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** Use at Your Own Risk **
07P |
Chief Peak |
5550'+
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Location: Ventura County, about 6 miles northeast of Ojai, 107 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
| Auto Club | Ventura County |
| Forest Service | Los Padres National Forest: Mt Pinos, Ojai and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts |
| USGS Topo | Lion Canyon 7½ |
| Official HPS Maps | TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| Viewable PDF file - Approximately 2.8 megs | |
| GPX file or Google Earth KML file to download to GPS units and other map software (How to use GPX and KML files) | |
| Routes as shown on CalTopo using the above files (How to use CalTopo) |
Nearby Peaks: Topatopa Bluff, Hines Peak
ROUTE 1
(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)- Distance: 9 miles round trip on road and cross-country
- Gain: 2300' total, 2200' out plus 100' on return
- Time: 4-5 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, moderate
Original: Warren E. von Pertz, November 1967
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- Take US 101 and SR 33 to the town of Ojai.
- From the intersection of SR 150 and SR 33 in Ojai, go north on SR 33 for 14.7 miles to a road on the right signed "Rose Valley - 4". Turn right.
- Go 3.1 miles to a fork on the right. Turn right.
- Drive into the campground. If you are not going to camp here, park just outside the campground. If you are camping, there is a limit of two cars per campsite.
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area (3450'), hike up a road (22W15) on the west end of the campground past a locked gate.
- Continue up the road 2.2 miles to its junction with the Nordhoff Ridge Road (22W07) at 5050'.
- Turn left and continue on 22W07 past a wire gate at 3.7 miles.
- Continue to a saddle at 3.9 miles where the road leaves the ridge and goes down around the north side of Chief.
- Leave the road on the right side and follow a faint use trail up the ridge.
- Go over elevation 5471' and down into a saddle.
- Then follow a ducked route around the right side of the ridge and then left up to the summit.
ROUTE 2
(Special Permit and USFS Adventure Pass may be required)- Distance: 1 mile round trip cross-country
- Gain: 600' total, 500' out plus 100' on return
- Time: 1 hour round trip
- Rating: Class 1, easy
Original: Warren E. von Pertz, November 1967
DRIVING ROUTE 2
- Take US 101 and SR 33 to the town of Ojai.
- From the intersection of SR 150 and SR 33 in Ojai, go north on SR 33 for 14.7 miles to a road on the right. Turn right.
- Go 3.1 miles to a fork on the right with a sign "Rose Valley Campground - 1/2". Turn right.
- Drive into the campground. There is a road with a locked gate on the west side of the campground. Use the combination supplied with your permit to unlock the gate and lock it behind you. Note your odometer and go as follows:
- At 2.2 miles, junction with the Nordhoff Ridge Road (22W15). Turn left (east).
- At 3.5 miles, pass through a wire gate.
- At 3.9 miles a saddle with a duck on the south side. Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- Leave the road on the right side and follow a faint use trail up the ridge.
- Go over elevation 5471' and down into a saddle.
- Then follow a ducked route around the right side of the ridge and then left up to the summit.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
The Nordhoff Ridge Road is open for driving (4WD vehicles only) under permit from the Forest Service. Contact the Forest Service Office in Ojai for information: (805) 448-4710.
Hikers have had trouble with obtaining the correct gate combination. Below are some suggestions made by Sandy Sperling, Byron Prinzmetal and the District Ranger:
- First of all you need to call ahead of time or visit the Ojai Ranger Station ahead of your planned hike date to obtain your permit and the gate combination. You can not, as of this writing, obtain the permit and gate combination by visiting the ranger station the day you want the permit.
- Call or visit the ranger station in Ojai Monday-Friday during business hours as close to your hiking date as possible to verify and re-verify the lock combinations.
- Make sure the combination(s) you are given are for the gate you intend to go through and not some other gate.
- Be aware that rain closes the gate entirely, and that the lock combinations will change more frequently in the case of rain.
- Ask for the previous and next combinations as the combination changes regularly.
- You may be fortunate if given the wrong combination to have someone let you in, but you will need to find someone with the correct combination who is willing to give it to you so you can get out.
- When you pick up your permit, check all the other permits and permit copies in the pickup box for other combinations. Write these down in case yours doesn't work.
History of Summit Signature
Climbing Archives
Please report any corrections or changes to the Mountain Records Chair.