Update May 29, 2025. Thanks to cooler temperatures, the log crossing on upper Las Virgenes Creek didn’t dry out. It now has more water than it did a couple of weeks ago.

The section of Las Virgenes Creek in the title photo is the “log crossing.” This is about three-quarters of a mile up-canyon from the Las Virgenes Trailhead. The crossing avoids a pool that is just downstream.

In recent years, the pool has almost always been present. Even when there’s water in the pool, there may not be water at the log crossing. When there is water, the little stream is usually a bit too wide to jump.

Earlier this month, someone was thoughtful enough to place a basic bridge across the stream at the log crossing. Since then, the crossing has started to dry out, but it’s “the thought that counts,” and hopefully the span will still be there when it is needed.

A bit more than a quarter-mile upstream from the log crossing — just past the pipeline monitoring station and the connector to Cheeseboro — is another, more dispersed creek crossing. Small logs across a couple branches of the creek help to keep your shoes dry. The water at this crossing also appears to be receding.

During the 2011-2015 drought, groundwater levels were reduced to the extent that the upper crossing was dry for many months. In March 2014, the creek didn’t flow here even after four inches of rain!

We’ll have to see how a hot Summer affects upper Las Virgenes Creek. Even if the creek temporarily stops flowing, it will likely come back in the Fall, when the water demands of the local flora decrease.

Some related posts:
– Upper Las Virgenes Creek Still Flowing in Mid-July
– After the Woolsey Fire and a Lot of Rain: Upper Las Virgenes Creek
– Mallards on Upper Las Virgenes Creek
– The Color of Rain IV