Trip report
Apr 27, 2023 — Located just outside of Ojai CA, the Gridley Trail serves as a boring, well-maintained trail switchbacking from the wealthy suburban outskirts of town up to the crest of the Topatopa Mountains. It seems to be a pretty popular hike with a gradual grade and decent views looking toward the coast. Chris and I parked at the trailhead, which is just any parking you can find along Gridley Road or the cul-de-sac at its terminus. We picked up the well-marked Gridley Trail, which leads through the typical brushy landscape. The start of the hike is the rockiest section of trail, the majority of the hike either on an old dirt road or a well-graded singletrack. It's also the only shade for the outing.
Keeping right at the first junction, we were now along a flatter and much less rocky portion of hiking, a dirt road that wraps along the foothills. We passed rows of fruit-bearing trees, and upon further inspection, we were delighted to learn the chunky fruits were avocados! We didn't pluck any since they're on private property. In fact, if you deviate from the main Gridley Trail at all you'll be on private property, but signs make it clear where not to go. We also passed a little fruit stand that used the honor system to drop a few bucks for fresh oranges. Chris joked that the reason signs posted at the trailhead warning to "take your wallet or it WILL be stolen" were a ploy to help fund this little fruit-selling business.
The Gridley Trail eventually narrowed from being a dirt road into a proper trail as it wrapped in and out of drainages, ascending at the same casual grade. Fortunately, the wet winter meant lots of greenery and wildflowers, but the boredom crept in early on since we could see Nordhoff Peak far above and the unchanging slope that awaited us. We wondered why the trail wasn't built next to the creek within Gridley Canyon just below us rather than along this lackluster slope, but whatever. There's really not much else to say about the Gridley Trail, since it just mindlessly winds around the slopes, forming switchbacks that barely get any more steep. Along the way we passed two flowing water sources, the first of which was accompanied by a historic trough that collects water from a spring.
Eventually we reached Camino Cielo, the road winding along the crest of Nordhoff Ridge. I loved the views to the north, gorgeous hilly mountains stretching far away. The road was closed due to flooding, so no cars passed us as we followed it southwest. Nordhoff Peak sits at the top of a short spur road, and has a rickety metal fire tower where no sign prohibited access. The Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands lay to the south, Reyes Peak and Thorn Point to the north.