Trails By Potter

I am so glad I decided to spend my birthday morning biking with Ian. My husband and I received a private biking tour which lasted about 2.5 hours and ended with a lovely wine tasting at The Ojai Vineyard. I am not an experienced biker and Ian made sure we took a slow speed with occasional stops to ensure a very pleasant experience throughout the ride. The scenery of the ride was breathtaking. I am now very tempted to take a hiking trip with them as I can imagine how beautiful it will be. This was our first trip to Ojai and it couldn’t have been planned any better. A special shout out to Stacy at Trails by Potter who helped me with all the arrangements with the bike ride.
I will definitely plan a hiking tour in the near future!

I went on a bike ride from Ojai to Ventura and had a super fun time. Ian was a great leader, always making sure all parties were keeping up and stopped a few times to give us a break and a snack. I would highly recommend Ian and Stacy for their professionalism and kindness. I look forward to my next visit and bike ride.

I had a lovely half-​day hike with Ian, who’s as expert a conversationalist as he is a mountaineer. Ojai is undoubtedly surrounded by beauty, but if you want to get to vantage points that most locals don’t even know about, I cannot recommend Trails by Potter highly enough. I climbed for 2-​hours and arrived at a view of rolling green mountain overlooking all the Channel Islands. It was insanely, incomprehensibly stunning, and there’s zero chance I would have caught that vista without Ian’s trail knowledge.

Oh heck yes! Ian Potter is our favorite hiking guide ever. I’m not super athletic but he goes at whatever pace is comfortable for you. Also, he’s great with identifying local flora, knows Ojai history, and I must say he’s very entertaining!
Super flexible, can make great recommendations on hiking areas, also great «insider» dining and entertainment tips.
He will bring walking sticks, water, and if you’re lucky yummy home grown oranges.
Don’t miss a hiking experience with him. He picks you up at your hotel so it’s totally stress free.

Ian guided my small group on a hike in the Ojai foothills for about two hours. He was on time, a great communicator, prepared with water, hiking poles & snacks (including a few juicy oranges from his backyard), and highly knowledgeable about the Ojai area. On our hike he pointed out local flora (pepper trees, eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, wild fennel & more), encouraging us to smell, touch & taste various plants, answered questions & gave tips on local fauna & wilderness travel and led us to a great view of the Ojai valley where he took pictures and surprised us with the aforementioned sweet oranges. Whilst hiking, Ian shared stories of his many travels and periodically checked in with us to make sure we were not too tired (one of the hikers was in her 60s). After the hike, he drove us to a local, family-​owned olive oil farm, whose proprietor gave us a short tour of the charming property & olive oil making process, followed by samples of oils & vinegars. A great way to get in exercise & Ojai culture in one shot! Finish it off with a good meal, drinks & soak in a hot tub (Ian has inside tips on those as well) for a memorable day.

Stacy and Ian ensured we had a WONDERFUL day riding from Ojai to Ventura. Great service — gear was perfect for our needs — and I can’t say enough about how helpful they were! Can’t wait to get back for another visit — we’ll surely use them again!

The absolute highlight of our trip to Ojai were hike and bike outings with Ian and Stacy. They are locals in the best sense: knowledgable, reliable and just plain fun to be with. We felt like we were spending time with friends. Highly recommended!

This was money well spent! What an awesome experience. Ian and Stacy love what they do and it shines through. They led us on a fantastic hike. Both were very knowledgeable about the area and the plants and animals native to Ojai. The experience was superb! We did the hiking and wine tasting afterwards. We are already planning our next adventure when we are in Ojai again. Thank you for a wonderful experience, Ian and Stacy!
Sincerely,
Rachel and Rommel

My sister and I signed up for the 16-​mile bike ride from Ojai to Ventura Beach through The Oaks at Ojai. We were a little hesitant because neither of us are bikers, but the ride was fairly easy (a lot of coasting) and Stacy and Ian were wonderful hosts. Stacy was our guide and kept a really nice pace for us, pointing out things of interest along the way. I would definitely do this ride again!

Just went down for a week at Rancho La Puerta and was pleasantly surprised to find Stacy teaching the regular classes. Stacy really «noticed» the subtleties in each of our tennis games and made practical suggestions to remedy the quirks and complement the «goods.» I also enjoyed Stacy’s humor along with her productive drills. I thoroughly enjoyed my tennis with Stacy. Thanks again, chris russell

I hadn’t been on a bike in awhile, but everything was carefully planned and executed by
Ian and Stacy, and I felt safe and confident. Ian was very well informed, personable and funny as he accompanied us on the bike trip.
It was very enjoyable… a great outing.
Many Thanks
Lynne Guthrie

