McPherson Peak - FS 32S13

Total Miles 7
Technical Rating
3 Easy
Best Time Summer, Fall
Trail Type Full-Width Road
Accessible By
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Trail Overview

Located in the Los Padres National Forest. This road follows a ridge line to McPherson Peak that has a telecommunication tower ending up over 5,700 ft. From there, you can continue on foot to backpacking trails. This is mostly untouched land, surrounded by chaparral shrubs with oak trees. There are seasonal closures for the rainy season.

Photos of McPherson Peak - FS 32S13

Difficulty

Due to weather, it can be very rutted and washed out.

Technical Rating

3

Status Reports

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Jason Stevens
Apr 18, 2026
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I drove from Bates Canyon Road all the way to the end by radio towers. Then I circled back to the gate that is closed by some horse corrals. There's a sign at the intersection with Bates Canyon that calls out that locked gate. I'm assuming that means the gate at the end is never open. The road splits at about a mile and a half from the end and both ways are dead ends. It's in decent shape until about the last 2 mi where I had to slow down a little bit. Google maps says there's a campground up there but I couldn't find it. One of the comments in Google maps says that it's a wilderness backpacking campground and vehicles cannot access it. There are several little places to vehicle camp in the saddles along the ridge.

McPherson Peak - FS 32S13 Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • Single Track
  • High Clearance
  • Full Width

McPherson Peak - FS 32S13 Map

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