Can driving still be fun? All signs on this splendid Ojai route point to 'absolutely'

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Everyone knows the stars of Southern California’s driving landscape: Pacific Coast Highway, the cinematic connector of formation cities; Angeles Crest Highway, a stunning and winding upland route; and “The Snake,” Mulholland Highway’s infamous roadway that reopened precocious past year.

A motion on California 33 adjacent Ojai.

But there’s a less-traveled way that feels conscionable arsenic quintessentially SoCal: California 33 to Hudson Ranch Road, passing done Ojai, Maricopa, New Cuyama and Frazier Park.

Parts of this roadworthy curl successful connected themselves into tight, method twisties — catnip to car enthusiasts and motorcyclists. But this two-lane motorway besides showcases the splendor and diverseness of the rugged region, from the forested mountains and canyons successful Ventura to the jagged rocks and chaparral of the godforsaken vistas, making it appealing to thrill seekers and sightseers alike. While roadways similar the 5 service to get you from 1 constituent to different rapidly and efficiently, this 1 begs you to relish the journey.

“A roadworthy similar this forces your caput to absorption connected the contiguous needs of car control, portion rewarding it with the quality of the earthy world,” says Dave Coleman, a Mazda R&D technologist from Long Beach who incorporates Hudson Ranch Road into his drives to and from the Bay Area. “While driving, determination conscionable isn’t capable intelligence bandwidth near to interest astir the stressful things successful life.”

This way brings radical together, including maine and my car enthusiast friends, who regularly spell connected these driving excursions — state prices beryllium damned. “We thrust these roads for the excitement and euphoria, conscionable similar radical spell to Disneyland,” says Matt Kometer, a SkyLink supervisor from San Pedro who drives a 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata. And, dissimilar Disneyland oregon the accepted getaways that impact a edifice enactment oregon a flight, these outings tin beryllium enactment unneurotic successful a mode of hours.

I was a rider connected a caller Sunday pleasance cruise with a caravan of 9 cars, which started successful Ojai and ended astatine the basal of Mount Pinos successful the Los Padres National Forest. That’s 28 miles arsenic the crow flies, but our route, with a detour for luncheon successful Cuyama, swelled the travel to much than 100 miles.

An 2026 Audi RS 3 heading to the luncheon halt successful Cuyama.

If you’re readying a travel of your own, a fewer things to enactment earlier you deed the road: Always cheque the roadworthy conditions, apical up the vessel due to the fact that there’s lone 1 state presumption successful Cuyama, download maps due to the fact that compartment work is spotty, and, if you’re caravanning with friends, it’s bully to bring walkie-talkies to enactment successful contact. The passageway conception of 33 successful Wheeler Springs volition beryllium closed Aug. 28-31. Check the Caltrans website for updates.

Here’s a play-by-play of our time connected the road.

10 a.m.: Breakfast astatine Pinyon connected Ojai Avenue

Arriving from each corners of the L.A. Basin, the drivers conscionable up and substance up astatine Pinyon Ojai, a pizza edifice connected Ojai Avenue. The store serves single-origin java from Ventura’s Beacon Coffee and meal sandwiches featuring house-made bagels. Street-side seating affords premier car spotting, which contiguous includes a right-hand-drive Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUV and an immaculate brown-on-tan Mercedes-Benz SL Pagoda two-seater. Those who clip their travel for the 2nd Sunday greeting of each period tin cheque retired the cars and java lawsuit a fewer blocks distant astatine Westridge Midtown Market.

In the restaurant, the friends drawback up, chatting astir the cars they drove here, the advancement of their existent car projects and the way for the day. There is an aerial of anticipation. For galore successful the group, it’s their archetypal clip driving this route. Miatas diagnostic heavy successful this crowd, but determination are besides high-performance rides, similar a Porsche 911, a first-generation Audi R8 and an Audi RS 3.

Traveling the canyon connected the two-lane road done Wheeler Springs and Wheeler Gorge is beauteous but dilatory going, past houses and campgrounds arsenic good arsenic precocious stone walls that endanger to rainfall down scree. Three narrow, acheronian tunnels on the mode throttle speeds due to the fact that of the abrupt contrasts from wide daylight. Highway 33, astatine a humble 3.5% grade, meanders implicit and on creeks that are invisible from the roadworthy but marked by riparian vegetation.

Drivers stitchery astir their cars portion stopping on State Route 33.

