hiker stranded for approximately two days in the Los Padres National Forest. The team dedicated significant physical and mental effort to locating and rescuing the hiker, who received first aid care and was evacuated by helicopter.

On May 6, 2026, Blakely and his interagency partners received the well-deserved Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Lifesaving Award.

SAC Robinson echoed that we all take pride in LEO Blakley's actions, not only for the life-saving effort last year, but also for the dedication and professionalism that he demonstrates daily in service to the American public and the citizens of Santa Barbara County. His commitment is a testament to our agency’s values and mission.

Our law enforcement and partners are proof that teamwork and dedication truly drive their service to the public.

Pictured: Forest Service LEI, LEI Command Staff, LP Forest Supervisor and Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.

05/18/2026

When visiting the Santa Barbara RD's Lower Santa Ynez Recreation Area, please remember that vehicle capacity is often reached early in the day on weekends and sites may be unavailable later in the day. River Road is open only to the Santa Ynez gate at mile 3 of the road and from there it is 2.5 miles back to the Red Rock pools which can be accessed on foot, horseback or by bicycle. Once the river levels have receded to safe levels, the Santa Ynez gate will re-open to motorized traffic.

05/15/2026

live fire training at Camp Roberts today.

05/09/2026

05/08/2026