Gridley Trail

SO MANY FLIES that I couldn't enjoy the hike. Decent climb. Well marked. At about 1.25 miles the trail turned behind the mountain and it was very hot and dry with no breeze. I consider myself pretty outdoorsy, but I must have been bitten 50 times by the flys. It was enough to make us turn around two miles in.

Not really suitable for Mountain Bike. There is a Large rock slide.
That said you can carry your bike up a 10ft Rock Wall?

Great views. Can run a lot of the trail.

This trail gets hot in the summer since there is very little shade. Goes for about 8 miles before you reach the peak. Watch for mountain bikes. The last few miles of the trail has loose gravel and trail shows signs of rock slides.

Well marked trail, moderate, occasional shade, great views of the ojai valley. Took 3 hours to get to nordhoff peak (another 1.5ish miles past gridley trail) and then 2 hours to get down.

good workout.

Beautiful! We hiked Sunday of the President s day weekend, between the storms, so everything was lush, green and growing. I was glad we hiked it in cooler weather because while the first appropriately 3 miles has cover, the remaining 8 are fairly exposed, so hiking in the summer could even more challenging due to exposure to heat. Beautiful hike with an exceptional view of the Ojai Valley.

Great trail, highly recommend.

Having been on a monthlong hiatus from hiking (predominately due to my father leaving for Nepal), I was incredibly eager to head down to Ventura and hike in the mountains surrounding Ojai.

We begun the hike minutes before sunrise on the morning of Thanksgiving. The weather was seasonably cool, dipping into the low 40s as we set out on the beginning stretch of the trail.

The first mile of the Gridley Trail passes through patches of avocado trees. The trail is roughly the width of a fire road, albeit it's littered with protruding rocks. It eventually narrows into a singletrack as the trail traverses over various ridges.

The majority of the Gridley Trail is following streams that have carved through the mountains. Therefore, there's always a steep drop off or incline to either side of you; additionally, loose rocks and sandy gravel makes you pay attention to your footing.

There are also various creek crossings throughout the length of the trail. I hiked the Gridley Trail after an unseasonably dry November, so all creeks contained no running water. Make sure to bring enough water!

Due to time constraints, we were unable to make it to the summit of Nordhoff Peak. While the firetower atop the peak supposedly offers unrivaled scenery, the views at the junction of the Gridley/Gamino Cielo Trail were astonishing. To the West, the farms of Ojai were visible through an opening between the creek-carved mountains. To the South, Hines Peak peeked (pun definitely intended) over the skyline.

I would certainly recommend this trail after a considerable rainfall. Additionally, I'd guess that it is more than worth it to traverse over to Nordhoff Peak, granted that you have the time. Have fun hiking!

great trail! some loose gravel in an area close to a drop off, otherwise it was well maintained with gorgeous views!!