OJAI : Forest Service to Reopen Scenic Road

A scenic Los Padres National Forest road will reopen to the public today for the first time since last spring’s torrential rains, a U.S. Forest Service official said.

Located about 20 miles above Ojai off California 33, Nordhoff Road is a favorite destination for four-wheel-drivers and mountain bikers, said Charlie Robinson, recreation officer at the Ojai Ranger Station.

The 12-mile dirt lane offers stunning ocean vistas before it dead-ends in Los Padres wilderness, Robinson said.

“On a clear day, you can see the Channel Islands,” he said.

Forest Service crews worked throughout the spring and early summer clearing debris and repairing the road’s drainage system, but “it’s only a temporary fix,” Robinson said. “There is still work to be done.”

The road is in good enough shape to make it to the next rainy season, he said, but it will take more money to fully restore Nordhoff to its original condition. An application for federal disaster relief money is still pending, he said.

The Forest Service allows up to 10 four-wheel-drive vehicles a day--each of which must have a permit--onto the road. Free permits are available at the Ojai Ranger Station, 1190 E. Ojai Ave. They must be requested by phone two weeks in advance, Robinson said.