The Piedra Blancas are beautiful white boulders set amidst Ojai’s picturesque mountains. The easy trail is located in Rose Valley, which is a right turn off of Highway 33, coming from downtown Ojai. The drive itself is captivating, and the mountain views are incredible the closer you get to the trailhead.

The trailhead is located at the end of Rose Valley road within the Los Padres National Forest. Just keep going straight on the main road until you reach a cul-de-sac with parking spots. You can see the incredible white rocks standing out from the surrounding green mountains even from the parking lot. There is a bathroom at the parking lot, and the trailhead is a little ways past it to the left.

The trail is a 2.3 mile out and back dirt path. It crosses a now dry stream, so there is a short portion of walking over stones, and another short portion of soft sand, but it’s mainly lose dirt.

On the trail you’ll see a few junctions, as there are plenty of trails in this area so it can seem confusing at first, but if your goal is to reach the piedra blancas I suggest keeping straight on the main path, and following the wooden signs’ directions for Piedra Blanca. This way it takes about 25 minutes to reach the impressive rocks.

Here’s where the fun starts though, as the rocks are not the final destination, but just the beginning. Say goodbye to the dirt path you were walking, and simply take any path you see leading onto the boulders and make your own route!

Weaving through the boulders and brush is all part of the experience. Pick a boulder to reach, and try to get there. Trust me, it’s harder than it looks but well worth the effort.

The beautiful scenery, and unique boulder shapes you’ll find make the experience a truly enjoyable adventure. I suggest wearing pants though, as the brush can be rough and scratch the skin.

Even with all the impressive boulders, I’ve never seen any rock climbers out here. I assume that is due to the sandstone rock, which is rough on the skin. I have seen plenty of yogis though, and even more backpackers.

I have camped out here once before, at the top of one of the boulders. It was a great night, and even better morning watching the sun rise surrounded only by mountains.

There’s so much to see here. Every time I come I find a new route to take, a new boulder to photograph, a new rock to scramble on top of. I’ve spent plenty of hours out here, and will definitely spend more.