The Ojai Valley is bounded on the north by Nordhoff Ridge, which extends eastward and becomes the Topatopa Mountains. Native plants and scenes of the Ojai Valley and local mountains are featured on this website. Four trails are featured, the Pratt Trail, Horn Canyon, and upper Sisar Canyon on the north side of Ojai, and a loop trail on the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy's Ventura River/El Nido Preserve (Wills and Rice Canyons) west of Meiners Oaks.
The Pratt Trail originates in Ojai at the mouth of Stewart Canyon and heads up the steep south-facing slope of Nordhoff Ridge, eventually reaching Nordhoff Peak, which is in the center of Ventura County. The trail follows Stewart Canyon Creek along its lower reaches, then leaves the riparian habitats of the creek for the chaparral-covered mountainsides.
Upper Sisar Canyon is reached from Summit in the Upper Ojai Valley, and passes below the magnificant Topatopa Bluffs. The trail, a dirt road for much of the way, follows the riparian forest habitats of Sisar Creek, which flows through thick stands of chaparral. Sisar Creek is a perennial stream with many small waterfalls and pools with crystal clear water.
Horn Canyon is a beautiful mountain canyon trail that originates at Thacher School in the East End of the Ojai Valley. The trail generally follows Horn Canyon Creek for over a mile, crossing it twice. Then it climbs steeply up Nordhoff Ridge for another mile to The Pines campground, which posesses a mature grove of planted (by Boy Scouts) Coulter Pine (Pinus coulteri). The trail continues above The Pines to East Camino Cielo Road that traverses the top of Nordhoff Ridge.
The Ventura River/Rancho El Nido Preserve consists of over 1,500 acres of the former Rancho Matilija, purchased by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy in June 2003 from a New York development company (Intell Corp.), to preserve part of the natural environment and open space of the Ojai Valley. Trails on this preserve pass through and wander about the Ventura River floodplain, and through to major canyons on the Preserve: Wills Canyon and Rice Canyon.
In early January 2005, the Ojai Valley experienced record rainfall and serious flooding. Three webpages have been created to illustrate how several of the Ojai Valley streams and the Ventura River looked during such conditions.
All photos copyrighted by David L. Magney 2000-2006
