Lockwood Valley
Rd
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Demanding: Perfect 5 on
our 5 scale!
What a drive! Hammer and Tongs across Lockwood Valley Road, you'll suddenly hear your inner voice: "Errr, was that inch pounds or foot pounds I used to torque my calipers?" No place tests your faith in your brakes quite like Lockwood Valley Road, which serves as a very desirable alternative to State Highway 126 for which to interconnect Ventura residents to Frazier Park Resorts.
You'll need a car wash after this drive. No coasting on this road. You'll use up some brakes on Lockwood. Foot flat, banging up through the grarbox, you'll light your taillights, red hot, going back down. Lots of 5th to second downshifts. There's a 6th-to-first braking zone. Premuim on acceleration on this incredible drive across a 6,000 foot valley.
Notice, departing eastbound from State Highway 33, you'll cross the Cuyama River. Once through that perrenial stream, stop, and check your tires; make damned sure your guys didn't cut a tyre going through that stream bed. And, watch out for the dip on the straight away segment approaching Frazier Park... it's possible to get in a head on situation, nose first, right into the road. Do not hit that dip going triple digits.
Henceforth? Do a couple dry runs... get to know Lockwood Valley Road intimately, before doing a Bonzai run.
Ventura doesn't have much relative to LA. But, what it does have is 4 incredible, world class canyon roads:
* Yerba Buena Road
* Hwy 33 (north of Ojai)
* Lockwood Valley Rd
* Cerro Noroeste-Mil Potrero...
... each, a perfect complement, to one other.
Accessible from the Fraizer Park off ramp via Interstare 5, or from affluent Ojai going north, Maricopa Hwy traverses 3 county lines as it ascends to over 8,000 ft in elevation to render Ventura an economic lifeline to California's Great Central Valley, the Cuyama River, and the Cuyama Valley. This road takes considerable snow in winter. From November through March, it's frequently closed to everything but snow cats. It's also prone to mudslides.
This road is awesome. I always run across somebody going balls out on this road. My favorite time to run this road is October to early December, going eastbound.
General Note: Lockwood Valley Rd is not patrolled. Even if it is? Any driver worth his salt is not likely to be caught. But, don't be fooled by that long straightaway, going eastbound, into Frazier Park. There's a very dangerous dip, right in the middle of that long straightaway, which can put a very serious hurt on you if you're unaware. Your first time on Lockwood, a dry run is in order. Once in Frazier Park, gas up, then try Cerro Noroeste as a downhill.