John T.

Visitation Rights: 1 Meditation Mount History: Florence Garrigue, approaching her 80th birthday, was guided to the Ojai Valley and arrived in 1968 to establish a center for Meditation Groups, Inc., with the physical location now known as "Meditation Mount". After finding the initial benefactor and arranging financing for the project with generous gifts from the people who believed in the work of the organization, Florence selected the site at the East end of the valley. She worked closely with Ojai architect Zelma Wilson in planning the beautiful Tibetan - style buildings, and Grant Castelberg of Santa Barbara who served as the landscape architect for the center. The Meditation Mount facilities were completed in April of 1971. Since that time, Meditation Mount has functioned as an educational center offering spiritual programs that enhance the awakening of the human soul in all aspects of social endeavor. Group Creative Meditation and Monthly Full Moon Meditations continue to be an important part of the rhythm in the Mount's life, focusing on the embodiment of the universal spiritual principles and pathways as a cornerstone to build a more enlightened and compassionate humanity. Mission Statement: The mission of Meditation Mount, a nonprofit organization, is to promote the building of an enlightened and compassionate world through the power of Creative Meditation, inspirational educational programs, and community-based events focused on the practical application of the following universal spiritual principles: Right Human Relations, Goodwill, Group Endeavor, Unanimity, Spiritual Approach, and Essential Divinity. Reserve a time slot on their website: https://www.meditationmount.org/ Visitation/Time slot is about 2 hours. Morning or/and Sunset. Price Of Admission: $12 for the 2-hour visitation experience. For special events, it'll cost more. You'll just have to check out their calendar on their website. Parasols To Use: If you need some shade, Meditation mount provides parasols to help with that. Entertainment: 1) Please enjoy playing with the gong and the wind chimes. Make sure you make a lot of noise! I'm kidding... It's a place to meditation... Gosh... me.... Gosh! I kinda got reprimanded by a docent for making a ruckus... the other lady that work there... told me I can make as much noise as I want. So much confusion! lol 2) Slapping your face, arm, and ear... the bugs and flies don't care who you are. I ended my visit with 5 or 6 bug bites. Better to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts.Insect repellent and earplugs would be great also. 3) Enjoy the hiking trail along the perimeter that'll take about 15 minutes to go through it. 4) Enjoy the views. Would recommend scheduling your visit during the sunset. Meditation Mount For Thought: Wouldn't mind coming back. Would like to prepared on my next visit by wear long sleeves, insect repellent, and earplugs.

Victoria S.

Beautiful, peaceful place to walk, meditate & watch the sunset. Make sure you book the 4-6p time slot. I recommend wearing pants & long sleeves, it gets chilly at sunset and there are lots of bugs.

Just need an afternoon to listen breathe exhale meditate Michael and Spiritual teachers await a beautiful International garden and class awaits to center just be with the soul calm awaits.

Pardees F.

One of the most beautiful places I've ever visited! Come during sunset and you won't regret it! There are two meditation rooms, a garden, a mini 10 minute trail, and multiple viewpoints of the sunset. It feels really spiritual and it was just a magical experience. The road up to it was not hard to follow on Google Maps. There is plenty of parking in the lot next to it. Make sure to talk to the staff and they will tell you how it was started, where each meditation room is, where the trail is, etc. The staff were very nice!! Breathe in the amazing smells of different wildflowers and plants and take in all of the beauty. The fresh crisp air during fall was just rejuvenating.

Susan L.

It's a wonderful place to be. It's worth a trip to see. And if you are into meditation, highly recommend the 20 min group meditation that is free. It does cut into the time allotted there though, so keep that in mind as you plan your trip. I was still able to walk the entire path.

Carmen V.

Nothing like to celebrate the night of my birthday stopping by Ojai and especially Meditation Mount. They say Ojai has been a spiritual magnet for centuries among the native Chumash, the town names means moon in their language. Celebrating my birthday this year in an auspicious place, a vortex of electromagnetic fields. 20 June 2020 auspicious date, my soul and my body needed to be present in Ojai, New moon, Eclipse, Mercury in retro and my birthday getting a glimpse of the pink moment from this beautiful mountain. The center was closed but parking was available and felt free to walk around the permitted areas. The sunsets are always free everywhere, no doors to that. This is a must visit, you feel the good vibrations and it is so close to downtown Ojai! you will pass through wonderfully smelling pixie orange groves to get there. It is just amazing and so glad that my low key birthday was spent in that magical small town.

Roz E.

