To Upper Ventura River Parkway Coyote Creek & Ojai Valley Trail 33 150 33 Casitas Vista Rd Foster Park Trailhead rve Mile 6.5 se e r p P H k O c T O : o r V Foster Park e n t g u i r a R b i v e r P a r k w a y V i s i o Upper n P l a n , 2 0 0 Big Rock Preserve Mile 6 9 FIGURE ii The Lower Ventura River, looking south from its confl uence with the Canada Larga. 101 Lower PARKWAY LOWER Big Rock Preserve 33 guide to the lower N Ventura Ave Avenue Water ventura river parkway Ojai Valley Treatment Sanitation Plant Plant Canada Larga Creek The Ventura River Parkway is a network of parks, open space, and trails that provide opportunities for recreation, education and stewardship of the Ventura River. the The Ventura River Trail (1999) and the Ojai Valley Trail (1983) provide a continuous v San Buenaventura Canada en multi-use paved path along the Ventura River corridor from the beach all the tu Mission Aqueduct Larga Rd r a Spring St way to the City of Ojai. The trail follows the route of the old Southern r iv Pacific Railroad that once transported Ojai Valley produce to Ventura. e r The 1969 floods washed out much of the tracks, which were later w Brooks Institute of Photography converted from ‘Rails to Trails’. Many side trips provide access to the a t river and creeks as well as scenic overviews of the watershed. e r s h The Ventura River Trail runs from Main St. in Ventura’s historic e d downtown to Foster Park 6.3 miles inland. The trail features the area’s natural and industrial heritage, including an impressive wall Mile 5 Norway Dr of sedimentary layers exposed by the Ventura River, active and abandoned industrial sites, and operating oil derricks. E Bounds Rd P H O T O : B u R e c Petrochem Refinery places to explore 33 if you have 30 - 45 minutes Los Cabos Ln SURFER’S POINT EMMA WOOD STATE BEACH Bard Ln Just a short distance from Ventura’s historic downtown On the opposite bank of the estuary ventu lies the mouth of the Ventura River. The popular Omar from Surfer’s Point lies the Seaside ra Fraser Ln ri Rains bike path fronts the Ventura County Fairgrounds at Wilderness Park/Emma Wood State ve r Surfer’s Point. This path was re-routed in 2011 as part of Beach, providing opportunities for e s Holt St an innovative beach restoration project. Nearby parking camping, hiking and exploring t u provides convenient access to consistent surfing waves. the river delta’s coastal dune a r McKee St habitat. Remnants of a WWII- y Crooked Palm Rd era artillery gun turret can be WILLOUGHBY PRESERVE found near the rivermouth. Barnes Dr A small network of trails on the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) property provides a unique look at the For more information visit: lower river where it enters the estuary. The rivermouth and Mile 4 www.parks.ca.gov estuary provide excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing. n o t s n h o J k c i r t a P : O P T H For more information visit: www.venturahillsides.org O if you have an hour or more GRANT PARK OVERLOOK FOSTER PARK N Ventura Ave Grant Park lies on the ridge above historic downtown Foster Park is the gateway to the Ojai Valley, featuring a linear park Ventura. The landmark Serra Cross overlooks the San along the Ventura River. The park has restrooms, water fountains Buenaventura Mission (1782). Although Grant and parking and is a popular family spot on weekends. This is a Park is accessible by car, hikers may enjoy verl destination for cyclists from Ventura, or a good starting point the easy switchbacks of the recently ark o ook for those wanting to ride the Ojai Valley Trail to Ojai. p constructed Ventura Botanical Gardens t an Demonstration Trail that climbs the r Shell Rd g steep grade behind City Hall to the MISSION AQUEDUCT ridgeline above. Here, one gains an A visible section of the mission aqueduct still expansive overview of the coastline P exists just east of Highway 33 on Canada H O T Larga Road. It is one of the few remaining and Channel Islands to the south O : P and the Ventura River watershed a parts of a seven mile long system that t r i c k and the mountains of the Los Padres J delivered water from San Antonio Creek o h n s t National Forest to the north. o to a filtration plant located at Eastwood n Park behind the San Buenaventura For more information visit: Mission. The