Throughout Los Padres National Forest, trails cross some of the wildest and most undeveloped landscapes along California’s Central Coast. These routes range from quiet footpaths and remote backcountry connectors to motorized and shared-use trails—and they offer many different ways to experience our public lands.
Chances are, if you’ve spent time exploring Los Padres National Forest, you’ve already traveled through an Inventoried Roadless Area without realizing it. These boundaries aren’t marked at trailheads, but they encompass many of the landscapes people know and love. This map makes those often-invisible connections visible, showing just how closely our favorite trails are tied to the roadless lands surrounding them and why protecting these places is so critical.
These places need your voice. The Trump administration is proposing to eliminate the Roadless Rule, putting longstanding protections for these landscapes at risk.
142 Trails Through Roadless Country
Our interactive guide maps 142 official Forest Service trail alignments that intersect Inventoried Roadless Areas in Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Kern counties. It includes 94 nonmotorized routes and 48 motorized/shared-use routes.
Select a trail to see its full route, the miles that overlap protected roadless land, and practical information for planning a visit.
Plan before you go
This map is a starting point for planning—not a source of current access, trail, or road conditions. A route’s appearance on the map does not mean it is currently open, maintained, easy to follow, or authorized for every type of use.
Roads, gates, closures, fire restrictions, permitted uses, and trail conditions can change quickly. Before every visit:
- Check current Los Padres National Forest alerts and closures.
- Consult an up-to-date Forest Service map.
- Confirm trailhead and road access.
- Review current weather and fire conditions.
- Check the current Motor Vehicle Use Map before using a motorized route.
- Carry appropriate navigation tools, water, and emergency supplies.
- Follow Leave No Trace practices and never enter a closed area.
Many of these routes are remote, infrequently maintained, or difficult to follow. Choose an outing that matches your experience, equipment, and preparation level.
What is an Inventoried Roadless Area?
Inventoried Roadless Areas are undeveloped portions of national forests that have been formally identified and mapped by the U.S. Forest Service. Despite the name, these areas may contain hiking trails, historic routes, and limited existing roads—but they remain largely free from the extensive road networks found elsewhere.
For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has generally restricted new road construction, road reconstruction, and commercial timber harvesting in these areas, with limited exceptions. Los Padres National Forest contains 37 Inventoried Roadless Areas spanning more than 635,000 acres.
These protections have helped keep large landscapes intact while safeguarding wildlife habitat, watersheds, cultural resources, and backcountry recreation.
The landscapes surrounding these trails are at risk
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed eliminating the national Roadless Rule. If finalized, the rollback would remove consistent protections from nearly 45 million acres of national forest land nationwide and leave roadless areas more vulnerable to roadbuilding and industrial development.
The public comment period is open through September 21, 2026. Help defend the wild landscapes that make Los Padres National Forest so extraordinary.