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** Use at Your Own Risk **
See the Retired Peak Guides in the Archives for Microsoft Word and other versions of this peak guide.
Location: Ventura County, about 14 miles east-northeast of Ojai, 85 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
Auto Club | Ventura County |
Forest Service | Los Padres National Forest: Mt Pinos, Ojai and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts |
USGS Topos | Topatopa Mountains 7½, Santa Paula Peak 7½, Ojai 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, Chief Peak
Printable version of this route
ROUTE 1
- Distance: 18 miles round trip on road, trail, and use trail
- Gain: 5000'
- Time: 9-10 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, strenuous
Original: Warren E. von Pertz, November 1967
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- Take SR 126 to Santa Paula. Turn north on SR 150. Note your odometer here.
- At 8.8 miles
the Summit School (unsigned) is on the right.
Just before the school, turn right on Sisar Avenue. This is a very
narrow and worn paved road. Note your odometer here.
- Go past some houses to where the road turns to dirt, keeping right at
two forks.
- At 0.8 mile a water tank. Low clearance cars should park here.
- At 1.0 mile a locked gate. All cars park here.
-
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area (1850'), pass the gate and hike up the road
which goes up Sisar Canyon.
Continue for about 3 miles to where the
road makes its second major switchback to the left.
- Look for a trail sign straight in front of you, indicating 2.5 miles
to the Nordhoff Ridge Road. Take this trail (21W08) up Sisar Canyon
as it passes through the overgrown White Ledge Campsite and on to its
junction with the Nordhoff Ridge Road (4N15). That junction is
depicted in the extreme southwest corner of the Topatopa Mountains
topo.
- Turn
right on this road and follow it 3.5 miles to its end in a saddle 0.4
mile northwest of Hines Peak.
- From here go southeast up the narrow ridge
following a faint use trail up to the summit. The summit is marked by a
sign "Hines Peak".
Printable version of this route
ROUTE 2
(Special Permit and
USFS Adventure Pass may be required)
- Distance: 7 miles round trip on road and use trail
- Gain: 1450' total, 1300' out plus 150' on return
- Time: 3-4 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, moderate
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 signed "Rose Valley -
4". Turn right.
- Go 3.1 miles to a fork on the right. 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 3.7 miles, pass through a wire gate.
- At 3.9 miles a saddle with a duck on the south side. This is the
parking spot for Chief Peak.
- At 7.2 miles, fork with a sign "Road Ends 3 Miles". Keep
left.
- At 8.4 miles, a sign "Trail 22W08" and road forks. Take the
main road (right fork).
- At 10.3 miles, a permanent barrier and a sign "Trail 21W08".
Park here (limited parking). There is more parking available 0.1 mile
back on bump 5479'.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- From the parking area (5440+'), hike past the gate east along the road up to
saddle 6040+' and over bump 6204'.
- Go down to the next saddle 6040+' at the
end of the road.
- From here go southeast up the narrow ridge following a
faint use trail up to the summit. The summit is marked by a sign "Hines
Peak".
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.
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES
The Topatopa Ridge west of Hines was a favorite roosting and nesting
spot of the California Condors.
Please report any corrections or changes to the
Mountain Records Chair.
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