aqueduct was built of river www.serracrosspark.org cobblestones and cement by Chumash www.venturabotanicalgardens.com workers under the direction of mission priests. Mile 3 17 ELEMENTS Dakota Dr : I GUIDELINES CHAPTER School Canyon Rd For the preservation of natural habitat, protection of wildlife and the safety of all visitors… • Please stay on marked trails • Please keep dogs leashed at all times and do not allow them toCONCLUSION: swim in the IMPLICATIONS river FOR tura river ven ste • No fires,THIS fireworks, VISION PLAN or smoking, please e The relationship between people and the river has changed lh e • No firearmsover time, and of each any change kind has refl areected thepermitted course a Seneca St of Ventura County and Southern California. Once, the d Pacos St • No motorizedrelationship was vehicles an intimate one, or of recreationalpeople living at the toys , 1 river mouth, drawing their life and sustenance from the Cedar St • Please exercise courtesy for others at all 9 Shoshone St Arapaho St resources of the river and the sea, and celebrating their 4 times unity with the land as a religious tradition and an organic 6 fact of life. Later, the relationship was primarily exploitative • Carry your cell phone in case of emergency Cameron St — using the river’s water as the basis for settlement and Shoshone St • No overnightagriculture — butcamping people still lived at the side of the river or traveled to it, acknowledged it as an important feature • Please carry out everything you bring in of the land, and celebrated it. Later still, Venturans walled Barry Dr themselves off from the river in order to protect their city (trash cans are located at the trailheads) from its fl oods, and increasingly came to view it merely I • Fishing is prohibited due to endangered M Franklin Ln as an adjunct to (or an impediment to) industrial land A G E 33 : uses in the river valley, a convenient but unseen water T steelhead trout o r t i l l tap, and a receiving body for wastes. Eventually, many a F l a t s P r o j e c Venturans practically forgot that the river was there. Today, t De Anza re-connection has become a priority, providing the context De Anza Dr Middle School for this Vision Plan. W Stanley Ave FIGURE 1.9 Ventura River steelhead trout, 1946. Photo: Tortilla Flats Project. Harry James Dr E Stanley Ave Lyon Park PARKWAY LEGEND Mile 2 Ventura River Bike Trail Rocklite Rd Existing Multi-Use Trail California Coastal Trail / Anza National Historic Trail W McFarlane Dr Comstock Dr Potential Multi-Use Trail (proposed) EP Foster Secondary / Ephemeral Trails Elementary School E McFarlane St Forbes Lane Existing Community Bikeway Leighton Dr Ventura River Corridor Ventura River Levee Trail (proposed) Carr Dr Cameron St Community Parks & Open Spaces W Vince St Conservancy Property (VHC) E Lewis St W Flint St Bike Trail Access Point El Medio St W Warner St Cedar Street Trail (proposed) River Corridor Access Point Landmark / Point of Interest Bell Ave Gold Coast Transit Stop, Route 6 Riverside St Kellogg Gold Coast Transit Stop, Route 16 Park W Romona St Sheridan Way Kellogg St River Parkway Trailhead Elementary School Park Entrance Station W Simpson St Grant Park Parking Restrooms W Center St Ventura Botanical Gardens Demonstration Trail Picnic Area W Prospect St Camping Area N Olive St West Park W Harrison Ave Viewshed / Vista Point Wildlife Viewing Area W Mission Ave Mile 1 Father Serra Cross Park Row Ave California Coastal Trail Summit Dr to Santa Barbara The Anza National Historic Trail follows the California Coastal Trail through Ventura and commemorates the 1775-1776 Spanish expedition to settle Alta California. Rex St Cedar St San Buenaventura 33 Buena Vista St Ferro Dr City Hall Brakey Rd Willoughby Ortega Trailhead Adobe Poli St N Ventura Ave Eastwood San Buenaventura Park Mission Willoughby E Main St Preserve Mission Emma W ood River Tra Park i Fir St l Olive St Garden St Palm St Oak St E Santa Clara St Chestnut St Emma Wood California St State Beach Plaza Park E Thompson Blvd Figueroa St Figueroa 101 Ventura Amtrak E Harbor Blvd Ventura County California Coastal Trail Fairgrounds to Ventura Harbor WWII Artillery Site Mile 0 Ventura the Shoreline Dr Promenade Pier Park Surfer’s Point ventura Park San Buenaventura river State Beach North parkway 0 0.125 0.25 0.5 mi.