Trails Reopening After Repairs

After suffering damage during the winter storms, many of the scenic and popular Ojai front country trails have been repaired and are now open, the National Forest Service announced Tuesday.

They include the Pratt Trail, Gridley Trail, Foothill Trail, Cozy Dell Trail, Santa Paula Canyon Trail and Sisar Canyon/Red Reef Trail.

Also open are:

* The Wheeler Gorge Campground, a shaded facility next to California 33, which includes 70 sites and access to the Wheeler Gorge Nature Trail. For reservations, call (800) 280-CAMP.

* The Blue Point Campground north of Lake Piru, which lies near a creek and serves as a trail head for the Sespe Wilderness. Drinking water and showers are available at the lake. For reservations, call 521-1500.

* The Pine Mountain Recreation Area, a high-elevation area off California 33, includes two small campgrounds. Expect delays on the highway because of slide removal work near the Rose Valley Road junction.

* The Upper Sespe/Cherry Creek area. The Upper Sespe offers water play and picnicking, and Cherry Creek is a popular target shooting area accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles only. Expect delays on California 33.

* Dough Flat, a trail head for the Sespe Wilderness north of Fillmore. The access road to the trail head requires a high clearance vehicle.

A number of sites remain closed because of winter storm damage or ongoing cleanup. These include the Rose Valley Recreation Area, Beaver Campground along California 33 north of Rose Valley, and Matilija Canyon Road.

For more information, call the Ojai Ranger District at 646-4348 or visit the station at 1190 E. Ojai Ave. The station is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.