My husband and spent Labor Day weekend this year in Ojai. We wanted to book some fun activities while we were there. I did some research online and found Trails by Potter. They had so many options — biking, rock climbing, hiking… It all seemed amazing. We decided to go with the biking tour that included an Olive Oil tasting. It was easy to book online and Stacy got back to me with our reservation very quickly. We paid half with a PayPal deposit and then we were to pay the rest after the tour was finished.
Ian was our tour guide. My husband and I instantly clicked with him and he made our tour a memorable experience. We rode through orange trees and avocado trees. The landscape was amazing. The olive oil tasting that he took us to was great. It was owned by a friend of his — and she opened up the shop early just for us. We tasted so many different oils and ended up buying a few. (And they all have been consumed already).
After the tasting, we rode back into town where the Farmer’s Market was going on. He gave us some time to look around. We would have bought a lot more if we had the space! Ian’s wife Stacy (and co-​owner of Trails By Potter) also happened to be in town, so we got to meet her.
Ian gave us many recommendations for restaurants and other activities. If you’re also on a getaway to Ojai, I highly recommend doing a tour with Ian first on your agenda because he’ll tell you how to make the most of your trip. We did the tour on our second day and didn’t have time to do everything he recommended. However, our next two meals in Ojai were at restaurants that he suggests and they were both very, very good.
Another thing — make sure you have cash to pay the second half of the bill. I had forgotten (or read the initial emails too quickly) so when it came time to pay I didn’t have the money. Ian graciously took us to an ATM back in town, but I was a little embarrassed that I wasn’t prepared.
Next time we’re in Ojai we will definitely book another tour with the Potters. Perhaps we’ll do the rock climbing!

My review is about the rock climbing only.
I’ve been indoor climbing since February of this year, and wanted to start outdoor climbing. I also love Ojai, and visit frequently. I was told about the Potters by the staff of the Oaks, who gave them a very high recommendation.
Unfortunately this past week the weather was unusually stormy. However Ian returned my phone call right away on Sunday and we ended up climbing the one nice day which was Monday. We spent well over 4 hours climbing Foothill Crag — Ian spent a lot of time showing me how he set everything up, I got to rappel a couple time, top rope climb up a couple of routes, use an ascender… I also learned a lot of things I wouldn’t ever have learned in the gym — more knots other than the figure 8, different ways to belay, details on different pieces of equipment and so on.
Ian’s not just a climber — he’s a mountaineer with 27 years of experience, and I always felt completely safe. Plus, he’s freakin’ hilarious!
HIGHLY recommended, especially if you want to learn more about technical climbing. If the weather had been better, I would have climbed every day with Ian! oh well, next visit! KC

I could not have asked for a better first experience rock climbing. Ian was great at explaining all of the technical stuff and made me feel extremely safe the entire time. Not only was the rock climbing a blast in itself, but Ian made the whole day fun. I learned a lot from him and had a great time. I hope to get back to Ojai again one day, and I will be sure to book another trip or two with the Potters :)

We had an absolute blast celebrating my friend’s 50^th birthday with a beautiful bike ride from Ojai to the beach thanks to Trails By Potter! Ian was very entertaining and knowledgeable! He was a terrific guide and the ride was very scenic and enjoyable.
Stacy was very helpful by recommending a great restaurant for lunch and a massage place. They took care of all the details, the bikes, helmets and water I would absolutely recommend them and hope to have the opportunity to use them again.

We enjoyed our beautiful hike through the Ojai mountains. My husband and I are athletes and were happy to get a great workout coupled with gorgeous scenery. Our tour guide Ian has a wealth of knowledge regarding local flora and fauna, and has had tons of experience in all forms of outdoor activities from his adventures around the world. Next time we are in the area, we are definitely booking another outdoor adventure with Trails by Potter! Maybe we’ll even try the rock climbing next time or biking.

What a great experience I’ll never forget…
I had originally signed up for a group ride; however, being the only one that signed up, Stacy reached out to me personally and was able to coordinate a private ride through Ojai. Not only did we have a great, perfectly paced (at my desire) ride, but Stacy also took the time to point out all the sights, history and even scheduled an olive oil tasting at the local olive groves. It was truly an unforgettable experience — there’s no doubt I’ll reach out again when I return to Ojai. I look forward to future adventures with Trails By Potter.

My friend and I were staying at the Oaks at Ojai and we wanted to do an adventure outdoors. Neither one of us had been on a bicycle in years. We do own bikes that are hanging from hooks in our garages with layers of cobwebs on them. Stacy and Ian showed up at our hotel and set us up with bikes that fit, gloves, and helmets. Then they took us across the street to a parking lot to check out our ability to handle the bikes and gears on level ground. Stacy led us on a ride from Ojai to the beach in Ventura, 16 miles. It was safe on a trail with very limited hills and traffic. We felt great and enjoyed our adventure.

My wife and I went on a climb up at the Black Wall led by Ian. What a great climb. This was my wife’s first multi-​pitch climb and was a perfect place for it. Ian met up with us the day before our climb to introduce himself and also brought a selection of climbing shoes and harness for my wife to try on. He picked us up from our hotel on the morning of our climb and we headed up into hills to the spot about 20 minutes from town. After a gear set-​up and sunblock, it was CLIMB-​ON!!!
Ian was a great guide. took care of all the technical stuff, while me and the Mrs enjoyed the climbing. Ian showed us some handy knots and techniques for situations on the rock, then set up for the big rap down. Before the last rope was down, my wife had time for one more top rope climb while I belayed. Got back to town and finished the trip with a couple cold pints at the Ojai beverage co.
Was an all-​round fantastic climb day. Thanks Ian!!! Hope to get back up there soon and do it again (lets do a bigger one next time)

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our excursion which was planned and carried out for us by Trails by Potter. We chose a hike in the Los Padres National Forest followed by a wine tasting at Oak Creek Ranch. Stacy was attentive to our needs, providing cold water and granola bars for the hike and a fresh fruit, cheese, cracker, and chocolate plate to enjoy with our wine tasting. We found Stacy to be a delightful conversationalist and were impressed with her knowledge of the Ojai area and her endorsements of local businesses. As our event ended, I found myself wising we could continue to get to know Ian and Stacy through another event or over a glass of wine. We’ll definitely look for an opportunity to come back.