Good drive route north of Ojai: Bitter Creek
 

There is a really good rural route along Hudson Ranch Rd running east from the 5/Frasier Park to state Hwy 33 which leads south to Ojai and the 101.

Lots of big open sweepers and very little traffic. The best section will take you ~45min through Los Padres Forest and Bitter Creek Wildlife Preserve. This is NORTH of Lockwood Valley Road. You could go west Hudson Ranch and then return east on Lockwood if you wanted a tighter loop. Note that the bridges on Lockwood often have standing water over the tops. No terrain issues on the Hudson route.

Terrain starts out as mountains & pine trees, then drops into wide flat plains. There is Gas and food in Frasier park on east side, same in Ojai on west side.


Here is a pic and a link to a map:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?m...450000003&z=10

Love it. So epic. Have you tried Lockwood Valley Road?

Yes. Ground conditions not great on Lockwood Cyn. See note above re: bridges on Lockwood having water over the top. Maybe 1-3 inches of water over the concrete. Other areas have gravel washes in the corners and dirt or sand over the road. If I were driving a different car or an SUV lockwood might be fun.

The 150 that passes by Lake Casitas is a lot of fun, too.