The Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a large open space

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

owned and operated by the

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1980 and dedicated to the acquisition of land for preservation as open space, for wildlife and California native plants habitat Natur ...

spanning nearly in the

Simi Hills The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States. Geography The Simi Hills are aligned east-west and run for , and average aro ...

of western

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

and eastern

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 ...

. Originally part of Ahmanson Ranch, this area was sold by

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

-based

Washington Mutual Washington Mutual (often abbreviated to WaMu) was the United States' largest savings and loan association until its collapse in 2008. A savings bank holding company is defined in United States Code: Title 12: Banks and Banking; Section 1842: Def ...

to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in late 2003LAMountains.com ULVCOSP webpage
/ref> after lengthy issues concerning development in the chaparral shrub forest and oak savanna

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

and overstory

Plant communities A plant community is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant ...

. It was previously called Ahmanson Ranch Park.

History

Rolling Hills at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon

Pre-1963

For thousands of years the Chumash Native American tribe lived in the current Preserve's area. The Chumash had, prior to European involvement, at least one village on the land, Huwam, a multi-cultural village where Chumash,

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historically ...

, and Tataviam peoples lived. On Bell Creek beside Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak) a large rocky mountain on the property of

El Escorpion Park EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

, is the reported site of this village. The peak is one of nine alignment points in Chumash territory and is essential to maintaining the balance of the natural world. A cave known as ''The Cave of Munits'' exists just inside the property. This is the believed cave of a mythical Chumash shaman who was killed after murdering the son of a Chumash chief. This cave also appeared in the films ''

The Canyon of Missing Men ''The Canyon of Missing Men'' is a 1930 American silent Western film directed by J. P. McGowan and starring Tom Tyler, Sheila Bromley and Bud Osborne.Pitts, p. 396. Some versions of the film were released with added sound effects. Synopsis Da ...

'' (1930) and ''

Tarzan and the Golden Lion ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' is an adventure novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in ''Argosy All-Story We ...

'' (1927). The 1769

Juan Bautista de Anza Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 6 or 7, 1736 – December 19, 1788) was an expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as one of the founding f ...

expedition, the first European exploration by land of

Las Californias The Californias (Spanish: ''Las Californias''), occasionally known as The Three Californias or Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexica ...

, passed by the area. The U.S. National Park service's

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a trail extending from Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, through the California desert and coastal areas in Southern California and the Central Coast region to San Francisco. ...

goes through the Preserve, entering in Moore Canyon from

and Vanowen Street. The

Rancho El Escorpión Rancho El Escorpión was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to three Chumash Native Americans - Odón Chijulla, Urbano, and Mañuel.

was an 1845 Mexican land grant named after the Peak, and was adjacent on the northeast side of the Preserve. From the 1920s to the 1950s many Westerns and other types of motion pictures were filmed here at the Lasky Mesa

movie ranch A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. The ...

area.

1963-2003

In 1963,

Home Savings of America H.F. Ahmanson & Co. was a California holding company named after millionaire Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. It was best known as the parent of Home Savings of America, once one of the largest savings and loan associations in the United States. Early his ...

obtained the property that was then called Ahmanson Ranch. It sat unused, with no plans for development, until 1989 when Home Savings of America announced their plans for the property. The plans included over 3,000 homes, two golf courses, and of commercial and residential space.Ahmanson Ranch Development
Akiko Allison Gotoh, March 5, 1997 However, in 1998, Home Savings of America was bought by Washington Mutual for $6.4 billion.
/ref> In 2003 the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy purchased the land from WAMU for an

open space preserve An open space reserve (also called open space preserve, open space reservation, and green space) is an area of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside. The purpose of an open space reserve may include ...

and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

Park.

2003-Present

On September 28, 2005, the Topanga Canyon Fire broke out between the west-bound State Route 118 and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. By September 29, the fire had reached the Preserve, and burned a large portion of the park near, and including,

. By October 3, 2005, the fire had been contained. A total of were burned, and it cost over $8 million to contain and extinguish the fire.FireRescue1 Topanga Canyon Fire report
/ref> The effects of the fire were visible in the park, as much of the

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranea ...

and grasslands were burned away, and Oak tree canopies burned off. Since the

California native plants California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century. California includes parts of at least three phytochoria. The largest is the California Floristic ...

have evolved with wildfires, from their basel roots, seeds, and branches they re-sprouted the following fall and winter exhibiting new growth by the next spring. It sustained severe damage during the

Woolsey Fire The Woolsey Fire was a wildfire that burned in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties of the U.S. state of California. The fire ignited on November 8, 2018, and burned of land. The fire destroyed 1,643 structures, killed three people, and prompted th ...

of 2018.

Access

Trailheads

There are two preserve trailheads at which people can access the park.

