Three Great Hikes in Ojai
Surrounded by wilderness and with almost year-round sunshine, Ojai is the perfect destination for nature lovers. There are countless walks, hikes and treks available and no matter what your energy levels, there’s the perfect excursion for you. Here are my personal top three hikes in Ojai, which I have done with my whole family, including dogs and six-year-old daughter. Of course, there are endless resources on hiking in Ojai and people much more outdoorsy than me have written entire books devoted to the local trails so this is by no means an essential guide. But I can guarantee that you’ll love these hikes.
VENTURA RIVER PRESERVE
Located just west of Ojai the Ventura River Preserve covers almost 1,600 acres of protected land maintained by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. Stretching along the Ventura River and into the adjoining foothills, it’s a stunning wilderness of native plant and wild life that is easy to get lost in. The preserve comprises a vast network of hiking trails ranging from easy walks to moderate uphill treks. Most of the trails are also open to equestrians and mountain bike users while dog walking, bird watching and photography are also popular. The preserve has three different trailheads: on Old Baldwin Road, Rice Road and Myer Road, all of which offer parking and access to the various areas of the preserve. One of the most popular hikes is the Wills-Rice Loop trail, a five-mile loop that starts at the Oso Trailhead off Meyer Road and opens up to beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
COZY DELL
A short drive west of Ojai, a few miles up the 33 towards Matilija Dam, is the Cozy Dell trailhead. It is located just near the Friend’s Packing House, which you can’t miss but don’t park there. At about a mile, it’s a relatively quick and easy hike up Sheldon Canyon, which gets pretty busy on weekends. Once you get to the top, the trail levels off and opens up to reveal stunning views of the surrounding area, including the Ventura River and Matilija Dam as well as the Santa Ynez Mountains. From here there are several options to continue on longer hikes to explore the mountains behind Ojai and below Nordhoff Ridge, including Foothill Trail and Pratt Trail. The Cozy Dell Trail itself heads eastward continuing through another canyon and eventually descending to Cozy Dell Creek where it ends. Watch out for wild life – on one of our recent Cozy Dell hikes, we came across a giant tarantula!
PIEDRA BLANCA TRAILHEAD
About a 40 minute drive north of Ojai, up the 33 and down the Sespe River Road, also known as Rose Valley Road, hiking from the Piedra Blanca Trailhead is a bit more of a commitment. An adventure pass is required to park in the lot, which serves three major trails, all of which share the first half-mile before the first junction. The easiest of all is the Piedra Blanca Formations Trail, which is a 2.6 mile out and back trail that passes the Sespe River and leads to the famous white mountain rock formations that are simply stunning to behold. Other options are the eastward Sespe River Trail, which leads on to the Sespe Wilderness; the Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail which climbs the major mountain range to the north called Pine Mountain; and the Middle Sespe Trail, which least westward and ends at Highway 33 north of the Rose Valley junction.
