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VOLUME 38 NUMBER 1 | SPRING 2020
Gridley Trail (22W05)
Words and pictures by Perry Van Houten
Spring is the ideal time of year to hike this 6-mile-long trail in the Ojai front country. Temperatures are bearable and wildflowers typically make a good showing. The rocky trail climbs moderately past avocado orchards into low chaparral and trees, terminating at Nordhoff Ridge at 3,775feet elevation. (The avocados are private property, so don’t pick them!) Gridley Spring, 3 miles up, is the site of a former trail camp removed by the U.S. Forest Service in 2013. It’s still a pleasant spot to stop for lunch. Just south of the spring is a section of trail where ferns, maples and other vegetation uncommon in the area grow. To get to the trailhead, take Gridley Road north to its end at a private gate. There’s limited parking along the road, but no facilities. The first mile of the trail was adopted by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy in April 2017 under the Forest Service Adopt-A-Trail Program. The trail provides access to OVLC’s Valley View Preserve via the Fuelbreak Road Trail.
Three, classic Ojai spring hikes