Conejo Mountain is a in
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 ...
, near
Camarillo on the eastern boundary of the
Oxnard Plain. At the western edge 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 ...
, it is adjacent to the
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
. Crossing what was once a formidable barrier for travelers,
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...
passes through the area on the steep
Conejo Grade.
The mountain was once a large
volcano
A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...
about 14 million years ago, but it has been extinct for millions of years. The mountain was under sea level at one point. Mining operations have been ongoing here since 1959, and most of the mountain is owned by the Pacific Rock mining operation.
The
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District, and
Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency have interest in administrating the area as
protected open space.
Trails reach into the area from
Pepper Tree Playfield and
Dos Vientos Community Park via
Dos Vientos Open Space in southwestern
Newbury Park.
Sources
{{reflist
Camarillo, California
Mountains of Ventura County, California
Mountains of Southern California
Volcanoes of California