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    Taft Rails to Trails

    4.0 (2 reviews)

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    Enchanted Forest Trailhead - Fireplace

    Enchanted Forest Trailhead

    4.7(3 reviews)
    27.7 mi

    The Enchanted Forest Trail is one of the closest trailheads to the center of Pine Mountain Club,…read moreand one that was marked on both Google Maps and on the map of hiking trails provided by the Pine Mountain Inn (5*). With such an inviting name, my friend and I wanted to be sure to check it out. Arriving in Pine Mountain Club on a Friday afternoon in April, we decided to save a longer trail for Saturday and visit the Enchanted Forest Trail with about 1.5 hours remaining before sundown. The trailhead is very simple to find. From there, the trail was not difficult to follow until it brought us to a rocky dry watercourse on the mountain. We had read that the track might get lost, but most of the reviews on AllTrails saying that were from winter. We had followed the path pretty easily until the watercourse, but at that point we lost it. We considered scrambling up the rocky gorge but that seemed wrong. At that moment, we heard voices echoing in the canyon, and that directed my attention over across the watercourse into the underbrush. We realized we could cross the gulch and find the trail on the other side. Locating the path, we soon passed the people coming down from the trail's end. We asked how it was, and they said "it gets steep and rocky." It had already been like that, so we wondered how much steeper and more rocky it might be. After going on for another 5-7 minutes, we arrived at an area on the path that felt like it was vibrating with energy. Neither of us is particularly spiritual but this place, where a large redwood had fallen with a tremendous, splintered split across its trunk and where someone had placed a stone cairn, felt inexplicably mysterious. (See my pic. The place where the trunk splits is taller than the height of a person.) The sun had just dipped behind the ridgeline, and we decided this would be where we would stop. It's an out-and-back trail, so why not make this our back point? On the way down the trail, I started to get tinnitus in my right ear. This isn't something that has happened to me in recent memory. Maybe because the area is so quiet, I could hear a ringing in my ears. But then, out of nowhere, a tree started dropping its leaves on the path to our left. No wind blew, nothing discernible changed. Leaves just started dropping. We thanked the forest for hosting us, and made our way down the path--without urgency, but expeditiously. Whatever's enchanting this forest was probably having a good time. We did too. Just be ready for a hint of the chills as you hike along.

    I like this trail, it lives up to its name and is very much like walking through a movie forest…read more Trees split in half, old rock slides, echo-y mountains give this trail such a good and on edge vibe. Unfortunately we had to head back early because the ground was too frozen to walk on without some sort of special ice gear.

    Photos
    Enchanted Forest Trailhead - Giant tree knocked over

    Giant tree knocked over

    Enchanted Forest Trailhead - Trail

    Trail

    Enchanted Forest Trailhead - Mountainside

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    Mountainside

    Mount Pinos

    Mount Pinos

    4.3(43 reviews)
    34.9 mi

    I turned on Google navigation, but it led me to a completely wrong mountain road. I wandered around…read morein the mountains for about 20 minutes before finally getting out, so I just came back home. If you plan to go, make sure to double-check the route at least once before heading out.

    A friend and I came here to hike on a recent visit to Pine Mountain Club. We didn't camp, so this…read morereview is for hiking only. We took the Tumamait trail to the weather station at the Mount Pinos summit and picnicked at the top by the Iwhihinmu plaque. After returning to the first fork in the trail, we then hiked to the meadow and back. Altogether, this was a full day of beautiful hiking. The crisp mountain air, pine trees, high elevation buckwheat and lichen meadows, and views were all fantastic. As other reviewers have said, the hikes aren't intensely strenuous, but they can be long if you want them to be. Both Tumamait and the meadow paths are partially shaded with sunny patches. Going to the meadow, most of the hike is a small downhill slope, so keep in mind it will be mildly strenuous coming back up. For hiking, my friend and I did not have a parking pass nor could we find a place to buy one at the Nordic Station parking lot (the drive up the mountain to the lot is lovely, by the way!) We were slightly concerned, but nothing happened. No ticket, no ranger presence. Our visit was in late April, 2022. Spending time in this powerful Chumash site was wonderful. We stayed on the mountain peak for at least an hour feeling the wind whip our faces, enjoying our picnic and the views, looking at the trees and plants and snow, and enjoying being at the "top of the world." There weren't many people around, and we said hello to everyone we passed. It felt convivial and isolated at the same time. A pretty cool combination.

    Photos
    Mount Pinos
    Mount Pinos
    Mount Pinos

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    Cachuma Lake - Views from the bottom of trail

    Cachuma Lake

    4.1(46 reviews)
    47.6 mi

    One of the best campsites Ive had the chance to camp at. We booked site #453 and it was right by…read morethe northeastern part. Its right by the water, which allowed for beautiful views the entire time we were there. Be warned, it can get super windy since most of the campsites that are close to the water are on a bluff, which lead to our campsite being windier than those that were away from the water. The campground itself is mostly dirt and the camp roads need some TLC but the grounds themselves are well maintained. There are a couple of restrooms throughout the campsite and the toilets are flushable. They have a showers that cost $1 for about 3 minutes of very very hot water. We wernt able to change the water temp so that was unfortunate. Now lets get into our campsite. As mentioned, it was by the water and there were some trees nearby but they provide little to no shade. A couple of campsites further south was a campsite that was identical to ours but with lots of shade. I would recommend at least 2 canopies to stay cool in the summer heat. We were able to make both a wood fire and use our propane stove, so i'm glad there were no fire restrictions in place. (Make sure to check local fire restrictions during fire season!) This was mid August and we camped Monday-Thursday and we found the campground to be fairly quite at night. Make sure to secure your food at night as there are LOTS of raccoons. On our second night I was woken up to an entire family looking through our belongings. Thankfully, all other campers were respectful of quite hours and we slept good all three nights. Another thing we were not prepared for was the amount of hornets/wasps. Every time we cooked breakfast our campsite was swarmed by them to the point were we were getting uncomfortable by the amount that had spawned outta nowhere. I would advise taking something to deter them. There's a camp store by the entrance of the campsite, they have all the essentials with a slight upcharge, but thats expected since the other closest stores were 20-30 min away. They also have a gas station there that was fairly priced and had all the essentials(Beer, food and ice). Passing the store and heading towards the campsites, theres also a docking station where you can rent boats, Kayaks, etc. The rangers were all kind and on the last day when we were leaving, my car battery had died and they were kind enough to give us a jump. I cant recommend this spot enough, there's plenty to do within the campground and its perfect for a quick getaway.

    Quick stop at Lake Cachuma while on our way we only had about 15 minutes to use the restroom and…read moretake a quick look around. Even in that short time, the lake was stunning. The water was such a beautiful deep blue, and the whole area has a calm, scenic feel. It definitely looks like a great place for camping or spending a full day outdoors. Next time, I'd love to come back and explore more.

    Photos
    Cachuma Lake - Beginning of the Sweet Water Trailhead

    Beginning of the Sweet Water Trailhead

    Cachuma Lake - Views from the bottom of trail

    Views from the bottom of trail

    Cachuma Lake - January 18th, 2026. The lake is at 102%  capacity.

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    January 18th, 2026. The lake is at 102% capacity.

    Taft Rails to Trails - hiking - Updated September 2026

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