Arroyo Seco Gorge Narrows
The Arroyo Seco Gorge has some stunning terrain if you are willing to creek walk / swim. The narrows section of the route is unbeatable, and the cool water is refreshing from the heat of the day – in the summer, air temperatures easily exceed 100F. I use a wetsuit when traveling up the gorge, however not everyone does. I recommend it if you want to spend as much time in the water. Unfortunately, carrying the wetsuit out in the heat of the day is an extra burden. This is a fairly challenging route that requires the ability to swim (there are several long stretches where that is the only option), the ability to climb rock (class 4+), and some means of staying warm in the water. The water is cold year round, but on a hot summer day, there are opportunities to warm up on the rocks during mid-day as the sun reaches down into the canyon.
GPS track for this route.
Although possible to bring dogs on this journey, it is a little challenging. We had to carry the dogs up the waterfall.
There are many locations where you can jump into the water in Arroyo Seco Gorge. We even witnessed people making some daring 50 foot jumps!
There are sections where you can walk
This is a rigorous portion of the route. The falls have a rope (seen on the right hand side) to assist you in climbing to the upper pools
The hike out of Arroyo Seco Gorge is long and can be hot!
This is the map for the entire route discussed in this post. To Export GPX files, click on the three horizontal bars in the upper right hand corner of the map and select Export selected map data…
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Hello Brian I’m planning on taking my family on this hike in June this year.
How long was the walk from the parking spot near the campground to where you accessed the creek?
Mike – Thanks for your question. I might be mistaken, but because of the dramatic rainfall that hit this region about a month ago, an important bridge is now missing. I have heard that this section is no longer accessible after the storm damage. Sometimes, places are reported as being inaccessible, when in-fact more “adventuresome” people can still make it… but the Los Padres National Forest has a habit of closing potentially dangerous area and posting steep fines for people who go past… so maybe not the best place to take your family. The status may change by June, however. In terms of the hike, I think it took less than an hour to get to the water.