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.
Newbury Park is a populated place and town in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, while unincorporated areas include Casa Conejo and Ventu Park. About 28,000 residents of Thousand Oaks reside in Newbury Park.
Arroyo Conejo 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 primary drainage for the City of Thousand Oaks. Its watershed covers 57 square miles (150 km2) of which 43 square miles (110 km2) are in the Conejo Valley and 14 square miles (36 km2) in the Santa Rosa Valley.
Rancho Conejo Playfields is a 13 acres (5.3 ha) multi-use community park in Newbury Park, California, adjacent to Conejo Canyons Open Space and the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve which includes 302 acres (122 ha) of public open-space land and numerous trails in the western Simi Hills.
Walnut Grove Park is a 6.5 acre community park in Newbury Park, California, United States, situated immediately south of the U.S. 101 Ventura Freeway on Newbury Road. Named for its many walnut trees, the park land was acquired in 1981 and ultimately developed into a community park in 1994. It contains a playground, an outdoor handball court, three BBQ grills, basketball courts, numerous picnic tables, trails, and open-space. It is operated by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD), and it is adjacent to the Walnut Grove Equestrian Center and its 14 acres of trails, horse arenas, stalls, picnic tables, and various trails for hikers and equestrians. The park is relatively close to the Arroyo Conejo Open Space and its many trails leading for instance to Wildwood Regional Park, which is accessible from its closest trailhead between 507 Kalinda Pl. and 504 Paseo Grande on West Hillcrest Drive. Walnut Grove Park is located along a smaller offspring from the Arroyo Conejo, and is one of only three off-leash dog parks in the Conejo Valley.
Lynn Oaks Park is a seven-acre community park in the southern part of Newbury Park, CA, which includes trails to numerous surrounding nature areas, including but not limited to the Hope Nature Preserve, Hidden Valley, and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It was first developed as a community park in 1983 and is named for its many oak trees. The park contains a volleyball court, outdoor basketball court, soccer field, a playground, barbecue grills, water fountains and numerous picnic tables. Some of the trails include the shorter Spring Canyon Trail and Oak Creek Canyon Loop, while the Los Robles Trail connects Lynn Oaks Park to the Hope Nature Preserve and beyond to Hidden Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Satwiwa was a former Chumash village in the Santa Monica Mountains of Newbury Park, California. The current Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center is operated by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Friends of Satwiwa. Satwiwa has been inhabited by Chumash Indians for over 10,000 years. It is situated at the foothills of Boney Mountain, a sacred mountain for the Chumash.
The Conejo Canyons Open Space consists of 1,628 acres (659 ha) of open-space areas in northernmost Newbury Park, Ventura County, California. It consists of deeply eroded canyons, numerous ridgelines and plateaus in the northwestern portion of the Conejo Valley. 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 includes mountain lions, coyotes, mule deer, and bobcats.
Borchard Community Park is a public park located in western Newbury Park, CA. Situated adjacent to both the Newbury Park High School and the Borchard Maintenance Shop, the park is situated at the corner of Reino Road and Borchard Road at the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. The park encompasses 29 acres, which is home to various courts for recreational sports, fitness area, community rooms, a farm themed playground, picnic areas, several fields, and a skate park. The park was established by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD) in 1969. It has two volleyball courts, four tennis courts, two stages, three softball fields, a basketball court, barbecue grills, two bocci courts, a gymnasium, horseshoe pits, a kitchen, a soccer field, two playgrounds, and more.
Cypress Park is a five-acre neighborhood park in southwestern Newbury Park, California. Acquired in 1969, the land was developed into a community park in 1973 with a baseball field, a playground, picnic tables, and bleachers. It is owned and operated by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD). Situated immediately south of Cypress Elementary School, the park is also home to several ponds and smaller creeks. It is used for bird-observations, recreational activities, picnicking, and camping.
