Waterfall on Sespe tributary
Perhaps the quickest way into the Sespe Wilderness area lies just north of Fillmore. Follow A Street to Goodenough Road and keep going past where the pavement ends. Forest Road 6N16 is a bumpy but well-graded road that just about any vehicle can manage if you take it slow and easy. There are several water crossings that could pose a challenge following a heavy rain and the road can be gated at two points in the off season.
Travel 7 miles back and you’ll come to Dough Flat, the end of the road. There is a nicely maintained parking area complete with pit toilet. This is the trail head to a number of interesting hikes…Cow Spring, Ant Campsite. To the southeast of Dough Flat is a trail leading to a public condor observatory.
On this trip we spotted two California Condors circling a canyon near Hopper mountain. I can’t tell a condor from a turkey vulture, but one of these had a very distinctive light colored yoke on the underside of the wings. The other was darker, presumably a juvenile.
Map:
View Dough Flat in a larger map
