Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center in Newbury Park

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The Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center is located at Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa in Newbury Park. Sycamore Canyon, which cuts through Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa and Point Mugu State Park, was part of a Chumash trade route. Satwiwa, which means "the bluffs," was the name of a nearby Chumash village.

View of the Satwiwa area with the Center on the right and an Indian village area on the left.

In the Center is a variety of native Chumash items. Native American workshops, programs and art shows occur throughout the year. The Center is open 9 am to 4 pm on weekends, with rangers on hand to answer questions. There's a small gift shop in the Center too, as well as restrooms and a water fountain.

There is a Chumash house, or 'ap, on the grounds of the Center. It is made with willow trees and tule.

Inside the Culture Center. The table contains items that children are encourage to touch.

Small but nicely appointment gift shop in the Center has something for everyone.

Park in the adjacent National Park Service parking lot via Lynn Road to the access road at Via Goleta in Newbury Park.

Visit www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/satwiwa-native-american-indian-culture-center.htm for more information.

Access point to the Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa area in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area off of Lynn Road in Newbury Park.

Wishbone Trail in the North Ranch Open Space

The Wishbone Trail is a two mile round trip, moderately steep trail that takes you from the west end of Westlake Village Community Park through the North Ranch Open Space to the Bowfield Trail. There are two entry points - one directly behind the baseball fields and the other at the far west end of the parking lot.

This is one of the newest trails in the Conejo Open space, constructed in 2018. If you’re looking for views, you will get them on this trail. Clear views of Ladyface Mountain on the south, the Boney Mountain Range and other local scenes. And this is the best place to catch California poppies in the spring, in most years. There are several view benches along the west trail as well as a bench at the top, near the juncture with the Bowfield Trail.

More information on the Conejo Open Space Foundation website at cosf.org/files/routes/Wishbone%20Trail.pdf. Westlake Village Community Park is located at 31107 Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

View from the east Wishbone Trial looking west towards the west Wishbone Trail. It is definitely not a flat trail - it is a moderately steep trail.

This access point to the east fork of the Wishbone Trail is directly behind the baseball fields on the west side of Westlake Village Community Park. The other entry point is past the baseball fields at the far west end of the parking lot.

There are some patches of poppies visible off of the Wishbone Trail in the spring but the biggest patches seem to be off of the connecting Bowfield Trail. the wetter the winter, the bigger the poppy display.

Chumash Indian Museum / Oakbrook Regional Park

Located in Lang Ranch at the top of Westlake Boulevard near Avenida de los Arboles at 3290 Lang Ranch Parkway, Thousand Oaks, the Chumash Interpretative Center / Chumash Indian Museum contains Chumash artifacts and historical items, nature walks and tours of the beautiful local Oakbrook Regional Park area.  The museum is open Saturdays 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays from noon to 4 pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 65+ and $5 for children under 12 (as of March 2023).

There is no charge to walk the trails in the park, which is open from sunrise to sunset daily. No dogs, except service animals, are allowed on museum grounds or trails.

The Chumash Indian Museum is located on a historical Chumash village site and contains a large collection of Chumash artifacts.

Stroll around the 436 acre Oakbrook Regional Park, a Ventura County historical landmark #90 (designated in 1983). More on Oakbrook Regional Park at www.crpd.org/park/oakbrook-regional-park.

Contact the Center for more information about these and other events, field trips, weddings and birthday parties at www.chumashmuseum.org or 805.492.8076.

To protect the wildlife, dogs are not allowed here.

Examples of the Chumash Home - called an ‘ap (not to be confused with app). more on ‘aps at THIS LINK.

Beautiful canopied oak tree configuration at Oakbrook Regional Park, behind the Chumash Indian Museum.

Charmlee Wilderness Park in Malibu

Charmlee Wilderness Park is a 532 acre park located at 2577 Encinal Canyon Road in Malibu, just 15 miles from the Conejo Valley. It is located within the Santa Monica Mountains. There are over eight miles of hiking trails, a nature center, picnic areas and more. Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset and the nature center is open on weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (or dark, whichever comes first). Parking is now free of charge.

Visit www.malibucity.org/561/Charmlee-Wilderness-Park for more information.

