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 of hiking trails. The four principle trails are the Mesa-, Moonridge-, Wildwood Canyon- and Santa Rosa Trails. Over 250 plant species have been recorded in Wildwood, as well as 37 species of mammals, 70 bird species, and 22 species of amphibians and reptiles.Maxwell, Thomas J. (2000). Hiking In Wildwood Regional Park: Natural History, Folklore, and Trail Guide. California Lutheran University. Pages 2-4.

The park consists of , and is connected to adjacent open-space areas comprising an additional .Murphy, Kelly (2012). Local Multi-Use Trails. Multi-Use Trails. Page 204. . The park is operated by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA).

History

The area was home to the Chumash peoplePalmer, Norma E. (1994). Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties. Automobile Club of Southern California. Page 176. . for more than 8,000 years − before it became a part of the Rancho El Conejo Spanish land grant in 1803, during the colonial Alta California era. There are numerous archeological sites. Some of the artifacts discovered here include stone tools, shell beads and arrowheads. A Chumash village known as Yitimasɨh was located where Wildwood Elementary School sits today.Maxwell, Thomas J. (1982). The Temescals of Arroyo Conejo. California Lutheran College. Page 93. Wildflower Cave (Ven-486) is near Mount Clef Ridge and was used for shelter by the Chumash people in pre-colonial times.Maxwell, Thomas J. (1982). The Temescals of Arroyo Conejo. California Lutheran College. Pages 21-22.

Sheep and cattle grazed the area for much of the 19th- and early 20th century. It was also used as a movie ranch (Janss Conejo Ranch) for the Hollywood film industry from the 1930s through the 1960s.McKinney, John (2013). HIKE Ventura County. The Trailmaster, Inc. Page 85. . Various wild west movies were filmed here. Television series were also filmed here, such as Bonanza, Dodge City, Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Flaming Star, The Big Valley and Wagon Train.Schad, Jerry (2009). Los Angeles County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide. Wilderness Press. Pages 35-36. . The park is still occasionally utilized as a filming location for contemporary TV series and commercials.Randall, Laura (2009). 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Los Angeles: Including San Bernardino, Pasadena, and Oxnard. Menasha Ridge Press. Page 60. .

The park was created in 1967 when the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) acquired Mount Clef Ridge and Wildwood Canyon from the Janss Investment Company land developers. It was merged with Wildwood Mesa Park in 1987 and is now administrated and operated by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), which is a joint organization by the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) and the City of Thousand Oaks.

Restrictions were put in place for Paradise Falls during the COVID-19 pandemic due to crowded conditions in which people were unable to social distance and also the resulting litter and human waste that was left behind.

Features

The park offers recreational outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain biking, jogging, horseback riding, picnicking, educational tours, interpretive programs, camping, and wildlife viewing.

Some of the popular attractions in the park include the cascade of Paradise Falls,Stienstra, Tom (2012). California Hiking: The Complete Guide to 1,000 of the Best Hikes in the Golden State (Moon Outdoors). Avalon Travel Publishing. Page 711. . as well as the Arroyo Conejo Creek and creek-bed, the large wooden teepee, the Nature Center and Little Cave.Stone, Robert (2011). Day Hikes Around Ventura County. Day Hike Books. Pages 206-219. . The Lizard Rock formation is a serrate volcanic outcropping in the Mount Clef Ridge.Stone, Robert (1998). Day Hikes in Ventura County, California: 43 of the Best. Day Hike Books, Inc. Page 32. .

At Lizard Rock, Teepee Overlook, and similar higher elevation areas, there are panoramic views of the Conejo Valley.

Attractions

Points of interest include:Maxwell, Thomas J. (2000). Hiking In Wildwood Regional Park: Natural History, Folklore, and Trail Guide. California Lutheran University. Page 4.

Arroyo Conejo: Creek, creekbed, and gorge. Paradise Falls: year-round 70-ft. cascade in a steep gorge. Little Falls: one of two year-round waterfalls. Lizard Rock: serrate volcanic outcropping resembling a lizard. Mount Clef Ridge: volcanic-rock outcropping and wildlife corridor. Featured in films such as Flaming Star, Dark Victory, Spartacus, Wuthering Heights, and others.Medved, Harry and Bruce Akiyama (2007). Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Exploring Southern California's Great Outdoors. St. Martin's Press. Pages 278-279. . Little Cave Nature Center (Meadows Cave) Teepee Overlook: large wooden teepee on a knoll. Fort Wildwood: log fort located at the opening of the park near Avenida De Los Arboles and Lynn Road. The fort has long been removed and a trail marker put in its place.

