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Way back in June of 1998, the Los Angeles Times had an article entitled "Joy Rides - 10 scenic bike trails for real people." Coming in at #8 was "The Milk Run." It was a 16 mile round trip through the Ojai Valley starting at Foster Park. Being the real people that we are, my wife and I rode it a year or two later during a vacation to Ventura.
Today that trail is known as the Ojai Valley Trail, and from the photos on the Rails to Trails site it looks just as beautiful as twenty years ago and appears to have had some nice upgrades added too.
I recall lots of trees, a rural atmosphere, a gentle incline, and being able to pretty much coast much of the way back to Foster Park!
(BTW: I've racked my brain and done some research, but I can't remember or find why it was referred to as The Milk Run)
I first rode this trail over forty years ago when it was one of the first Class I trails in southern California, and I must say it was so cool to go from the Inland Empire all the way to the OC beaches! In recent years I've also ridden the upper portion which is a completely different experience but still worthwhile. The lower portion is nice and flat with cool ocean breezes, while the upper portion is hilly in places and much warmer in the summer. Lower: 5 stars. Upper: 3 stars.
My family and I have ridden this trail many a time over the past thirty years. It's a SoCal classic, one of the all-time greats! It's not a trail for you if you're looking for solitude since it's so popular with a multitude of bicyclists, walkers, campers, and beachgoers, but it's the ultimate beach ride: flat, easy, unlimited ocean vistas and a cool ocean breeze.
This is arguably one of the easiest, most beautiful trails in the state. The entire trail runs along the beach and there is an endless supply of entertainment: surfers, volleyball, all sorts of activities going on at all times. The ocean views are magnificent. The trail is smooth, well maintained, clean AND there are nice, clean restrooms all along the trail. We drive from northern California just to ride this trail and the Marvin Braude trail and will do so every year!
This trail has two parallel sides. We parked at West Creek Park – a lovely park about a mile south of the northern most trailhead on the western section. This beautiful park had nice restrooms, water and plenty of parking. The trail is often lined with a white fence passing through some residential and some commercial areas. The western section is less scenic than the eastern section and passes through more commercial sections. One of the good things about the western section is that it passes a shopping center that has the best breakfast restaurant in Santa Clarita: Eggs N Things. The western section connects to the South Fork Trail and that connects to the eastern section of the San Francisquito Creek Trail so you can easily do a loop ride. The eastern section ends at the same road (Copper Hill Drive) as the western section. It is a short distance over a bridge to connect back to the western section. In between the two segments is dry river bed. The eastern section is much prettier passing through a residential area with greenery planted on the side. Going north on either section is slightly uphill, which means downhill going south! There is a separate pedestrian path and two-lane bike path. The path is smooth, well maintained and very good for running, walking, biking and rolling on anything.
This trail is one of the many beautifully maintained connected trails in Santa Clarita. It runs through basically residential areas with the dry river bed on one side. (At least it is dry in now, in February). I think this would be a more scenic trail in the summer when the trees have leaves. However, there is a certain beauty to the dry riverbed. It follows along the power lines and provides a flat, smooth surface perfect for easy biking, running and generally any kind of "rolling" be it skateboards or roller blades. There is usually a separate lane for pedestrians making it very safe for runners and walkers.
The family has taken up rollerblading and we came here for our first outing. It was a smooth ride (hard to find on skates) and the kids were delighted with the big hills on each side of the bridge that ended in nice long straightaways to allow them to safely come to a stop. We didn't make it past the bridge because they insisted on going up and down them over and over. :)
As of the date of this review, the Arroyo Seco is closed for repairs. Most of the entry gates have been chained up. I was able to get on the path and it can be dangerous to anyone riding a bike. The recent storms have caused large boulders to slide down the hill on to the path along with mud and debris. There are also pieces of concrete/steel plating missing which is a hazard. I will post again once it is open.
Overall this is a decent trail which is well maintained. I recommend that you start at the Pioneer Blvd entry point as this will provide a more enjoyable experience-the last third of this trail as you approach Mills Ave is a constant "start-stop" experience with traffic lights and crossroads. This is not the trail to use if you are looking to ride/run at a consistent pace/speed due to cross traffic....but certainly fine for a leisurely outing. A nice feature of this trail is that it's close to the San Gabriel River trail with directions on how to navigate to it from the Pioneer Blvd entry point.
Great trail for beginners! My mom hates exercising but she actually enjoyed it. There’s a mini exercise space on the trail. There’s also a beautiful mini mural towards the end of the trail. All around nice experience.
Many repaved sections make this a nice trail. From the north end at Foster, it is possible to go up Carmanita to the Whittier Greenbelt Trail, or to Stage Road and the rest of Coyote Creek. It would be nice to see a complete trail to Whittier someday.
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