Old Man Mountain
Peak Name
Elevation
feet
Status
Region
Range
Nearby peaks
Location
Description
Unlike its cousin Monte Arido, Old Man Mountain and its surroundings are aptly named and full of history. The peak and Old Man Canyon are named for Jose Ortega, a descendent of a member of the Portola expedition, 1769-1770, the first recorded European land entry and exploration of present-day California.. The canyon through which Route 2 ascends is rumored to have been the hideout of the outlaw Joaquin Murrieta. The views from the peak are marvelous, with expansive views of the magnificent Pacific Ocean and the wild remote canyons and ranges of the Los Padres. Old Man is usually hiked with nearby Monte Arido. Route 1 is an extremely long mostly road hike which, however, makes an excellent, though strenuous, mountain bike. Follow the route on the map for the least brushy route, or hike a little further to the north ridge. Route 2 is also a long trip, ascending Murrieta Canyon on good road to Murrieta Divide, after which the road gets somewhat rougher, to a short off trail ascent to the peak. Both routes, especially Route 1, are good mountain bike outings for the fit biker, though with considerable gain overall.
Maps generated from CalTopo.com, reproduced with permission
Downloadable Maps, Files, and Guides
Driving route
Take US 101 west to Ventura.
Go north on SR 33 to the town of Ojai.
From the intersection of SR 150 and SR 33 in Ojai, go north on SR 33 for 32 miles to Pine Mountain Summit. Turn left on a gated and locked dirt road. This is the Potrero Seco Road. Park here.
Hiking route
Hike or bike past the gate, and go as follows:
At 3.4 miles, keeping right at all forks, a cattle guard. Continue straight.
At 4.9 miles, Don Victor trail on the right. Continue straight.
At 7.3 miles, fork. Go right.
At 8.1 miles is a set of large gendarmes marked on the TOPO as “Three Sisters”. This is the turnoff for Hildreth Peak.
At 8.6 miles, gate. Keep straight ahead.
At 14.1 miles, gate at a road fork.
From this point (5800’+), take the left road fork.
At 0.8 mile, the summit of Monte Arido is just west of the road.
Continue down the road (south) another 1.9 miles to the bottom of a long downhill.
Leave the road here (4980’+) and climb south up the open ridge to the prominent saddle (5300′).
From here go east up the brushy ridge to the summit.
Driving route
Take the US 101 freeway to Ventura.
Go north on SR 33 to Ojai.
From the intersection of SR 33 and SR 150 in Ojai, go north on SR 33 for 5 miles and turn left on paved Matilija Road.
Go west 5.0 miles to a locked gate. Park here.
Hiking route
From the parking area (1540′), hike up the road past the gate.
Pass some houses, a small stream crossing, and then a larger one. A short distance past this crossing is a trailhead on the right. Continue on the road to another trailhead on the left with a sign “Murietta Canyon Trail 24W07”.
Turn left (south) on this trail and follow it about two miles to where it meets a road.
Turn left (west) on this road and continue about 3 miles to a saddle. This is Murrieta Divide.
Turn sharp right (north) and continue up the road about 4 miles to where the road crosses the ridge coming southwest down from the west summit of Old Man Mountain.
Go northeast up this ridge and then contour left to a saddle (5300′).
Turn right and go east up to the summit.
Route Notes
Note: This southwest ridge is likely to be extremely brushy and is rocky in places. An easier alternative is to hike another 1.0 miles and ascend from a small saddle before reaching the southwest ridge to join that ridge at 5200′ and continue up to the summit ridge and to the peak. Another longer alternative is to continue along the road 1.8 miles and go up the north ridge as in Route 1.
Special conditions: The second river crossing about 1/2 mile from the parking area is sometimes impassable after heavy rains.
The land on both sides of the road is part of the Murrieta Canyon Wildlife Study Area. Public entry is prohibited. Please stay on the road or trail.
Mountain bikes should not be used on the Murietta Canyon Trail. Continue on the road past the Murietta Canyon trailhead about 0.2 mile to a road fork with a sign “<– ALL TRAILS”. Keep left and continue another 0.2 mile to a road junction. Turn left at this junction and follow it up to Murietta Divide.
Additional Peak Information
Monte Arido is next to the road that leads to Old Man Mountain. Both of these peaks are usually done on the same outing.
External Links
Nearby Peaks
External Links
Peakbagger.com
Nearest ranger station
NOAA Forecast
Google Earth
We welcome your comments, reviews, tips, photos and trip reports!
You must be logged in to upload images.
Sign up to post your trip reports, photos and comments, and to receive occasional updates about news and events
