Romero Trail, filmed and reviewed by Preston Mason Review Date: 1/23/2016 |
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Ojai is located north east of Los Angeles and South east of Santa Barbara and is a great place to visit if you are into outdoor activities such as biking and hiking. It's located within in the Topatopa Mountains and is also near Lake Casitas. The Sisar Canyon fire road is your typical fire road that will take you up to the start of Red Reef trail where the fun begins. You can also branch off on to the Nordhoff Ridge fire road and get to the top of Gridley Trail.
From the gate at the fire road you will take Sisar Canyon Rd about 10.5 miles until you get to a sign for Trail 21W08 and that's where Red Reef starts. The trail starts off smooth and fast with some loose rocky areas as well as a few steps to go down here and there. As you get closer to the bottom it will become much more rocky and not nearly as fast. Then before you know it you will be back on Sisar Canyon right at the second gate that you will have passed on the way up. From there it's a fast run down the fire road back to the car. The ride should take you about 3 hours and is 17.5 miles total from the gate.
Sisar Canyon to Red Reef Trail Video
Sisar Canyon to Red Reef Trail Review
If you are into long boring fire road climbs then Sisar Canyon is for you! It's not too steep at any point and is more of a constant climb where you can just pace yourself as you go along. The views along the way are pretty nice so you can check them out on your way up to keep yourself sane. We don't recommend doing this during the summer unless you want to pass out from the heat because there is no tree cover on the way up. If you do choose to do it during the summer make sure to go really early.
The Red Reef Trail is what makes the climb worthwhile. It's all singletrack and is one of those trails that is as fast as you want to make it. It's not super technical but if you are planning on going fast just watch out for some loose rocks and some step type little drops which are actually really fun to fly off of. There is a section that has a lot of brush growth on it so be prepared to smack your hands on bushes on the way down and some full fingered gloves might help you out there. Once you get down to the rocky section you will have to slow yourself down some. There are a couple of spots where it gets a little chunky but for the most part you can plow right over the rocks.
Once you get back on the fire road it's a few more miles of downhill riding just not as fun. The fire road is pretty fast and there are a few loose sections but for the most part you can fly down that too. Just be sure to watch for hikers coming up and bring your bell. You won't see too many hikers on Red Reef because you have to hike up the fire road a bit to get to it.
Sisar Canyon to Red Reef Trail Pictures
Directions Sisar Canyon\Red Reef Trail
To get to Sisar Canyon Rd head out towards Ojai and get on the 150 (many ways to get to the 150) and find Sisar Rd. It doesn't become Sisar Canyon until you get up the road a bit. This is a narrow residential road with a bunch of speed bumps so go slow and watch for residents. The road will veer off to the right and become dirt so you can either park there or drive all the way to the gate. Just be warned that there are some decent rocks to drive over so don't try it in your lowered Honda. Parking at the gate is limited as well so be prepared to turn around if it's full.