To get there from the Conejo Valley, take the 23 (Westlake Boulevard/Decker Canyon Road) toward the ocean and turn left on Lechusa Road. Continue on Encinal Canyon Road and look for the sign on the right.

Photos below courtesy of Suzy Demeter Photography.

Conejo Valley Botanic Garden - Thousand Oaks

The Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is a 33 acre retreat of hiking trails and natural habitat adjacent to Conejo Community Park off of Lynn Road and Gainsborough. 

CVBG now offers plant sales (weather permitting) every Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. featuring California native and drought tolerant plants. Reasonable prices! Enter at the Kids' Adventure Garden entrance (400 W. Gainsborough Road).

This is really a special place to bring the kids for low key hike.  There are numerous trails and a short walk/hike to the top of the mountain rewards you with sweeping views of the entire Conejo Valley, from Westlake Village to Thousand Oaks to Newbury Park.

Here is what you'll find at the CVBG:

• The Nature Trail is 3/4 of a mile long and meanders above the creek through oaks and willows. This is a moderate trail.

• The Little Loop Trail leads you above the creek, through chaparral and around a meadow.

• The Native Plant Section and Lower Meadow feature southern and northern California plants.

• Lillian's Meadow showcases perennials, shrubs and trees that thrive with minimal water.

• The Salvia Garden delights hummingbirds and butterflies.

• The Butterfly Garden is a safe haven that provides nectar and food sources for butterflies and caterpillars.

• The Nursery houses workspace for the plant propagation team and hosts plant sales.

• The Herb Garden exhibits an extensive and unusual collection of medicinal, kitchen and aromatic herbs.

• The Bird Habitat has a fresh water source and is planted with native plants that provide year-round food source for birds.

• The Australian Section features collection of plants from down under.

• The Desert Garden hilltop landscape features cacti, succulents and desert trees and provides a panoramic view of the Conejo Valley.

• The Rare Fruit Orchard holds an extensive collection of trees.

• The Tranquility Garden is planted in the Japanese style featuring California native plants.

• The Oak Tree Grove has many species of North American and other oak trees.

• The Trail of Trees exhibits 50 trees with a variety of genera.

If you have small kids, they will love the Kids' Adventure Garden and treehouse, open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  They'll enjoy hiking through the trails and exploring the streams and bridges.

Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is located at 400 West Gainsborough Road, Thousand Oaks.  For more information visit www.conejogarden.org.

Desert Garden at the top of the hill, featuring cacti, succulents, etc.

Japanese style Tranquility Garden featuring native California plants

CLICK THIS LINK FOR MORE CVBG PHOTOS!

Corriganville Park in Simi Valley

Corriganville Park is a historical 206 acre park located at 7001 Smith Road in Simi Valley that is owned and operated by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The park has over four miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails, sandstone cliffs, an oak forest, seasonal stream, shaded picnic areas, Camp Rotary Youth Campground, picnic shelter and more.

The park is named after Ray "Crash" Corrigan, a stuntman/actor who owned the park from 1937 to 1965, when over 3,500 movies, TV shows and commercials were filmed there. In 1949, the Corrigan Movie Ranch opened as a Western-style amusement park with a train ride and stagecoach ride that in the late 1950s had greater weekend attendance than Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.

Bob Hope bought the property in 1965 and renamed it Hopetown, but filming stopped after a year. The ranch burned down in the 1970s and all that is left are the cement slabs and exterior rock walls of the barn. You've got to visit the Santa Susana Depot Museum around the corner from Corriganville and see the model of what Corriganville looked like in 1960, then visit the park to see the slabs and imagine what it was like back then.

There is an interpretative trail at Corriganville with 20 markers that provide information about the vegetation and surroundings as well as some of the history. Visit www.rsrpd.org/business_detail_T9_R53.php for a link to pdf brochures with information about the history and trails of the park. Or call 805.584.4400.

New Millennium Trail in Calabasas

The New Millennium Trail is a loop that is accessible from the Bark Park Trail in Calabasas. In total the loop is about 12 miles.

The Calabasas Bark Park is located at 4232 Las Virgenes Road. Park there and you’ll see the Bark Park Trailhead on the north side of the dog park. Take it about 1.2 miles until you reach the following fork in the trail.

