Exploring Lake Piru--a Backcountry Bonus

The county’s rich recreational diversity continues to bewitch our intrepid Life staff.

Most of us are newcomers, escapees from lands of smog and traffic. We knew we’d be finding an ocean paradise and miles of beaches, but the backcountry was a bonus.

These mystical mountains and silvery streams not only enchant us--they alsoprovide a hopefully endless supply of Life Centerpieces. While our newspaper colleagues prowl the Internet for stories, we search the map of Los Padres National Forest.

This week, we found Lake Piru.

Piru is one of the county’s two exceptional lakes. But nature had little to do with either Piru or Lake Casitas--other than causing a lack of rainfall. Each was built as a reservoir, but with their flat surfaces and fresh water, they quickly became popular recreational alternatives for those intimidated by salty ocean waves and strong currents.

Lake Casitas in the Ojai area is the most popular lake in the county, drawing more than 800,000 visitors in 1994, many undoubtedly lured by the king-size bass that make Casitas a must for serious fishermen.

But Casitas doesn’t permit swimming, a reason for heading to Lake Piru, which, besides being swimmer-friendly, offers a distinct change of scenery. The lake is crammed into a gash in the towering mountains above the hamlet of Piru, and it’s a setting that bedazzles--as it did to staff writer Leonard Reed.

“I don’t know anyone who has made the winding drive up to Lake Piru who hasn’t come back with the look of shock and asked: ‘Did you know that was there? What an amazing place,’ ” said Reed, who wrote this week’s Centerpiece.

“Piru does that to people. It is strange and beautiful: a deep blue mountain lake set in jagged desert terrain. The colors are off--cool navy against parched chaparral hillside--but the alien contrasts are what make it so dramatic, so special.”

Lake Piru drew about three-quarters of a million visitors last year, most attending on the weekends. But Reed thinks attendance is surprisingly low considering the lake’s location: a mere 40 minutes from downtown Ventura and very nearly as close to the San Fernando Valley.

The lake may grow in popularity if a new master plan is implemented, bringing added recreational opportunities. But Reed fears that any changes will undermine the lake’s unspoiled beauty.

“I hope Piru manages to stay so rustic that it preserves its rugged wilderness feel,” Reed said. “If it should lose that to jet skiers and water slides, it will still be nice--but just another overused reservoir with traffic and hazards.”