Santa Paula Canyon Punch Bowls
UnverifiedIntermediate (31-60 ft)34.45900, -119.08650
Confirmed by 0 jumpers
A staircase of clear pools carved into the sandstone of Santa Paula Creek above Ojai, the best-known swimming and jumping spot in Ventura County. Ledges around the bowls give short drops into deep green water, and the hike in keeps the crowd to people who actually wanted to be there.
Jumps at this location
Bowl ledges
Height not listed
Intermediate (31-60 ft)
Warnings
Heights and depths here are not measured and the pools shrink through the season — check the landing every visit. The access easement is the thing that keeps this spot open: trespassing off the trail or parking badly has closed it before. Poison oak lines the creek, and the canyon is hot with little shade.
Access
Santa Paula Canyon Trail from behind Thomas Aquinas College at 10000 Ojai Road (CA-150), Los Padres National Forest. The first mile crosses private land on an easement — stay on the trail past the oil equipment and the avocado orchard, and do not stop there. It is roughly 3 to 3.5 miles each way to the bowls, past Big Cone Camp. The pin is approximate.
Best conditions
Late spring through early fall. The creek runs low by September in dry years, which drops the pools.