Me and the Mrs. decided to get out yesterday before the rain hit and ended up going up the Gridley Trail to the old fire lookout on Nordhoff Peak. We parked at the trailhead at the end of Gridley Road (which was packed) and started around 11 a.m. This is a popular trail with MTBers and we could cross paths with several groups of riders throughout the day.
The first half mile of trail is fairly rocky but not really steep. In fact, the gradient of entirety of Gridley Trail all the way to Nordhoff Ridge is pretty tame which makes this a long, mellow walk. At roughly the half-mile mark, the trail intersects FS 5N11 and follows the dirt road in a northeast direction past some avocado orchards. Then you leave the private property behind and start the gentle climb on the obvious and well maintained trail that ascends the west side of Gridley Canyon. We could hear water running in the creek far below us which was a welcome surprise given how dry it has been.
At about the 2.75 mile mark, you hit Gridley Spring which was flowing quite nicely from a mossy tube into a trough. I assume you can filter and drink this water here, but I have never tried or needed to.
Higher up, we passed a biker coming down with a Macloed on his back. Shortly after that, we came across a pair of loppers where some brush work had recently been completed. They must have fallen from the biker's pack as he descended as we also found a strap and clip that the guy was probably using to hold the loppers on his bikepack. Anyway, now they're mine unless I can locate who they belong to.
Exactly 6 miles in, we hit the ridge which is bisected by the Nordhoff Ridge Road. It looks like the Forest Service has recently installed new signage here as the sign is shiny and pristine. Here, we turned left (west) and followed the rough fire road another 1.3 miles and 600 or so feet to Nordhoff Peak.
The wind was blowing cold here and dark clouds were moving in so we drank some water, snapped of few pics, and high-tailed it out of there. I'm not one to get cold much, but damn it was cold. I was glad to have a pair of gloves along for the ride.
My app said 14.6 miles with 3,333' of gain which felt about right. Gridley is a very enjoyable day. Trail is in good shape and views up top are fine. Summer is sweltering so fall/winter tis the best season.
Fire Lookout Visible on Ridgeline Above
Shiny New Signage
Sespe Views
Descending. Ojai Valley in Rearground
Gridley Springs Flow
