2025-03: Wheeler Gorge, Los Padres National Forest

Milestones

• 27th time camping in 27 months (SHOW ON MAP)
•  3rd time camping in Ventura County (SHOW THE 2ND).

I wanted to camp in the mountains above Ojai ever since my Mom and I stayed at the Ojai Valley Inn in 2019.

I Needed This Camping Trip….

After “Boondocking” last month near the Salton Sea, I was in need of a stress-free, comfortable, green camping experience. That’s exactly what I got. Turning inland from the Pacific Ocean at Ventura, I drove through Wheeler Gorge, a canyon so narrow that three tunnels and an additional three bridges had to be constructed for Maricopa Highway to be built. When I arrived, I couldn’t have asked for a better campsite.

My tent was 10ft west of (and 20ft above) Bear Creek. A few 100 ft downstream, this waterway joins the North Fork of the Matilija Creek, and then further downstream it joins the Ventura River. When I was a kid (living in Thousand Oaks), I remember the bottled water company named “Matilija Water”. I looked down at the water flowing, making that beautiful sound trickling over the rocks…

It was at this moment that I decided to climb down the embankment and reach into the cool waters of Bear Creek. And, that is what I did.

I took this picture looking back up the hill.

Here’s a video of the creek just before I washed my face in the cool, refreshing waters…

After skinning my knees, as any fat, old-man would…. I got back up to the top and started dinner. Here’s my Korean BBQ Beef Skewers…

The frogs croaked all night long, but I still got a good night’s rest. The next morning, I drove through the North Fork of the Matilija Creek…. with a waterfall directly below me.

Who is Wheeler?

Wheeler Gorge is named for Wheeler C. Blumberg, who discovered nearby hot springs in 1890 when he was out on a hunting trip. He shot a deer which fell into a ravine. When Blumberg climbed into the canyon, he discovered hot sulphur springs and cold mountain water springs. In May, 1907, Blumberg locked himself in a room and began shooting through the walls. Blumberg was arrested by a posse and placed in a straitjacket and a padded cell in Ventura. He died the following day at age 43…. HOLY CRAP!!!