Hiking Trail Guide: Sespe Creek - Lions Camp

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Sespe Creek - Lions Camp

Distance
3.5 miles

Elevation
200 feet gain

Difficulty
3/10

City
Ojai ,CA (93023) 66.29 miles from you Weather Map

Trailhead
From Ojai, drive 15 miles north on Highway 33 to the Rose Valley turnoff and make a right. Continue 5 miles to a road split, where you take the left branch for 1 mile to Lions Camp. Park at the roads end near the trailhead, and cross the shallow creek. Look for a trail marker on the far side of the bank from the parking area. Note that the last 1 mile section of the drive described above is closed until August of 2002, so you need to add a couple of extra miles to the distance for this hike if you go before this date.

Description

This easy hike stays high on a bluff above the creek for most of the hike. Unless the water levels are pretty high, you really cannot see the stream unless you take one of the side trails down to the water. The topo map notes one particularly inviting side trail that drops down into a great swimming hole. This swimming hole is on the section stream below a grove of pine trees on the steep slopes on the far side of the stream. The turn around point is a metal gate part way up a shallow ridge. From this point you get a nice view of the Sespe creek and surrounding area.

Also consider also hiking the Rose Valley Waterfall or the Piedra Blanca Formations if you are in this area

Map / Directions: