Camp Comfort is a Ventura County park located in Ojai, California. It’s really small, 15 campsites, but it’s well maintained and in a great location to explore local attractions. There are plenty of recreational activities in the area, but Ojai is predominantly…
a tourist destination. There are plenty of quaint shops, good restaurants, art galleries and spiritual retreats. On Sundays there is a farmer’s market featuring locally grown produce, pies (my favorite), (mostly) hand-made craft items and a colorful array of people. They really emphasize organic agriculture so the produce is pretty good and should be chemical free. They don’t allow chain stores, other than gas stations, to promote local business. If you are into books, one of the more interesting places in Ojai is Bart’s Books on Matilija Street. It’s an open air used bookstore that has some unusual books. You can even get books after hours (they’re outside) and pay on an honor system. We’re not into people watching much, but there are some interesting folks that live in this area, so if you visit, get a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone, sit in the park and take a look, especially on Farmer’s Market days.
We like to ride horses. We did that once while at Camp Comfort and it was pretty lame. We chose Trail Rides of Ojai since the other place we had actually wanted to go to, Ojai Valley Trail Riding Company, was closed. Trail Rides of Ojai advertised the ride as being a one hour ride. Well, apparently part of that one hour was waiting for everyone to arrive, them saddling up the horses and getting everyone situated. The ride itself only lasted a measly 30 minutes. Though I suppose we were glad it was so short because honestly it was extremely boring. The ride was through some pretty rundown and empty land and the guides kept talking over each other making it difficult to understand what they were saying. I wouldn’t advise spending your money on horseback riding at Trail Rides of Ojai, it’s a waste of time and money.
The Reagan Presidential Library isn’t far away in Simi Valley. If you haven’t been there it is well worth your time no matter what your political leanings may be. It is a beautiful place that’s full of compelling history. There is a piece of the Berlin Wall, Air Force 1 and Marine 1, fighter jets and displays/videos that will pull you into the history of the time. We highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. Warning: it’s always crowded so bring some patience with you.
During our last stay in March, 2016, we took a drive up to an unnamed lake (really, I can’t find the name) in the mountains not far from Ojai. It’s a pretty little lake that was almost totally deserted. I believe it is located in Rose Valley. It’s a nice place for a picnic and quiet relaxation if you are into that.
We’ve been to Camp Comfort twice. It’s a good getaway for us (less than 2 hrs. from home) if we only have a couple of days. The best campsite is #11 but it’s hard to book. We’ve stayed in #10 and #14. Campsite #10 is on a corner and is a little small. Campsite #14 is larger but the hookups are on the wrong side of the campsite so you’ll need an extra length of sewer hose, water hose and maybe electrical cord to fully hookup. There may or may not be a television cable feed. We don’t watch TV when camping so we don’t even check. Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table. San Antonio Creek runs behind the campground. You can hike up and down it if you wish, but last time there we heard a youngster squealing about leeches. It doesn’t bother us (we worked in the banking industry for a time early in our careers) but it could bother someone else.
If you are in the area and need a place to stay, Camp Comfort should fill the bill. The added value is Ojai and the surrounding area being interesting places to explore.
Dents and Filiform 