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

Ventura County, California Ventura County () is a County (United States), county located 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, Ca ...

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

Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle del Conejo'', meaning "Valley of the Rabbit") is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County, California, Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles C ...

. 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 (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

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, California, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, California, Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, California, Ventura County, southern California. The Arroyo Conejo ...

, 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 ...

Thousand Oaks, CA Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

, 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, California, United States. 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 and A ...

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 Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, the City of Ventura, and the

Topa Topa Mountains The Topatopa Mountains are a mountain range in Ventura County, California, north of Ojai, Santa Paula, and Fillmore. They are part of the Transverse Ranges of Southern California. Etymology A name for the mountains was first inscribed within t ...

. The Conejo Canyons Open Space connects to

Santa Rosa Valley The Santa Rosa Valley is a small valley and rural unincorporated community in Ventura County, Southern California. The valley is about long (east to west) and wide (north to south). Although not within its city limits, the community is somet ...

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”) carries part of the longest creek in the Conejo Valley which sprawls past the cities of Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, and the communities of Newbury Park, Casa Conejo and Santa Rosa Valley. Arroyo ...

(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 located 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 ...

, and makes up about fifteen acres of the

Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve Arroyo Conejo Open Space is a open space reserve in the western Simi Hills in northern Newbury Park, Ventura County, California. Most of it is part of the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve (sometimes shortened to the Arroyo Nature Preserve).Maxwe ...

. These wetlands are connected to the

Arroyo Conejo Arroyo Conejo (Spanish for “Rabbit Creek”) carries part of the longest creek in the Conejo Valley which sprawls past the cities of Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, and the communities of Newbury Park, Casa Conejo and Santa Rosa Valley. Arroyo ...

, 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 barrier ...

. 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 Mount Clef Ridge is a 1,076 ft volcanic mountain in Thousand Oaks, California. It is a volcanic outcrop that resulted from lava eruptions 30 million years ago. The ridge was formerly under ownership by the Janss Corporation, but was acquire ...

. 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

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 Rancho Conejo Playfields is a multi-use community park in Newbury Park, California, adjacent to Conejo Canyons Open Space and the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve which includes of public open-space land and numerous trails in the western Simi Hi ...

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