Hike to the Teepee, Paradise Falls and Little Cave at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks
One hiking experience that everyone in the Conejo Valley and neighboring areas has to experience is Wildwood Park. With 14 trails covering 17 miles in the nearly 1,800 acre park managed by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, there is plenty to see and do in Wildwood Park.
One particularly fun and fairly easy family hike at Wildwood takes you from the main parking lot at the west end of Avenida de los Arboles to the Teepee, Paradise Falls and Little Cave (formerly Indian Cave**). Take the Mesa Trail about a 3rd of a mile until you see the sign below, then take a left.
Another third of a mile and you're at the teepee, where you'll find another clearly marked sign pointing you in the direction of Paradise Falls.
Hike down some switchbacks and stairs and you'll see be at the beautiful Paradise Falls. Always a fun place to take the kids, though we're warned not to go into the water, which is largely urban runoff.
But it is sure popular and enjoyable to sit back and enjoy this year-round waterfall that is so nicely hidden yet so close to hustle and bustle of suburban Thousand Oaks.
The Little Cave is roughly half a mile east of Paradise Falls and can be accessed from the trail directly above the falls or by hiking back up to the teepee and going the other direction.
Trail adjacent to Paradise Falls that takes you towards little Cave.
A quarter of a mile or so and you'll see the sign below.
Little Cave (Formerly Indian Cave) sign
Formerly called indian cave
Another 100 yards or so and you've reached the staircase that will take you up to the Cave.
Large enough to actually hang out in, though the last time we walked in there were signs of rodents.
You can literally climb through the cave to an exit at the top and hike your way up to a connector trail that will lead you back towards the parking lot. My kids love this and so do I!
** The change in name was approved by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) in May 2022. COSCA received a request to change the Indian Creek Trail name earlier that year. On its own, the work "Indian" refers to individuals from India, rather than Native Americans, and thus did not accurately reflect the origin of the people to whom it refers.
The Indian Cave and Indian Cave Trail were renamed Little Cave as it was unclear if the cave was naturally formed and/or historically used by Native Americans.
The Indian Creek Trail in Wildwood Park was renamed Two Springs Trail as two natural springs contribute to the stream flow in this portion of the channel.