Victory Trailhead

Located at the western end of Victory Blvd. in West Hills, the Victory Trailhead is the main trailhead for the Preserve. It features a large gravel parking lot with a

Portable Toilet A portable or mobile toilet (colloquial terms: thunderbox, portaloo, porta-john or porta-potty) is any type of toilet that can be moved around, some by one person, some by mechanical equipment such as a truck and crane. Most types do not require ...

that is cleaned at least weekly. The parking lot has room for buses and equestrian trailers. Parking is $3 for the day. Parking passes are available throug
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy website
Multi-park 5- and 7-day and single park 7-day passes are available. Parking is also available ''outside'' the park gates on Victory Blvd., Gilmore St., and Country Oak Rd. A bulletin board featuring information on the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and recent park and system information is located in the parking lot. There are two picnic tables just inside the park and a large informational display featuring the history, geography, and wildlife of the Preserve.

Las Virgenes Canyon Road Trailhead

This trailhead is located west of Calabasas and north of the

Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California, United States, running from the Santa Barbara/ Ventura county line to Pasadena in Los Angeles County. It is the principal east-west route (designated north-south) through Ventura Count ...

(

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

) on Las Virgenes Canyon Road, at the end of the road. Parking is provided, with a large informational display featuring the history, geography, and wildlife of the Preserve. Upper-las-virgenes-canyon-open-space-preserve-victory-trailhead

Upper-las-virgenes-canyon-open-space-preserve-victory-trailhead

Trails

There are several primary trails through which people can access the park. *1. The Victory Trailhead has a junction with two main trails. The first goes due west through the Preserve directly to Upper Las Virgenes Canyon and the trails of Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon Park in the

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a United States national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. The SMMNRA is in t ...

. The second goes south through the Preserve to the Laskey Mesa area, and then on to Upper Las Virgenes Canyon. *2. The Las Virgenes Road Trailhead's main trail heads into Upper Las Virgenes Canyon, with junctions for trails to Laskey Mesa and to Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon Park, or continuing on north to the Bell Canyon area. *3. The ''El Escorpión Trail'', runs from L.A. City's

El Escorpión Park El Escorpión Park is a three-acre (12,000 m²) park located in the Simi Hills of the western San Fernando Valley, in the West Hills district of Los Angeles, California. The park contains the geographic landmark known as Escorpión Peak or Castle ...

at the west end of Vanowen Street near Valley Circle Boulevard in West Hills through the preserve to the Victory Trailhead. The trail runs through Moore's Canyon past the Cave of Munits, has a gentle slope, and can be taken in either direction. L.A. City's Bell Canyon Park is directly adjacent to the north of these two parks, with one trail along Bell Creek and others connecting southward. These trails are available for walking,

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

, and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

use during the hours of daylight (sunrise to sunset), 7 days a week. Evening access is permitted for park scheduled event participants only. Unauthorized motor vehicles and motorbikes are not permitted.

Preparations

Visitors should bring basic supplies when exploring the Preserve. For example: two hikers needed to be rescued by the

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States ...

in 2007 after becoming lost while on the trails and paths. Although experienced hikers, and being well-equipped for the hike, the two veered off a path that had been obscured by recent fires and were unable to find their way back to a trail. One was suffering from

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

so the other used a cell phone to call 911, and they were rescued later that day. Guided walks, hikes, and evening programs are offered in the park by the

. Dogs on 6-foot leashes under the immediate control of the owner are allowed on the designated trails.

See more

Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains, one of the Transverse Ranges located in Southern California, are in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of the California Floristic Province. This ecoregion has two predominant ecosystems, with three primar ...

Wildlife corridor A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...

Rock art of the Chumash people Chumash rock art is a genre of paintings on caves, mountains, cliffs, or other living rock surfaces, created by the Chumash people of Southern California. Pictographs and petroglyphs are common through interior California, the rock painting tradi ...

References

External links

L.A.Mountains: official Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve website
— ''information + images + park map''
Directions and trail access in short video on Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
— ''info + trails map''.
L.A.Mountains: Park Geology information for Upper Las Virgenes Canyon
* ttp://www.ahmanson.org Ahmanson.org - History of the 'Save the Ahmanson Ranch' preservation effort— ''info—images from Save Open Space''.
Save Open Space - local open space preservation group
— ''lead group in saving Ahmanson Ranch''.

— ''information + images + map''
L.A.Mountains: Cheeseboro Canyon Park
— ''information + images + map''
National Park Service: Anza Historic Trail - homepage
— ''official Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail website''. {{authority control Parks in Ventura County, California Simi Hills Nature reserves in California Parks in the San Fernando Valley Regional parks in California Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area History of the San Fernando Valley Movie ranches Parks in Los Angeles County, California Calabasas, California Hidden Hills, California West Hills, Los Angeles Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Protected areas established in 2003 2003 establishments in California