After the roadworthy opens up, the drivers marque abbreviated enactment of the curves portion maintaining a respectful region from 1 another. Occasionally, a leisure operator bunches up the radical until they propulsion implicit astatine the adjacent turnout to fto the faster drivers pass. The bid of switchbacks with hairpin turns connection a satisfying tally up to Pine Mountain Summit. “That’s immoderate world-class sports car amusive there,” says Alex Vendler, a cinematographer from Glendale who drove up successful a 2003 Miata. The 5,160-foot-high acme allows america to drawback our enactment and instrumentality successful the views of the San Rafael Mountains successful the west.

Chris Floren of Torrance poses successful beforehand of his "Viccup," a 1960s motortruck draped implicit a Ford Crown Victoria.

1 p.m.: A interruption and much car speech astatine roadside motel Cuyama Buckhorn

The Buckhorn Restaurant astatine Cuyama Buckhorn, a midcentury roadside edifice refurbished successful 2018, serves arsenic the cleanable respite. It’s astir 10 miles disconnected our way but is an air-conditioned oasis of burgers, pastry a la mode and endless crystal water.

If there’s a downside to stopping successful the “hidden vale of enchantment,” it’s the chiseled deficiency of shaded parking. But astatine slightest determination are plentifulness of spots successful beforehand of the hotel. Through the diner’s ample front-facing windows, we watched a cowboy mosey past connected his horse, checking retired the assortment of vehicles.

A radical of friends has luncheon astatine the Buckhorn Restaurant astatine Cuyama Buckhorn.

Even though determination are 12 of america walk-ins, the hostess instantly pushes respective tables unneurotic to accommodate the group. The dynamics of this agelong array invitation respective antithetic conversations to interruption retired — each astir cars. “I person a Miata, and I privation a Miata,” says Vendler. Apparently, his tablemate William Benedict, a bundle technologist from West Hollywood who drove the R8, was skeptical astir each the emotion for the Mazda roadster. Elsewhere, motorsports manager Chris Floren of Torrance is getting props for the astonishing prowess of his sleeper “Viccup” — a Ford Crown Victoria constabulary car with a ’60s-era pickup assemblage draped implicit it. Another radical discusses however “One Battle After Another” features the astir Nissan Sentra SE-R contented of immoderate movie.

After last-minute gulps of water, everyone filters backmost into the vigor of the godforsaken and hurries to aerial retired the cars’ ovenlike cabins. There is simply a mini photograph sprout with Floren’s motortruck successful beforehand of the vintage edifice sign, and past we leap successful the cars and backtrack up the 33/166 toward Hudson Ranch Road.

The Hudson Ranch Road is much amusive successful a Mitsubishi Evo IX.

3:30 p.m.: A ‘roller coaster’ of a roadworthy and a reunion successful Pine Mountain Club

Unlike Maricopa Highway 33, Hudson Ranch Road features coarser asphalt, nary guardrails and much passing zones than turnouts. Kometer said it should beryllium a tarmac rally signifier portion nonrecreational stunt operator and Long Beach section Sarah Fairfield, who piloted the 2nd ’26 MX-5 connected this trip, equated it to a roller coaster. The roadworthy was primitively built successful the ’30s to accommodate postulation heading to the skis resort, which closed successful the ’70s. Now, the radical deems it the item of the day. “It fto maine bask the enactment of driving without having to spell excessively fast,” says Karl Buchka, an aerospace technologist from El Segundo who drove up successful the 911.

Although the friends were separated connected this leg, having each taken the way astatine their ain pace, they reunite astatine Pine Mountain General Store successful Pine Mountain Club. The Village Center convenience store beckons with shaded parking and a freezer afloat of frozen treats. Between bites of a cocoa crystal pick bar, Coleman proposes continuing connected toward Santa Clarita, via the twisties connected Bouquet Canyon and Spunky Canyon roads. With competing commitments, however, astir of the drivers reluctantly bow out.

A look backmost astatine the caravan connected the 166/33, heading toward Hudson Ranch Road.

In immoderate case, the daylong cruise served its intent of resetting the week and reconnecting the friends. “A batch of what this hobby oregon manner oregon immoderate is astir is yet an excuse to walk clip with friends, and to marque caller ones,” says Jason Kavanagh, a turbopump technologist from Mid-City who brought a Mitsubishi Evo IX to the outing. “So, yeah, the roadworthy is simply a means to that end.”