Trails The park is home to 14 nature trails covering over .Stone, Robert (2011). Day Hikes Around Ventura County. Day Hike Books. Page 211. .

Among the most popular hiking trails are the Mesa Trail Loop, Lizard Rock Trail, Moonridge Trail, Paradise Falls Trail, Two Springs Trail, Wildwood Park Loop, Lower Butte Trail Loop, Lynnmere Trail, Santa Rosa Trail (going to the hills by California Lutheran University), Santa Rosa Loop, and the Hill Canyon Trail.Schad, Jerry (2005). 101 Hikes in Southern California. Wilderness Press. Pages 19-20. .

For the main park entrance, from the Lynn Road exit on the 101 Freeway (Ventura Freeway) and take Lynn Road northbound for to Avenida de Los Arboles. Then turn left and continue for to the end of the street at Big Sky Drive.Peterson, Susan (2003). Fun and Educational Places to Go with Kids and Adults in Southern California. Fun Places Publishing. Page 539. . There are numerous other trailheads, including: by 398 Briar Bluff Court, 2601 San Miguel Circle, 930 Lynnmere Drive, and 2629 Velarde Drive in Thousand Oaks; by 11121 Rocky High Road in Santa Rosa Valley; by 11160 Sumac Lane in Camarillo, as well as in Newbury Park on the west and Moorpark in Box Canyon.

Ecology Wildwood Regional Park is recognized for its varied terrain, wildlife and two waterfalls. The terrain consists of large areas of volcanic rock outcroppings, the year-round Arroyo Conejo creek and its two waterfalls, oak woodlands of coast live oak and valley oak trees, creek-beds lined with California sycamore trees and cattails, several canyons, steep hills, and relatively flat grasslands.

The climate is Mediterranean, but oftentimes cooler than other areas in the Conejo Valley due to cool coastal breeze easily winding its way up through canyons and lower elevations.Murphy, Kelly (2012). Local Multi-Use Trails. Multi-Use Trails. Page 204. .

The park's flora is extensive and more than 250 plant species have been recorded within the park. Habitats include: southern oak woodlands, riparian woodland, chaparral and coastal sage scrub, California grassland, and freshwater marsh.

Wildlife

The park is home to a wide variety of wildlife and is a wildlife corridor connecting the Santa Monica Mountains to the Santa Susana Mountains and other western Transverse Ranges. Its fauna includes 60 species of birds, 37 species of mammals, and 22 species of amphibians and reptiles.Riedel, Del Monique and Allen (2011). Best Hikes Near Los Angeles. Rowman & Littlefield. Pages 3-4. .Maulhardt, Jeffrey Wayne (2010). Conejo Valley: Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. Page 64. .

It is home to various mammals, such as the plentiful mule deer, coyote, and bobcat; and occasionally for cougars and ring-tailed cats. Smaller mammal species include the grey fox, striped skunk and spotted skunk, California raccoon, Virginia opossum, Audubon's cottontail, long-tailed weasel, Botta's pocket gopher, California vole, western brush rabbit, and western gray squirrel.

The most common amphibians here are found along the Arroyo Conejo creekbed, and include the ensatina, slender salamander, western toad, American bullfrog, California toad, Pacific tree frog, and the California red-legged frog.

There are a variety of reptiles − including side-blotched lizards, southern alligator lizards and western fence lizards; the native western pond turtle and introduced/invasive crawdads; and numerous species of snakes, including southern Pacific rattlesnakes, San Diego gopher snakes, striped racers, California kingsnakes, common kingsnakes, ringneck snakes, and western aquatic garter snakes.

There are a variety of songbirds, wood-peckers, and raptors such as red-tail hawks, Cooper's hawks, owls, ravens, and falcons.Schad, Jerry (2010). Top Trails: Los Angeles: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone. Wilderness Press. Page 112. .

Mammals

Wildwood Regional Park is home to 37 species of mammals, including:Maxwell, Thomas J. (2000). Hiking In Wildwood Regional Park: Natural History, Folklore, and Trail Guide. California Lutheran University. Page 3.

Reptiles and amphibians

Filmography

The park sits in the Thirty Mile Zone, an area sufficiently close to Hollywood that studios do not have to pay extra for on-location shooting. A nearby road, Flaming Star Avenue, is named after the film Flaming Star (1960) starring Elvis Presley, which was filmed in the area.Bidwell, Carol A. (1989). The Conejo Valley: Old and New Frontiers. Windsor Publications. Pages 82-83. . The park is still occasionally used for filming. Some of the many films shot here include:

See also La Branca (Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve) Mount Clef Ridge Hill Canyon Conejo Canyons Open Space

References

External links

COSF.org—Conejo Open Space Foundation: official Wildwood Regional Park website