Ventura - Premier Visitors Guide 2007-2008 - (Page 42) exploring the county Ojai and Lake Casitas Clara St., 643-6074). On weekends visit Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center (17017 Maricopa Hwy., 640-9060). If you’re going to park in heavily visited areas in the National Forest, you may need to purchase an Adventure Pass (user’s fee), available for $5 per day/car or $30/year. Check with a ranger station to find out exactly where passes are required. Passes are available at ranger stations, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., sporting goods stores and some gas stations. Nearly 6,200 acres of rolling hills surround Lake Casitas Recreation Area (13 miles northwest of Ventura, www.lakecasitas.info/). The freshwater N ortheast of Ventura along scenic Highway 33 is the renowned Ojai Valley, immortalized as the mythical Shangri-La in the 1937 film Lost Horizon. Today Ojai offers world-class golf, luxurious health spas and dozens of shops and art galleries in this charming village. The surrounding Topa Topa Mountains, Los Padres National Forest see and do in Ojai, call the Ojai Visitors Center, 646-8126 or visit www.ojaichamber.org. Around Ojai The Los Padres National Forest offers a vast network of more challenging trails for experienced hikers, including the beautiful Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail and Today Ojai offers world-class golf, luxurious health spas and dozens of shops and art galleries in this charming village. and nearby Lake Casitas Recreation Area provide outstanding recreational opportunities, including back-country hiking, boating, fishing, picnicking and camping. Ojai also hosts a music festival in early summer and live music at its “Moonlight on the Meadow” event in September. For detailed information on what to 42 VENTURA VISITORS GUIDE the Sespe Wilderness, where you might catch a glimpse overhead of the nearly extinct California Condors released into the wild as part of a hopeful preservation project. Trail maps are available at the Ojai Ranger Station, 1190 E. Ojai Ave., (646-4348) Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or the Great Pacific Ironworks in Ventura (235 W. Santa lake—one of the nation’s best bass-fishing areas—is filled with rainbow trout, lunker largemouth bass, crappie and other fish. The large campgrounds include 450 sites, plus a full-service marina and store. Rent a boat, hike, bike or just sit and gaze at the gorgeous scenery. You’re not allowed to swim in the lake, but in the summer months you can cool off and frolic at Casitas Water Adventure, a delightful water playground and lazy river for children and adults. For information call 6492233 or visit www.lakecasitas.info/. For camping reservations, call 649-1122. For guided fishing information, call (800) 572-6230. MARK DOLYAK http://www.lakecasitas.info/ http://www.ojaichamber.org http://www.lakecasitas.info/
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