The Conejo Canyons Open Space consists of of open-space areas in northernmost Newbury Park,

Ventura County, California Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises the Oxn ...

. It consists of deeply eroded canyons, numerous ridgelines and plateaus in the northwestern portion of the

Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It is located in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. Communities in the Conejo ...

. The area consists of diverse natural features such as deep canyons with perennial streams, prominent ridgelines, volcanic mountains, and a variety of natural habitats. While some of the flora includes chaparral, riparian habitats, oak woodlands and coastal sage,

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

includes mountain lions, coyotes, mule deer, and bobcats.

Recreation

The Conejo Canyons Open Space includes areas north of the Arroyo Conejo Open Space, the Western Canyon, Western Plateau,

Hill Canyon Hill Canyon is a deep canyon in the western Simi Hills and within northern Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, southern California. The Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve includes the central canyon area, and is part of the Conejo Cany ...

, and undeveloped areas west of the Seventh Day Adventist property in northern Newbury Park. It is situated immediately west of

Wildwood Regional Park Wildwood Regional Park is a suburban regional park in the western Simi Hills and Conejo Valley, in Ventura County, California. It is located in western Thousand Oaks, northern Newbury Park, and southern Moorpark. Wildwood is home to over 27 mi ...

Thousand Oaks, CA Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak tree ...

, and borders the

Conejo Grade The Conejo Grade is a 7% grade incline on a section of US 101 (the Ventura Freeway). Also known as the Camarillo Grade, it links Thousand Oaks and cities of the Conejo Valley, with Camarillo and the cities on the Oxnard Plain. With a summit ...

Camarillo, CA Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan an ...

to its west. On clear days, the many trails in the Conejo Canyons offer panoramic views as far as the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

, the City of Ventura, and the Topa Topa Mountains. The Conejo Canyons Open Space connects to Santa Rosa Valley to the north, through the Conejo Canyons Bridge, and the Conejo Canyons are adjacent to the Arroyo Conejo Open Space in Newbury Park to the south. The canyons follow the

Conejo Creek Arroyo Conejo (Spanish for “Rabbit Creek”) is the longest creek in the Conejo Valley, sprawling over the cities of Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, and the communities of Newbury Park, Casa Conejo and Santa Rosa Valley. Arroyo Conejo is the prim ...

(Arroyo Conejo), and its trails has numerous water-crossings and bridges connecting the various trails. The only developed area here is the Hill Canyon Wetlands, which is the largest man-made wetlands in

Ventura County Ventura County () is a County (United States), county in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, California ...

, and makes up about fifteen acres of the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve. These wetlands are connected to the

Arroyo Conejo Arroyo Conejo (Spanish for “Rabbit Creek”) is the longest creek in the Conejo Valley, sprawling over the cities of Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, and the communities of Newbury Park, Casa Conejo and Santa Rosa Valley. Arroyo Conejo is the pri ...

, which ultimately discharges into the Pacific Ocean by the

Mugu Lagoon Mugu Lagoon (; Chumash: ''Muwu'', meaning "Beach") is a salt marsh located within the Naval Base Ventura County at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains in Ventura County, California. The lagoon extends for 4.3 miles parallel to a narrow barrie ...

. The Conejo Canyons Bridge, which was opened in February 2012, established a connecting trail between the Arroyo Conejo Open Space and the Santa Rosa Valley and beyond to the Mount Clef Ridge of

. The Conejo Canyons Open Space is operated and owned by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), and is used for mountain biking, hiking and horse-back riding. The Conejo Canyons has more than fifteen miles of hiking trails. Some of the trails include the Western Plateau Trail,

Trail, Hawk Canyon Trail, Peninsula Trail, Hawk Canyon Rim Trail, Outlaw Loop, Elliot Mountain Trail, South-East Face Trail, and the Overlook Trail, which enters Santa Rosa Valley before climbing the Mount Clef Ridge to Lizard Rock in Wildwood Regional Park. The Conejo Canyons Open Space can be reached from numerous trailheads, including for instance the Lizard Rock Trail in Wildwood Regional Park, from the Santa Rosa County Park in Santa Rosa Valley, CA, or from the Rancho Conejo Playfields in Newbury Park.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Parks in Ventura County, California Regional parks in California Simi Hills Geography of Thousand Oaks, California Conejo Valley Newbury Park, California

Recreation

See also

References