The New Millennium Trail is a challenging series of switchbacks and hills on mostly single track trails. This is a popular trail with mountain bikers. If you’re a runner or hiker, to be aware that you may encounter bikers and have to your best make room for the cyclists to pass by.

The trail itself is usually quite well maintained, but be careful because the single track can be tight in sections as you make your way up the hills.

Learn more about the trail on the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation website at trails.lacounty.gov/Trail/1754/new-millenium-trail.

Medea Creek Natural Park in Oak Park

Medea Creek Natural Park has hiking, biking and fitness trails that stretch from Calle Rio Vista and Oaks Hills Drive in Oak Park on the north, then south past Medea Creek Lane and Conifer Street to a cul de sac entrance to the park at the west terminus of Tamarind Street.

Nicely paved Medea Creek Trail north towards Kanan/Oak Park Library

The paved Medea Creek Trail, great for walks as well as casual bicycling, has a northern entry point at Kanan Road across from Deerhill Road (adjacent to the Oak Park Library). It crosses Sunnycrest Drive, where there is street parking, so you do need to be careful with kids when you cross.

Medea Creek runs through suburbia via this wash, where you will see some neat bird activity.

The nature loop trail is about 1.5 miles. You will likely see ducks and perhaps other birds enjoying the creek as you choose between the paved and dirt paths. There's also a fitness circuit. It is kind of interesting as you'll see multiple layers of trails; some dirt, some paved, some grassy, some in the creek.

Multiple paths and areas to explore at Medea Creek.

Medea Creek Natural Park is managed by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District www.rsrpd.org/business_detail_T9_R29.php

Sign at east end terminus of Tamarind StreetFitness course signs along 1.5 mile path.

Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center in Calabasas

The Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center is located at King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. It opened to the public in June 2012.

The Visitor Center is jointly operated by the National Park Service, California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.

It features exhibits and interactive displays, the work of local artists, tours of sustainable features and a native plant garden. There is a tremendously comprehensive exhibit covering things to see and do within the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Visitor Center was formerly the horse stable for the Gillette Mansion. It retains some of its original design while achieving LEED Platinum certification as the first "net zero" visitor center in the National Park Service. Cool! (literally and figuratively)

Visitor Center staff and volunteers are very friendly and helpful.

There's also gift shop in the center with a variety of items including books, handmade items, kids' items and more.

Call 805-370-2301 or visit www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/visitor-center.htm.

Open Wed though Sun, noon to 4pm. Closed Mon/Tues.

Nearby hiking is plentiful, including the Inspiration Point hike at King Gillette Ranch and across the street at Malibu Creek State Park.

Western Plateau Trail Loop Hike From Newbury Park

If you're looking for a trail a bit off the beaten path, check out the Western Plateau Loop from Conejo Center Drive in Newbury Park.

The trailhead for this hike is adjacent to the City of Thousand Oaks Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2010 Conejo Center Drive, Newbury Park. You can park in the dirt lot next to the trailhead and head on your way.

The trailhead on Conejo Center Drive.

It is mostly downhill over the first half mile or so of this 5 mile round-trip hike until you get to the Hawk Canyon Trail turnoff.

You can either go straight from here and do a clockwise loop via the Western Plateau Trail or you can turn right on Hawk Canyon, which is a direct route to the Conejo Canyons Bridge.

Hawk Canyon Trail is a fairly narrow, mostly single-track trail.

The Hawk Canyon Trail is a fun, narrow trail surrounding by trees and other vegetation, like you're in the middle of nowhere. There's an old car in a crevice as you approach the Conejo Canyons towards Santa Rosa Valley.

Odd to see this old car out in the middle of nowhere. steep embankment makes it somewhat challenging reaching it.

Bring a snack and sit at a picnic table in the middle of what feels to be nowhere. Then either head back the way you came or find your way to the Western Plateau Trail and loop back counter-clockwise back towards where you parked.

See the Conejo Open Space Foundation's map of this trail at cosf.org/trails/conejo-canyons/conejo-canyons-moderate-hike-western-plateau-loop-from-conejo-center-dr

It can get a bit overgrown in the spring as seen here on the Hawk Canyon Trail but quite beautiful nonetheless!

