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Hungry Valley SVRA is the third largest unit of California State Park's Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. Located in the Tejon Pass north of Los Angeles and along the Interstate 5 corridor, Hungry Valley offers 19,000 acres and more than 130 miles of scenic trails for motorcycle, All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV), dune buggies, and 4x4 recreation. All levels of OHV operator skills will be challenged by the wide variety of terrain and trails at Hungry Valley SVRA.
Elevations at Hungry Valley range from 3,000 to nearly 6,000 feet. Occasional snowfalls occur during the winter. Summers are most often hot, dry and dusty. The most pleasant times of the year for OHV fun are during the Spring and Fall months when the temperatures are mild and occasional rain showers make for good traction and reduced dust. Nighttime temperatures often drop below freezing in the Spring and Fall, as well as during the Winter.
The wide variety of trails at Hungry Valley provides excitement for both beginner and experienced off-roaders. For experienced OHVers challenging trails can be found in the hills and sand washes of the back- country section of the SVRA. Beginners can enjoy the scenery and relative ease of the trails in the Native Grasslands Management Area. Trails in the adjoining Los Padres National Forest are recommended for experienced riders only.
Recreational Land Management Providing long-term, sustained OHV recreation opportunity is a top priority in SVRA Management. Provisions in California law require actions to stabilize soils and to provide for healthy wildlife populations in OHV recreation areas. Projects are ongoing to stabilize soil areas by reshaping slopes, reseeding and replanting bare areas. Vegetation creates wildlife habitat while plant roots help stabilize the soil. Project areas are temporarily closed to OHV use through the use of barriers, such as fences, hay bales, brush piles and signing. Where possible, well-designed OHV trails are provided through project areas. Other project areas may be closed for a number of years before being opened again for OHV use. Your understanding and support in staying out of areas closed for restoration helps ensure OHV recreation opportunities for years to come.
Where to get help The State Park Rangers who patrol Hungry Valley SVRA are peace officers, who are trained Emergency Medical Responders. Entrance station employees and park maintenance personnel can also summon medical help. If no State Park personnel are available, dial 911 from any telephone. Pay phones are located at many business locations in Gorman. Cellular telephone coverage is intermittent throughout most of the SVRA. There are no emergency medical facilities in Gorman. The nearest hospital to Hungry Valley SVRA is Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, located approximately 30 miles to the south in Valencia. To drive to the hospital, take Interstate Highway 5 south to the McBean Parkway exit and turn left (east) on McBean Parkway. Henry Mayo Hospital is located approximately one mile from I-5 on the left-hand side at 23845 McBean Parkway.
Guide
This is literally just a roadside pull-off. Only really useful in a pinch. No space for a tent. Sleep in your vehicle.
ScoutIt’s basically car camping along the Angeles Crest highway, there’s small pull out spots and, some spots overlooking the forest but kids do tend to party up here and, drive about 100 miles a hour up and, down the road all hours of the night. It can get a bit scary, if you’re alone. Oh cell service non-existent unless you’re closer to the bottom but even then it’s spotty. It’s not a typical campground but it does do the job for a couple days. You will see cars vans along the pull outs coming up but I believe you can car camp on the overlook I have not as I’m more a quiet type person. Be careful though there’s a white van that teams up with a black truck they tried to break in my car while I was sleeping. It is very dangerous and luckily I carry at all times and have cameras.
ScoutGreat view but on the weekend we had multiple cars doing donuts really close to our van. I felt uncomfortable with that. Next night we moved to the other look out and someone still did donuts behind us- it’s a smaller lookout. Loud music and people talking next to us until about 1 am there is a pull off before this that was very quiet near a trail and nobody bothered us. During the week it’s more quiet. Close to town so that is a plus. Would recommend to smaller vans or car sleepers. I did not feel unsafe except for the donuts that happened near us. If you have dogs I would recommend the trail pull off my dogs really enjoyed the hike
ScoutI loved car camping here! When I stayed, there were no other people who stayed the night, but quite a few people came throughout the night just for 20 minutes at a time or so. Wasn’t too noisy at all. Unfortunately I didn’t have any service (Visible/Verizon), so that was a little scary. Other than that, no complaints at all!
ScoutThis is just a few parking lots that overlook the valley and gives a view of the city skyline in the distance. Several others were also sleeping in their vehicles along the road and in the parking lots, so you won’t be alone. There were two others in our lot that stayed the night too. The view is gorgeous in the morning sunrise!
That being said, it did seem like maybe a teen hangout or something - cars did flow in and out occasionally through the night until around midnight, so that wasn’t great but not awful either. I’d use it again if I needed it as it’s hard to find free places to sleep with a great view like that when traveling through cities.
GuideIt is not a real campground, just a the parking area of a view point. So the view was great. I parked at one end of the area but in the evening lots of couples and teenagers came and the parking area was well used. Some people stood silently admiring the view, while others played loud music. There were also tire tracks on the ground that suggested to me, some young people come here to test their driving skills. I spent the night and no-one took really notice of me.
There are no toilets, campfire sites or shade but good cell service.
Guide
There is a nice hike-in campsite about 1.5 miles up the Chorro Grande trail called Oak Camp. I think the other review here might be unintentionally implying that camping along the 33 is allowed. It isn't. This is from the district web page:
"Disperse camping is NOT allowed on Hwy 33, the Rose Valley Recreation Area or the Pine Mountain Recreation Area or Matilija Canyon Rd. These are Restricted Use Zones."
LegendThis site is next to chorro grande trail which is about a 9 mile hike. After your long hike of you want to rest go up the mountain site across and it’s an awesome place to camp out. This is dispersed campsite. You will also come across many people parked on the side for those who hike the trails so if you go up the little hill mountain you can camp out peacefully with awesome sunrise and sunsets.
Ranger
Chorma Camp is the first spot you will encounter on the hike south through Cherry Creek. Situated high on a bluff it gets lots of wind, and with very little shelter around to break it, if you camp here you will get the brunt of it.
There are no amenities at any of the campsites in this area, they are all primitive dispersed camp areas.
Continuing on past Chorma if you can make it to Maple it is better campsite down in the valley.
Ranger
This is a fairly easy hike through what would not be considered a typical hike. It starts off going through Thomas Aquinas College, winding through horse property and oil fields, before finally opening up into Santa Paula Canyon. The trail has changed many times over the years because of the nature of flooding through the canyon, but follow the signs through the middle of the canyon and the main trail will head up the mountain to the right.
Atop the hill on the saddle, nestled among the trees is the primitive Big Cone campsite. It is one of my favorite spots simply because it is close and when my kids were young it was a fairly easy hike to get to, and there's a nice reward when you get there.
From Big Cone Camp you can easily reach the waterfalls and pools that make this area known as the "punch bowls". Depending on weather and water conditions there are some nice water rock slides, and a few pools you can jump from the cliffs into.
Please pack out your trash. Because this hike is local and easy, there are many party people that frequent the area and leave their trash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Piru, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Piru, CA is Big Cone Camp - Santa Paula Canyon with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Piru, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 dispersed camping locations near Piru, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
