Anybody know the current conditions at Big Caliente and Little Caliente? I'm thinking of going with some friends to Little Caliente over MLK weekend.
Gate closures on the dirt road are not an issue, as I prefer to hike in to Little Caliente via this route.
My big concern about the hike in is the likely level of the Santa Ynez river, which the hike requires crossing. Anybody know what its level is like right now? If not, anybody know from past experience how high the Santa Ynez tends to be in winter, after the amount of rain we've had recently? Basically what I'm trying to figure out is, will the river be safe to wade across?
The road along the top of the ridge -- is it an an elevation where it's likely to have snow in winter?
Any other things to be wary of hiking to Little Caliente at this time of year?
I'm probably not going to do Big Caliente, as it's a much longer hike, but any info on that would be appreciated too, in case I change my mind about which spring to go to.
Thanks!
Joel