Hike to the Cross in the Hills Above Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks

Views of Santa Rosa Valley from the hills above CLU.

For a quick local hike and a calorie burner, try hiking to the cross in the hills above Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

You can park in the CLU lot near the community pool at 100 Overton Court, Thousand Oaks. Then head in the direction of the adjacent baseball fields. Take the path just west of the fields towards the hills. After crossing the bridge, I veer right on the trail.

The hike itself is not particularly picturesque until you get to the top of the hill. On the east end of the hilltop is the prominent cross, along with several benches for enjoying the fruits of your uphill labor. Views extend towards the Santa Rosa Valley on the north and Thousand Oaks on the south.

You can continue your way west up the hill if you’d like. In total, the hike is about a mile to a mile and a half round-trip.

The trails are usually well maintained, though you can slip on the dirt if you don’t have decent traction on your shoes. Couldn’t hurt to bring a walking stick for the steeper, slippery parts of the hill towards the top.

So if you’re really feeling energetic, there’s a trail that takes you to Wildwood Park from these trails. See THIS LINK.

As you make your way towards the hill after passing by the baseball fields, you’ll see this sign.

National Park Service Visitor Center in Thousand Oaks (Moved to Calabasas in 2012)

IN JUNE 2012, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE VISITOR CENTER MOVED TO THE ANTHONY C. BEILENSON VISITOR CENTER IN CALABASAS. CLICK THIS LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION

The National Park Service Visitor Center, located at 401 West Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks, is an outstanding place to learn more about the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SSMNRA). SSMNRA is over 154,000 square acres, which makes it the largest urban national park in the United States.

The National Park Service controls 21,500 of those acres and the best place to learn more about the SMM is this Visitor Center! There is always has someone on duty to answer questions about trails, maps, habitat, plants, hiking, camping, etc. Additionally, the Center has informational displays, maps and brochures, books and educational items for the kids for sale.

Visit the NPS website at www.nps.gov/samo for more information or call the Center at 805.370.2301.

Mugu Peak in Point Mugu State Park

The 1,266 foot elevation Mugu Peak is at the western edge of the Santa Monica Mountains, in Point Mugu State Park. The peak provides views stretching from the Malibu Lagoon/Naval Base Ventura County and Channel Islands on the west, Thornhill Broome Beach on the east, La Jolla Valley on the north and more.

There are multiple ways of getting to the peak. The most direct (and albeit steepest) ascent is via the Chumash Trail, accessible across from the Naval Base shooting range (yes, sometimes you will hear rounds). The Chumash Trail is accessible off of PCH at this link. Look for the left turn into a small dirt parking area that has space for perhaps 15 or so cars.

The 7/10ths of a mile hike up the Chumash Trail is pretty brutal, but I've seen all shapes, sizes and ages making it up at varying paces.

Turn left after reaching the top of the Chumash Trail. Veering left continues the Chumash Trail towards La Jolla Valley. Veer right up the really steep hill for the most direct route to Mugu Peak.

The initial Mugu Peak Trail section is quite steep, then you plateau, then the remainder is more moderate, seen above.

The Mugu Lagoon within Naval Base Ventura County is a colorful sight from throughout the hike and at the top of Mugu Peak.

Looking northwest from Mugu Peak you will see the the 1,421 foot Laguna Peak, which contains a Naval satellite tracking station.

Views southeast with Thornhill Broome Beach in the background.

So you've reached the top of Mugu Peak, enjoyed the panoramic views, saluted the flag on display, checked out the toolbox under the flag with logbooks and other items, the next choice is, do you go back the way you came or do you take another route? If you head back the direction you came, the title mileage of the hike is about 2 1/2 miles of mostly steep up/downhills.

Well, if you continue in the direction of Thornhill Broome Beach (southeast), you can continue on the Mugu Peak Trail, which is several miles traversing around the southern, then western sections of Mugu Peak. This is my preferred approach as the footing is much easier and your total mileage is roughly 4 miles. Plus, you are treated to additional views that are just beautiful.

Map snippet courtesy of California State Parks.

Another view of Thornhill Broome Beach and the large sand dune across PCH from the southeastern edge of the Mugu Peak Trail.

You can also get to Mugu Peak from the La Jolla Canyon Loop Trail.