I'm looking for a snow-free, lengthy hike (20-30 miles/5 days) in April in Southern California or lower Sierras. Any suggestions?

I'm hearing that it's a big snow year for the Sierra. Perhaps you might want to check out Oregon, where so far the snow level is about 4,000 feet! We are getting to places in early February that we couldn't access in July the last 2 years! Of course this is subject to change!

You could also check out the Los Padres NF/Ventana Wilderness. Possibly the most isolated part of California, and this time of year, water isn't a problem.

Southern Sierra in spring will have a ton of snow.

I used to drive and car camp the back roads from Santa Barbara down into the San Joaquin Valley or across to Frazier Park when I lived in the San Fernando Valley. It can feel pretty desolate out there. That was before GPS and I would just head east from the coast and see where I ended up. I never got out of there without feeling at least a little anxious and getting to Hwy 5 was a relief each time.

But there are spots that are worth finding and spending time at.

Ventana Wilderness if you are good at navigating through brush, fading trails and steep, rough terrain... a fire went through there and closed it for a year, and some of the trails are still in various states of disrepair - not to mention the latest round of heavy rainstorms has battered and degraded trails that were maintained recently.

Henry W Coe state park would be a good one - tons of trail, much of it steep but all pretty well marked. The best map available is from the park itself, coepark.org. There will be a ton of wildflowers and most water sources will be good. Since 20-30 miles is fairly low mileage for a 5 day outing, and there are good campsites fairly close together in this park, it might be worth a look.

The southern portion of Los Padres NF might be do-able, though there may be snow in parts of it - it will be a dusting of snow, not like the Sierras, if anything. There are also some nice hot springs down in the mountains near Ojai. This is what the other poster who mentioned Frazier Park and I-5 is referring to. There's a condor sanctuary out there. Google for Willetts Hot Springs or Sespe, there are some trip reports that will give you an idea of what the area's like.

Point Reyes would be good this time of year, so would Big Basin in the Santa Cruz mountains. I'm thinking of doing the Skyline to Sea trail myself, it's about 30 miles.

Then there are the Channel Islands--gorgeous in spring wildflower season (late March-early April)! Google Channel Islands National Park for details.

It is getting nice and green on the islands right now. Wildflowers should be along mid March, maybe even earlier.

I did the Channel Islands a few years back. I actually liked the boat ride as much as the hiking! Another place to consider is Joshua Tree National Park. It should be "wildflower bursting time" there right now. It is desert hiking with water issues - but really nice. I also hiked the Corizzo Plains- west of Bakersfield (not sure I spelled that right) - wildflowers galore. I was down there to climb the county high point. The flowers are just budding out here in Sacramento. Almonds and other white flowers are appearing on all the trees. I expect that southern CA and the Bakersfield area are ahead of us and in full bloom now. Spring has sprung!

As basically a desert rat, I have always found the ocean around the islands fascinating. Glad you enjoyed your excursion.

The very first poppy just bloomed in our yard. Spring is here!

No flowers yet in the desert. Should be about two or three weeks for Anza Borrego and three or four weeks for Joshua Tree. With all the rain this should be an outstanding year.

Another place to try in a few weeks would be the Mission Creek Preserve in the western Coachella Valley -- should be a spectacular brittlebush bloom. From what I understand, Death Valley is coming along and should be nice in a couple of weeks.

Here are a couple of websites for finding out how the bloom is coming: Desert USA and Theodore Payne Organization .The Payne wildflower hotline begins March 5 (full disclosure: I ran the Payne hotline for five years, so I'm partial to them).

There is a ton of snow in the Sierra Mountains this year. I usually go in July and although most of the snow has melted there is still much there and it can get really cold at night. As far as great places to hike, I really like the area around June and Silver Lake.

Just got back from a great backpack into Willets hotsprings just out of Ojai,9.5 miles one way, 10 ft hot tub, 103 water. Nice very nice! 5.6 miles further is Sespe hotsprings supposely the hottest in California. Great hike for beginners and a really nice hike to introduce your girlfriend to the joys of backpacking.Dont forget the bottle of wine!

Lori - just saw your post about Skyline-to-the-Sea. Did that one a few years back, and if you go in the spring/early summer make sure you have very effective mosquito countermeasures! If you hit the trail right after a hatch, the mosquitoes will gravitate to the trail camps in clouds. If the ground is still moist you will also encounter mosquito "ambush points" along the shady portions of the trail where they will pounce on you like a band of bloodsucking bandidos.

Here's what I did to conquer the bugs: A brimmed hat with bug netting saved me from having to put the bug juice on my face (I hate ANYTHING on my face), and kept the swarming critters from becoming inadvertent snacks. I also treated my convertible pants, long-sleeve shirt, and socks with permethrin. That kept the pests from biting through the thin fabric. The 20% picaridin bug spray went on the only exposed skin - my hands - every couple of hours. I got 3 bites - all because my shirt came untucked from my pants and exposed my back. [I have since learned to put a bit of spray there as insurance.]

Otherwise the hike was great! Save enough time to take some of the side hikes, especially in Big Basin. Hope you have a blast!

Forget my post a few months ago about the lack of snow in Oregon. Since the end of March we've been getting a LOT of the stuff. Snow levels down to 1500' tonight, and high avalanche danger in the Cascades. Not exactly May weather!

Thanks for the tips - sounds like what I do for walking in meadows in the high Sierra in spring, so I am well prepared. After a walk in Yosemite yesterday, I'm prepping to do a permethrin bath for my clothing.