EISPIRATEN

Made my way up the Pratt Trail to the summit of Nordhoff Peak in the Los Padres on Sunday. Beautiful day to be out and about with the clouds rolling in.

Trip Report if you're interested here:

http://wildsouthland.blogspot.com/2015/ ... -peak.html

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Nordhoff is on my list, but it is a freakin haul from south OC. I think the slowest part of the trail is on the 405 around LAX.

tekewin wrote: Nordhoff is on my list, but it is a freakin haul from south OC. I think the slowest part of the trail is on the 405 around LAX.

Truth.

Throw yer sleeping bag in the car and come up a day early. We'll camp out somewhere then hit Nordhoff the next day. I wouldn't mind going up by way of the Gridley Trail if you're into it. Should go before summer because it's south facing and will get super hot.

Yeah, maybe we can work something out. I don't know anything about the different routes, but there's time to figure it out.

tekewin wrote: Yeah, maybe we can work something out. I don't know anything about the different routes, but there's time to figure it out.

up pratt down gridley across shelf road back to pratt is a nice circuit for a day.

there are many great hikes in the immediate area - and from rose valley, a 30 minute drive from ojai, there are even more.

the definitive book of the southern los padres is:

http://www.craigrcarey.net/trail-guide/

if you're going to spend more time here, consider the beard bundle - it is a great value.

The Mrs. wants to try for Whitney next summer when she hits the big 6-0, so we went up Pratt to Nordhoff yesterday to gauge fitness and begin a series of training hikes. Nice day to be out. Warm enough but a bit overcast to make the skies interesting.

Trail is in acceptable shape. There are a couple of places where the trail has slid and could use some maintenance. And once you cross over from Stewart Canyon into what I think is the upper reaches of Cozy Dell Canyon, brush is starting to intrude onto the trail. But its all very passable.

Views from the old fire lookout were sublime. Pt. Mugu, Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel Islands all visible.

11.6 miles; 3,537' of elevation.
Pano

Beautiful! On my bucket list too!

You can make a really nice 15 mile +/- loop by going up Pratt, down Gridley (or visa versa) and across Shelf Road.