Dough Flat to Reyes Peak

This trip is simply an extension of the route from Dough Flat to Haddock Mountain, continuing on to Reyes Peak. The route is just over 77 miles long with a good deal of elevation gain (more than 14,000 feet). The length of the trip will depend on the backpackers themselves, but can be done in anywhere between 3 and 7 days.

This route travels through the Sespe Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest, following a section of the wild Condor Trail.

This is a long out-and-back, traveling from Dough Flat Trailhead to the Sespe River Area and on up the Pine Mountain massif to climb near the summit of Haddock Mountain and on along the ridge to Reyes Peak. For the most part, this route travels along mostly well-defined trails, including Alder Creek Trail, Sespe River Trail, and Piedra Blanca Trail (also known as the Gene Marshall Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail). Note that there is a brief section heading up toward Haddock Mountain that involves some route finding and a brief stretch of buckthorn bushwhacking. Thus, this route is for experienced backpackers who are willing to endure some (moderate) hardship to make the summit of Haddock Mountain and Reyes Peak.
 

From Dough Flat Trailhead, the Alder Creek trail heads directly north, before turning northwest toward Cow Spring and the fascinating rock formations at Stone Corral. As of this writing (summer of 2025), Alder Creek Trail has been recently worked on thanks to hearty efforts from the folks at Los Padres Forest Association, and is in superb condition. After dropping into Alder Creek itself, the trail climbs to Sespe Saddle before making the descent to Sespe Creek. This section is known for the marvelous Sespe Hot Springs located north of our route and up Hot Springs Canyon. Another option for hot springs is at Willet Hot Spring, near Ten Sycamore Flat. We continue on along Sespe Creek, making numerous crossings (where the trail can sometimes seem to disappear). At the junction to the trailhead, we bypass the trail to the often crowded parking lot and continue on to climb toward and on top of the eponymous white rock. 

The route soon meets Piedra Blanca Creek, which we follow as the trail heads continuously up the Pine Mountain massif. This stretch of trail up until Pine Mountain Lodge Camp has also been recently worked on by LPFA and is in excellent shape. Despite this work, be wary of the poison oak along this climb, especially near creek crossings. This route climbs steeply up the Pine Mountain massif, eventually reaching nearly 7,500ft. at the summit of Reyes Peak. Note that this elevation can make for extremely different weather conditions than those in the Sespe area. After reaching Haddock Camp, our route leaves the Piedra Blanca Trail to take the ridge to the southwest. This stretch is called Reyes Peak Trail on certain maps. The trail here is relatively easy to follow, but it does disappear at times, especially in one particular stretch on the climb where one is forced to push through a large stretch of buckthorn. There is a great, well-defined singletrack along the ridge between Haddock and Reyes. The summit of Reyes is the turnaround for this route.

It is extremely important to note that trail conditions in Los Padres vary drastically from season to season and year to year. Check hikelospadres.com for the most updated trail conditions and water reports, and please share your trip reports on the site upon your return so that everyone can safely explore this wonderful area. Poison oak is seemingly everywhere in Los Padres, including this route. This area can be extremely dry and hot, as well as extremely wet and cold. Be prepared! Additionally, check https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/lospadres for current information and important updates in Los Padres National Forest.

The road to Dough Flat closes during the winter, from approximately December 15-April 30. The gate closure adds around 2 1/2 miles one way to the trailhead.