Agua Blanca Trail - 19W10

Agua Blanca Trail (19W10)

WILDERNESS

Length: 12.44 miles

Difficulty: moderate to Log Cabin Camp, difficult to Saddle Skirt Camp

Portions of this trail pass through private property. Please respect these areas and stay on the designated trail. 

From Highway 126, turn north on Piru Canyon Road. Drive 6 miles to the Lake Piru gatehouse and inform staff that you are parking at the Pothole Trailhead. Drive approximately 5 additional miles on Piru Canyon Road to the trailhead parking lot. 

The Agua Blanca Trail offers wilderness access along a twelve mile trail. Not recommended for horses. Moderate with some steep sections. The trail begins at the new trailhead parking area. From the parking area, continue hiking on the Piru Canyon Road for approximately one mile to the Agua Blanca Trailhead. Five miles up the trail is Log Cabin Camp which is just above Devil's Gate. This is a portion of the trail that is difficult to keep in good condition for horses. The trail junctions with the Potholes Trail just above Devil's Gate. Continuing on the Agua Blanca Trail, it is passable for hiking, but is definitely not recommended for horseback riders, due to a bad section of trail in a gorge down from Ant Camp. The Agua Blanca is one of the most scenic trails on the Ojai Ranger District.

In the 1930's the U. S. Forest Service, using C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) labor, improved an old chumash trail that followed Agua Blanca Creek up the canyon. It was a popular trail because of the good hunting and fishing in the canyon. The trail begins at Festers Camp at the junction of the canyon with Piru Creek. Following up the canyon it comes to the Devils Gateway which is a narrow cliff cut through a conglomerate rock ridge. There is a trail over the ridge but it is rocky and steep. It is best to go up through the pools in the bottom of Devils Gate. Just beyond the narrows is a junction with the Pot Hole Trail that crosses the creek and climbs to reach the old Whitaker cabin and Pot Hole. Just beyond the trail junction is Log Cabin Camp. The cabin is long gone but a trail camp is located at the site. Continuing on up the Agua Blanca Creek the trail will pass a historic campsite called Hollister Camp. It was named for an early day U. S. Forest Ranger who had a camp beside the creek. Next comes Cove Camp on the left hand side of the creek.

A short distance beyond this camp is Big Narrows. Here the creek cuts through a ridge of cobblestone to form a "U" like narrows. The walls of the cliff are very tall and numerous pools form as the creek descends through the narrows. There is a trail that climbs over the ridge on the west side of the narrows but it is more enjoyable to go through the narrow part of the canyon.

Further up the creek the trail reaches Ant Camp where a trail comes in from Dough Flats and Fillmore. The Agua Blanca trail used to continue up the creek passing two old hunting camps to finally climb to the top of Cobblestone Mountain but the trail beyond Ant Camp has not received any maintenance and is now a wall of dense brush and washouts from floods.

The Agua Blanca Trail - Pothole Trail loop hike is approximately 15-20 miles.

At a Glance