Tar Creek

I think it’s absolutely absurd to be able to restrict all public access, of which was once Public land, due to some bird and a couple bad people, there are ways to protect your condor and still give the public their right to use PUBLIC LAND, thanks commiefornia

This was my Favorite hike/​rappelling spot of all time not because it is easy but it is hard and the the vast lands it has. I first discovered this quiet far off place in 2009 and have been doing this hike once a year. its a long trek. +10 miles with lots of negotiating boulders the size of cars and houses.
I just learned that they closed it due to people leaving trash everywhere and the condors eating it and dying.
hopefully they will open this place up soon.

I’ve done this hike many times, and it has become one of my favorite in Ventura County over the years.
Unfortunately as of late 2014, Tar Creek has been closed for the recovery of the Condors. Though fines are currently stated as «up to $ 5000», I believe the fine is $ 175 /​per person in the party. Either way, definitely not worth it.
It’s sad to see one of my favorite hikes go. I hope some of you got to enjoy it while it was there.

Closed to the public to protect the California Condors. Heard that it was a $ 5000 fine and/​or 6 months imprisonment if found hiking there.

Took my 4 children and 1 dog. Extremely dificult for young ones but managed to push them through the 6 mile hike. Took lots of water and snacks to stop and rest. Take sunscreen, hats, swimwear & lots of water. Beautiful waterfall to slide off of into pool.
My kids and dog stood on the smaller pools and were happy to cool down. Dangerous slopes to climb up and down before you get to small stream. Make a left when you get to the bottom. Plenty of freindly hikers. An go super early in order to avoid heat. Hangout at pools mid afternoon and then head back when it starts to cool down. And did I mention… bring lots of drinking water

My 4-​Star Review is based more on the actual creek than our experience, but for those of you who need guidelines finding/​navigating this hike please see below…
Directions (in case you need them because the existing ones on the internet are hard to decipher):
Take the 5 North to the 126 West, turn right on A street and follow it until it ends, then take a right. Follow that All the way up the hill, just keep going and you’ll know when you’re there. There’s a fairly large parking area on the right and a little on on the left. The trail head is ON THE LEFT. It’s pretty big — you can’t miss it.
There’s hills going down, but mostly descents. And that means lots of hills on the way back! Though the grade isn’t steep once you’re on the trail back to the parking lot, it’s long and it’s on an incline– so it’s exhausting. The hike down to the main pools is beautiful, absolutely worth the hike in itself.
When you hit the first pool of water go LEFT, not right. We hiked a good hour in the wrong direction. From the first little pool of water (not swimmable, at least not now), the actual swimming pools start about 5 minutes down, so they’re fast to get to. You can’t miss them — and they go to immeasurable depths so I’m sure they never dry up.
There’s a little bit of climbing to go from pool to pool (which is pretty fun if you like climbing!), and the further you go the deeper they get (and the higher jumps are available). We only went a couple pools in since we had already been out all day, but it was so beautiful! The jumps we had were probably only 12 feet at the most, but pretty fun. We saw turtles, tadpoles, fish, frogs, and water snakes (harmless) in the water.
DOG DRAWBACK: We brought our dogs on an 80 degree day. Us and our friend have large dogs (80+lbs) and can’t carry them. They were afraid to do some of the rock climbing and it took a team to lift them around. Also, by about 2pm when we started heading back the rocks were so hot our dogs were Unilocaling in pain from walking on them. They would burn to the touch. We had to make impromptu shoes for the dogs by cutting up a yoga mat and securing them with socks and climbing tape. The dogs were miserable and cried a few times. They barely made it back to the car. We were (obviously) devastated and felt like the worst pet parents in the world. Our dogs hike pretty much everywhere, so we did not anticipate the difficulty for them!
DON’T BRING YOUR DOG unless
1. You won’t be doing the hike back at the hottest point of the day (or it’s less than 70 degrees outside)
2. Your dog is an award-​winning hiker
3. You can carry your dog (and have PLENTY of water for them)
4. You have dog shoes. I know we’re getting some!
5. Prepared to feel like the worst dog mom/​dad in the world and sulk in self-​loathing for days watching your dog limp around the house.
Pros:
–Amazing view on the descent
–Super cool pools
–Wildlife
–Jumping and Swimming
–Some great climbing (if you’re a climber. We didn’t get to the point of any actual bouldering or top roping, but just the rocks going down to the pools were super fun. We did bring our climbing shoes but weren’t far enough to need them so I can’t testament to the actual climbing.)
Cons:
–Rough for dogs on a (even semi-​hot) day.
–Difficult if you can’t carry your dog
–No directions or signage the entire hike, easy to get lost
Stats:
–Time commitment: About 6 hours
–Hiking distance: About 5 – 6 miles (we hiked 4.2 miles total, so I’d assume the rest of the pools are about that much further away since we were told it was about an hour to them)
–Difficulty descending: ⁵⁄₁₀
–Difficulty returning: 8/10…I haven’t climbed K2 or anything but we hike a fair amount and I’d say this is definitely advanced. Not for beginners.
Overall, pretty beautiful. Super fun down at the water. Bring sunscreen, go out there, and have fun hiking!

