California · Rock climbing · Ojai

Shelf Ridge

Shelf Ridge in California offers 4 climbing routes with mixed, sport, and trad styles.

4 routes
5.8 – 5.10d
Trad · Mixed · Sport

Is Shelf Ridge open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Los Padres National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Los Padres National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Shelf Ridge

Best months: October–June. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    66° / 34°

  2. Feb

    67° / 36°

  3. Mar

    70° / 39°

  4. Apr

    74° / 41°

  5. May

    77° / 46°

  6. Jun

    82° / 50°

  7. Jul

    89° / 54°

  8. Aug

    91° / 53°

  9. Sep

    88° / 51°

  10. Oct

    81° / 45°

  11. Nov

    73° / 37°

  12. Dec

    65° / 33°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Ojai, CA, 1.6 mi away at 745 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Shelf Ridge is a climbing area in the Ojai Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest, about 0.2 miles from Luci's Trail and 0.3 miles from Fox Canyon Trail. It sits within Valley View Preserve, and the land is managed by a non-governmental organization. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Ojai show April highs around 74°F and October highs around 81°F, while July and August average in the high 80s and low 90s. Other climbing is close by, with Upper Foothill (The Hideout) and Hideout, The both about 0.4 miles away. For an overnight stay, Holiday Group Campground is about 3.9 miles off, and Rose Valley is about 5.5 miles away.

Routes (4)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Potrero JohnPhoto: Dana L. Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Potrero John

~14 min drive

Potrero John in California has 12 climbing routes across 8 grades, featuring bouldering pads, sport, and trad.

Central GullyPhoto: Dana L. Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Central Gully

~14 min drive

Central Gully in California has 11 climbing routes with 8 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad styles.

Right Side GullyPhoto: Dana L. Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Right Side Gully

~14 min drive

Right Side Gully in California has 9 climbing routes with 8 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad options.

Upper Foothill (The Hideout)

~1 min drive

Upper Foothill (The Hideout) in California has 6 trad routes on rock faces with 5 difficulty grades.

The Hideout

~1 min drive

The Hideout in California has 35 bouldering routes across 11 grades.

Foothill Crag ("The Foot")

~1 min drive

Foothill Crag (The Foot) in California has 12 climbing routes across 9 difficulty grades.

Hwy 33/Ojai Bouldering

~5 min drive

8 bouldering routes in California, 6 difficulty grades

Wheeler Gorge - East Gully (aka "Cobble Choss")

~6 min drive

8 sport climbing routes in California.

Wheeler Gorge

~6 min drive

Wheeler Gorge in California has 34 climbing routes across 18 grades.

Sespe Gorge (Black Wall)

~13 min drive

Sespe Gorge (Black Wall) in California has 18 climbing routes across 9 difficulty grades, offering bouldering pads, sport, and trad.