Hike Hurricane Deck Los Padres National Forest, CA

Apr 24, 2023 — Hurricane Deck initially caught my attention because of its fun name, but with just a tiny bit more research I knew it had to be primary goal for this trip to the Los Padres National Forest. In some ways, this unassuming summit reminded me of the tundra you'd find in a place like Wyoming, but found just off the SoCal coast. I was incredibly lucky to be out here during this bright, wildflower-filled time of year before it got too hot. I really thought this was a pretty magical place unlike anything else I've seen in this part of the country. The Lower Manzana Trailhead takes a lot of driving to reach, but any car can get out there. There was a small section of rutting early on along Happy Canyon Road, but it was short-lived and likely will be fixed at some point.

I started out along the Manzana Trail after signing into the wilderness register, heading west. This trail immediately got me in the wildernessy spirit. Well-kempt, but thin and inviting, the trail kept above Manzana Creek as it snaked in and out of little drainages. The morning light and flowing creek sounds had me in an excellent mood. I knew from research that the trail had been recently maintained and cleared from the rough past winter, but I had no information about the subsequent trails to come. The Manzana Trail wandered a bit and then dropped down toward Manzana Creek. I took a moment at Potreto Camp to enjoy the forested setting before crossing Manzana Creek, where I had to remove my shoes since it was flowing strongly enough that I couldn't rock hop across. Just past the creek crossing I came to a junction with the Potrero Canyon Trail, which shot off to the north and away from Manzana Creek.

The Potrero Canyon Trail looked very under-maintained. I suppose the extreme lack of recent reports should have hinted that it's not too regularly traveled. I'd read wild warnings about Hurricane Deck that "people have died" and that it's extremely dangerous, imploring hikers to bring a million gallons of water or whatever. I usually don't take those kinds of warning too seriously since I can trust my own hiking judgment at this point in my hiking career, but I was pretty remote out here and I always get a little skittish when checking out unfamiliar areas, plus thinking I'd be on easy trails I'd neglected to tell anyone where I was. Everything was of course fine, but it put me in a teeny headspace that caused me to be more vigilant about rattlesnakes and poodle-dog bush, neither of which I ended up encountering. However, my meager two liters of water was ultimately not enough for the outing, though this is mostly because I dallied forever taking photos of the gorgeous features along the route. Anyway, I hestitantly started along the Potrero Canyon Trail, really concerned I'd be bushwhacking all day. I'd half-heartedly decided to wearing leggings this morning, so that was fortunate. The brush did certainly encroach a bit, but it's hard to be upset about a bit of overgrowth on the trail when said overgrowth is an endless stretch of playful, gorgeous wildflowers.

The Potrero Canyon Trail was easy to follow despite the occasional overgrowth, switchbacking up a slope before emerging on a spur ridge. The views down into Manzana Creek and the surrounding hills removed me from my slightly concerned state, especially now that I was confident the trail did in fact exist and I wasn't going to be crawling through brush all day. As the trail climbed slowly up the ridge, it was clear there was once a lot of thought that went into its construction. Keeping a pleasant grade, it ascended consistently and regularly changed views as it alternated between slopes. Hurricane Deck poked out above, but just barely. I plucked a tick off as casually as I might itch my nose. Somehow they don't bother me anymore.

I crested a lump that gave me an excellent view toward Hurricane Deck, still a bit of distance away. I was then surprised to be descending. Consulting my map, this was indeed part of the trail, and I would soon find out I'd be grateful for it. The trail descended through a gorgeous grassy meadow with idyllic oaks and expansive views through a small valley, little white rocks poking out on the hillside ahead. I assume this is the spot for which the Potrero Canyon Trail is named ("pasture"). I crossed a small creek and started ascending again, this time through a brushy portion of trail within a wide gully, bringing me up to an overwhelming viewpoint.

I blinked a few times, totally in awe of the rock layers and bright green of the extended Hurricane Deck south face. Where even was I? I could see a named feature called Castle Rock at the end of the rock layer, a bookend to Hurricane Deck's wild geology. I continued along the trail, which wrapped around the brushy west slope of a hill, occasional views toward the ever-increasing beauty of Hurricane Deck. Some more switchbacks and gawking. I treaded through extra tall grasses along the trail, again hoping not to startle a snake, in order to reach the Hurricane Deck ridgeline. Once on the ridge I met up with the Hurricane Deck Trail, barely a trail at all.

Starting east up Hurricane Deck proved to be easier than anticipated. There was a bunch of encroaching scrub oak and other unpleasantness of the like, but I managed not to lose the trail. After the initial steepness, the brush faded with the grade and I found myself being pelted instead by tall wildflowers. Rather than feel aggravation, I rolled my eyes at my dumb smile. This was incredible. The trail was completely overgrown by wildflowers.

The traverse I took to gain Hurricane Deck's high point included a few humps that I'd need to go back up and over later, but also a couple of wrap-arounds that the trail builders seemed to methodically chose to construct when the ridge was too steep. Farther along, the southern slope became heavily eroded, forming cliffs. I was surprised to find a couple of short spurts where the trail basically hugged the cliff's rim. Aside from one small section toward the end where brush obscured the trail for about 50 feet (I lost the route both on the way in and back out), I didn't get turned around at all.

The actual high point of Hurricane Deck is located off the trail, so when I reached its base I just headed east, ascending through some light brush. Unfortunately, the summit views are the least impressive of the traverse, brush obscuring my view in all directions. The Hurricane Deck ridgeline continues to the east, but I did no research on the trails in that direction and was already low on water, so I was forced to return the way I came. I had also considered turning this hike into a loop by descending the Hurricane Deck Trail that leads west to Manzana Schoolhouse Camp and then picking up the Manzana Trail back, but it's likely that side of Hurricane Deck is even less regularly frequented than the portion I just hiked. I was content to enjoy the trail luck I'd already received today, my skin barely affected by the cooperative brush. My final minor regret was that I couldn't spend time checking out Bald Mountain, an unranked off-shoot summit from the Hurricane Deck ridgeline, but it looked brushy anyway.