As beautiful as it is, this trail needs more signs. Even just one sign would be great. It took the majority of our day just to find it, and every single other car we ran into (4 in total) also were looking but didn’t know exactly where to find Tar Creek trailhead.
The funny (or annoying, depending on how you want to look at it) thing was that there were signs for EVERYTHING else. Literally, signs for big rigs, signs about the cooperation project (there are oil fields here), No entry signs for locked gates… but not a single identifying sign to be seen for Tar Creek. I mean, come on really? Use the money people pay for the adventure passes and buy a sign please, even just one would help.
That being said, this place is beautiful. It’s a beautiful mountain drive, albeit lower in elevation than other places in California. What it lacks in elevation it makes up for in expansiveness, the mountains just seem to go on forever and surround you as you drive deeper into them. The road gets sketchy past the first mile or so, and your car will get filthy. 4 wheel drive is your friend. Oh and as for the waterfalls… most of them were just little trickles at this point, thanks to the drought.

Went there today Aug.1^st and was all dry except for tiny little puddle. I went hiking for about 1.5hr into the trail and it was pretty sketchy on parts of the path and there was only 3 spots for shade in the first hour and half of the hike. I was really hoping for some water but I guess I am to late for the season.

Good hike, beautiful wild area (beware of bugs) & there’s three punch bowls with different cliff jumps.
Length: 6 total miles
Elevation Gain: 900‑1200 feet
Trail: Out-​and-​back
Skill Level: Moderate to Difficult (some climbing & bouldering)
Not a beginners hike. it’s has up & down hills getting there, so that means its all up hill going back. Make sure your fit to do this.
There’s a lot of loose rocks on the trail which makes some parts some what difficult to hike.
Duration: 5 – 6 hours
About a 2 hour drive from Downtown Los Angeles is the best cliff jumping spot in Southern California, Tar Creek Falls. Tar Creek is a tributary to the Sespe River and flows through the Condor Sanctuary near Fillmore. Park at the trailhead and hike 2 miles and descend 1500 feet in elevation to the creek, follow it downstream for ½ mile to Upper Tar Creek Falls.
Here you will find 3 pools with jumps ranging from 15 to 25 feet. Hike another ½ mile downstream to the top of Tar Creek Falls. To get to the smaller ledges hike along the right side of the falls then follow the deer trail to the pool below. Jumps measure 10 – 20 feet. Tar Creek dries up before summers end, so best time to visit is spring.
WHAT TO BRING: Water (lots @least 2 – 3 liters), Hat/​Sunscreen, Camera, Water Shoes, Change of clothes/​Towels/​Swimsuit (if you decide to get in the water), wear long pants & shirt, Snacks/​Foods.
Forest Service Adventure Passes are required.
The passes are available for $ 5 at the Chevron station at Highway 126 and A Street in Fillmore
Remember to always check water depth before you jump. Even if you have been there before, check for rocks, trees and other submerged objects.