Board OKs Compromise Access Plan for Scenic Sulphur Mountain Road

The County Board of Supervisors approved a compromise plan Tuesday that keeps popular Sulphur Mountain Road open for recreational uses, but also pledges to clamp down on trespassers, litterbugs and unauthorized motorists.

Several ranchers and other residents who live along the 11-mile dirt stretch petitioned the county to close off the road to hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

During a four-hour hearing Tuesday, these landowners complained that outdoor enthusiasts and other non-residents litter, stray onto private property and occasionally let cattle out along the road, which connects the Upper Ojai to Casitas Springs.

Non-residents “go over the fences and ride over our private driveway,” Bambi Clark, a 51-year-old Sulphur Mountain Road resident, told the supervisors. “If Sulphur Mountain Road is opened up and made a trail, I am afraid this will open it up to more illegal activity.”

But more than 30 open-space advocates and county residents who hike, bike and run along the road jammed the board chambers to deny those accusations. They asked the supervisors to keep what several described as “one of the top” trails in the United States open to the public.

“Sulphur Mountain [Road] truly, truly is a recreational treasure,” said Dorothy Schechter, former county counsel. “If it is abandoned, it will be forever lost to the citizens of Ventura County.”

Under the plan approved Tuesday, the county will no longer be responsible for upkeep of the road, leaving the task to the area’s state-funded fire protection district and area residents. The only motorists allowed on the 60-foot wide stretch that snakes across the foothills near Ojai will be property owners along Sulphur Mountain Road. New signs and yet-to-be formed volunteer patrols will tell hikers, bikers and those on horseback to stay on the road and to pick up after themselves.

“Equestrians will be able to use the road again,” said Supervisor Susan K. Lacey, referring to the fact that horses have been barred from the trail for about a year. “Overall, I don’t think you’re going to notice much change.”

The county bought the road in 1930. In 1978, the city installed gates on each end, closing it off to all motorized traffic except for residents.

Boasting views of the Ojai Valley and the Channel Islands, the road has served an increasing amount of recreational traffic over the years, particularly with the growing popularity of mountain bikes.

Gus Walker, a Sulphur Mountain Road rancher who owns more than 1,000 acres, said thrill-seekers often tear through his fences to explore his property. Walker said he became embroiled in a $60,000 lawsuit several years ago after his cows escaped through a hole trespassers made in his fence and devoured his neighbor’s kiwi patch.

He is skeptical of the county’s plan to organize volunteers to help the Sheriff’s Department police the area.

“It will be like the fox guarding the chicken house,” Walker said.

Other residents worried that the county’s decision to leave the road’s maintenance to the fire protection district and property owners exposes them to lawsuits if anyone is injured there.

But Jim McBride, the county’s counsel, dismissed that concern.

‘The change “puts the responsibility on the users of the trail,” McBride said.

Throughout the hearing, supporters of the plan to keep the road open offered to build gates, supply volunteers and to help raise funds for patrolling this recreation highway.

Many called Sulphur Mountain Road a unique resource to Ventura County, adding that it already is a hot listing in hiking and mountain biking guides and magazines. And they asked the county not to shut the public out of opportunities to use the land.

“What I’m seeing here is a reduction of access,” said Bill Slaughter, an attorney and Upper Ojai resident. “We need to take a stance on that.”

But residents fear that too many people may come to love the road. The board voted to include the 11-mile stretch in its “Regional Trails and Pathways Master Plan,” a management proposal for the county’s outdoor resources.

Some worry that this could give Sulphur Mountain Road too much exposure as it would likely cause the road to be included in additional guidebooks and magazines.