California · Trail 31W01

Willow Spring

Willow Spring Trail is an 11.5-mile trail in Los Padres National Forest, California. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Los Padres National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end35.0673° N, 120.1670° W · Directions ↗
Other end35.0145° N, 120.1225° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length11.5 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade10-12 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers31W01
ForestLos Padres National Forest (unit 0507)
StatesCalifornia
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Willow Spring Trail50°60°70°January: 4.04 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.43 inches of precipitationMarch: 3.25 inches of precipitationApril: 1.47 inches of precipitationMay: 0.55 inches of precipitationJune: 0.10 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.04 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.01 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.07 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.88 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.40 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.96 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 51.9°F averageFebruary: 52.5°F averageMarch: 54.6°F averageApril: 56.5°F averageMay: 59.0°F averageJune: 62.3°F averageJuly: 65.0°F averageAugust: 65.7°F averageSeptember: 64.8°F averageOctober: 62.3°F averageNovember: 56.2°F averageDecember: 50.3°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Twitchell Dam, 11 miles from the trail midpoint at 582 feet, station USC00049111 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 18 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed year-round
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Dunes Lake Cultural Rx Burn

    26 mi from the trail midpoint

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Guidebooks for California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Walkabout Northern California
    Tom Courtney, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacking California
    Wilderness Press, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Coastal trails of Southern California
    Linda B. Mullally, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking northern California
    Bubba Suess, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California
    Shawnte Salabert, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Willow Spring Trail?

The Forest Service records 11.5 miles under this name in Los Padres National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Willow Spring Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking are allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Willow Spring Trail start?

The line begins at 35.0673° N, 120.1670° W and ends at 35.0145° N, 120.1225° W. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Willow Spring Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Willow Spring Trail?

Horseshoe Springs Campground (0.5 mi), Brookshire Campground (3 mi) and Miranda Pine Campground (4.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 4 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Willow Spring Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Willow Spring Trail?

The typical grade is 10-12 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Willow Spring Trail?

Los Padres National Forest, Forest Service unit 0507. The trail is in California.

Source: Los Padres National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Willow Spring Trail?

The interagency feed shows 1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Dunes Lake Cultural Rx Burn at 26 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Willow Spring in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0507. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.