Piru is a census-designated small town located in Eastern Ventura County, California, in the Santa Clara River Valley near the Santa Clara River and State Route 126, about seven miles (11 km) east of Fillmore and about 13 miles (21 km) west of Interstate 5. The population at the time of the 2000 census was 1,196. Lake Piru, in the Los Padres National Forest, is the main recreational attraction.