So glad they re-opened during the time of COVID! Be sure to check their website as they have limited time slots to visit. Basically, these are self guided tours at $10 per person. We decided to go so that we can see the sunset. They allot two hours for you to meditate and unwind. They have benches along the paths and you can choose which view you would like to face (north, south, west, and east). Just be aware of your surroundings, as we did see (and hear!) a rattlesnake! If you're in the area, this is one of the places to check out!

Lianne K.

Will keep my rating the same, as though the Meditation Mount venue remains closed after the Thomas Fire of December 2017, they are working to restore the property. They are also concerned for the safety of visitors. There are signs posted at the base of the hill showing the closed status. A hand-lettered one on the gate says, "See you in 2019". They also mention consulting their website for more details. My Aunt did check it out. The expected reopening is April, 2019. They are seeking donations from supporters to hasten the recovery process. As a valued space of stunning Ojai Valley vistas, where peace and reflection reign, its worth your consideration for support.

Rachel A.

Sad to see the negative reviews. We really loved visiting meditation mount during our stay in Ojai - we made reservations for a sunset visitation ($10/person above the age of 2). I would actually recommend it as one of my top 4 places to visit in Ojai, and wish we could have spent the entire day there. The grounds are beautiful and exude positive energy (the space gives off energy similar to Lake Shrine in the Pacific Palisades), and the staff is very kind (shout out to Michael to bring so warm and welcoming, and for engaging our kids). Other visitors seemed very understanding of our kids...who were having fun being kids. There are two indoor meditation rooms, a small to medium outdoor grounds, and a small gift shop that sells mainly gemstones. Hope to return when the kiddos are a little older to experience a sound meditation session.

Maisha R.

As I was looking for things to do in Ojai, Meditation Mount kept coming up on lists as a place not to miss. So, we drove up to the grounds, parked, and made the short walk down the path to the edge of the mountain to take in the amazing view. Aside from a small gift shop and chapel, there really isn't much there aside from nature. Signs around the property serve as a reminder to remain quiet. People were relaxing, sleeping, meditating, and just walking around. This was such a peaceful and beautiful attraction that I'm glad we went to see it. Since both of us are afraid of heights, we weren't too keen on the drive up or down along the narrow road, but it was worth a brief detour. I'm not sure that this is a "can't miss" place, but we enjoyed the serenity of it all.

Betty N.

**OK SCENIC VIEW** Maybe I'm a bit jaded after my return from Joshua Tree National Park and the Getty Museum. But I didn't really care for the "view" here. ABOUT IT ======== It is part of a non-profit educational center offering spiritual programs on 32 acres of land at the east end of the Ojai Valley. The facilities were completed and became operational in 1971. PARKING ======== Parking lot up top. HIKE ==== Short hike to the top. Lot of tourists there, being loud. Screaming children. Heck, there was even a full-on photo shoot to ruin my "meditation" experience. Beautiful gardens and zen-like. The view was "OK". HOURS ====== OPEN: Wednesday - Sunday from 10:00 AM until Sunset CLOSED: Monday and Tuesday OVERALL ======== If you are spending more than 3 hours in Ojai, then do it. Please donate $2 in their wooden boxes in the front. It's the least you can do; especially if you have screaming children and/or a photo shoot.

Bobby A.

What a beautiful spot! Meditation Mount sits on a hill, overlooking the entire Ojai valley, with it's beautiful mountains, orange groves and spectacular sunlight drenching the well maintained gardens. Ojai has always had a veneer of spiritualism attached to it, given the presence of Theosophical Society here as well as the fact that Krishnamurti apparently achieved Self-Realization here. In some ways it's the West Coast version of Taos (except no skiing), mountains, valleys, hot springs, chichi spas and biodynamic or organic farming. The Mount is not affiliated with any group or movement and works on a donation-only basis and has a very secular approach to meditation and spiritualism. Which is nice, because the last thing you want is someone hounding you for your email so that can constantly send you monthly newsletters when you don't want it. I came here in the late afternoon, and as soon as I stepped out of the car, I noticed even the air was different up here. The smell of laurels and oleander was all around you. Some of the flowered bushes had so many bumblebees, that you could hear the buzzing many feet away, the drone of hummingbirds every few steps, flowers and foliage like you can't believe. And then the silence. A beautiful, sweet kind of silence where you can almost sense life itself pulsating all around you. Everything seemed a little bit more purer. To the naysayers complaining about how long it takes to get here from downtown LA, it took me all but 90 minutes to come here. The drive back was just as easy. I know for sure, if I lived in the LA area, I'b probably be visiting here to check out their monthly full-moon meditation sessions.

Allison M.

Wow, this place is stunning. And so peaceful. We reserved spots for the self-guided meditation / nature walk at sunset and it was so beautiful. Incredible, breathtaking views in every direction, lovely trails, amazing wildlife. We will be back!