Some hiker websites call this the best hiking spot in Ventura County
(and we know that the internet never lies!)
Another site calls it "A lunar landscape with cascading water slides".
Sure, its a bit of a drive, but people rave about the Punchbowls for some reason, and I aim to find out what that reason is. I've never been there, so it'll be new to all of us.
WHEN: MONDAY JANUARY 17TH, MEET AT 10:30 AM AT THE PARKING LOT ON HIGHWAY 150 (THE ROAD FROM SANTA PAULA TO OJAI)
DISTANCE: 7.1 MILES ROUND TRIP IF YOU GO TO THE FIRST 25 FOOT FALLS. ADD AN EXTRA 1/2 MILE EACH WAY TO SEE THE SECOND FALLS. (Yes, 8.1 miles total=2 waterfalls)
DISTANCE FROM L.A.: around 70 miles, so give yourself 1 1/2 hours if coming from downtown L.A.
GPS COORDINATES:
(Lat:34.427571 Lon:-119.089664)
ELEVATION Gain: 800 feet from the parking lot to the first falls.
DIFFICULTY: NOT FOR BEGINNERS! LOTS OF ROCK HOPPING AND STREAM-CROSSING.
Park in either of two dirt parking lots off Highway 150 adjacent to the entrance of Thomas Aquinas College. Walk up the college road. Please respect signs to stay on road and do not cut across open areas of campus. The road eventually splits off to the right from the college and continues through a ranch and oil well site. Approximately 1.3 miles from the highway and after the oil wells, the route enters dense sycamore and alder stands along the creek bottom. During the winter floods of 2005, much of the trail and road was eliminated due to high waters. Since this trail receives heavy use on weekends, we recommend hiking it on a weekday. The main attractions are a narrow gorge and beautiful waterfalls that cascade into deep pools of water. Be very careful when hiking this trail due to the many steep drop-offs and high cliffs. After 3.4 miles, the trail passes Big Cone Camp that has campsites set in a shady grove of big cone Douglas-fir with year-round water close by. A great alternative less then a mile further up the trail is Cross Camp. This camp offers secluded, nicely arranged camp-sites on Santa Paula Creek (year-round water). At 1.8 miles from Cross Camp a trail turns off to the right and drops down to Jackson Camp. The main trail continues another 0.2 miles to Jackson Hole. For the adventurous, a non maintained trail picks up at 0.4 miles up-canyon from Jackson Hole and continues on to Last Chance Camp and Topatopa Mountains. The trail is not passable to stock beyond Big Cone Camp.
Casa De Lagos
715 East Ojai Avenue (HIGHWAY 150), Ojai, CA 93023 (805) 640-1577
has a big outdoor patio, serves beer, etc
the restaurant is located 8 miles west of the punchbowls along Highway 150. After chowing down, you can follow Highway 150 west to where it becomes Highway 33, which plugs back in to the 101 freeway.