Deer Ridge Open Space is a 188-acre public-owned open-space area in the southwest portion of the town of Newbury Park, California. It contains a series of north-facing mountainous ridges and canyons, dominated by chaparral and oak trees. It shares borders with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to the south, and the Los Robles Trail traverses the length of Deer Ridge Open Space. Its main trailhead is located on Potrero Road, while a smaller access point is located at the southern end of Felton Street. The Los Robles Trail is the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency’s longest trail, and connects to open-space areas and parks such as the Los Padres Open Space, Conejo Ridge Open Space, Hope Nature Preserve, Old Conejo Open Space, and the Los Vientos Open Space. The trail in Newbury Park provides panoramic views of the Conejo Valley and Santa Monica Mountains, before entering the Hope Nature Preserve. The Los Robles Trail provides more than 25 miles of contiguous trails connecting Newbury Park to Westlake Village in Los Angeles County. Immediately south of the Deer Ridge Open Space in Newbury Park are the Hidden Valley and Rancho Sierra Vista Satwiwa.
Dos Vientos Community Park in southwestern Newbury Park, CA is the largest of Conejo Recreation & Park District’s public parks in the Conejo Valley. It is adjacent to the Dos Vientos Community Center, which offers a preschool, sports, and other activities. The park contains sand volleyball courts, baseball-, basketball- and tennis courts, soccer fields, playground areas, and picnic tables and barbecue grills. It is adjacent to the Dos Vientos Open Space through the Park View Trail, which is a 1,216 acre natural open-space, bordering an additional 16,000 acres of open space stretching over the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to the Pacific Ocean. The Park View Trail ends at Via Ricardo, directly across the road from the Powerline Trail and Dos Vientos Open Space.
Conejo Mountain is a 1,814-foot-high mountain (553 m) in Ventura County, California near Camarillo on the eastern boundary of the Oxnard Plain. At the western edge of the Conejo Valley, it is adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains. Crossing what was once a formidable barrier for travelers, U.S. Route 101 passes through the area on the steep Conejo Grade.
Pepper Tree Playfield is a 21.7-acre community park located in western Newbury Park, California. It is located at the corner of Reino and Old Conejo Roads, and was acquired by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD) in 1977, but not developed nor opened until 1983. It contains a 0.83-mile fitness trail loop, and is nearby numerous trailheads. The park is within walking distance from the Conejo Vista Trailhead in Old Conejo Open Space, located immediately north of Pepper Tree Playfield, and the park is directly across the street from the Knoll Trailhead in Knoll Open Space, which is to the park’s immediate east, crossing North Reino Road. It is also an access point for trails leading to the Conejo Mountain. Pepper Tree Playfield is named for its many pepper trees, which surrounds the park area.
Arroyo Conejo Open Space is a 302-acre (122 ha) open space reserve in the western Simi Hills in northern Newbury Park, Ventura County, California. Most of it is part of the 250-acre (100 ha) Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve.
Alta Vista Open Space is a 43-acre open-space area in western Newbury Park, California, United States, adjacent to Dos Vientos Open Space and its 1,216 acres of natural open space area and numerous trails. Its primary trail is the Ring Finger Trail, which is reached from its trailhead at the southern side of Calle Alta Vis, directly across the street from Calle Las Collinas. Most of the open-space area is owned by the homeowners association, while eleven acres are owned by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA). Its flora contain large areas covered with chaparral and coastal sage scrub, while some endangered endemic species include Conejo buckwheat, Verity's dudleya, and Conejo dudleya. It functions as a crucial wildlife corridor into the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area through Point Mugu State Park. Some of the fauna here includes Mountain lions, coyotes, mule deer, bobcats, and more.
Dos Vientos Open Space is a 1,216 acres (492 ha) open space area in western Newbury Park, California. It contains more than 41 miles (66 km) of trails used for cycling, hiking and equestrians. Originally a part of the Rancho Guadalasca Spanish Land Grant of 1836, the area is now an important wildlife movement corridor into the Santa Monica Mountains through the Point Mugu State Park. It provides a habitat for a variety of wildlife, including bobcats, mule deer, coyotes, eagles, hawks, barn owls, mountain lions, and more. It provides regional and internal trail connections, many trails offering panoramic views of the Conejo Valley, Oxnard Plain, Topatopa Mountains, Channel Islands, and the Pacific Ocean. Some of the endangered plant species found here include Conejo buckwheat, Verity's liveforever, and Conejo dudleya. The landscape is undeveloped, and dominated by coastal sage scrub, grassy hillsides, oak woodlands, and chaparral habitats.
Ventu Park Open Space is a 141-acre open space area in Newbury Park, California. Its primary features are the Rosewood Trail leading to Angel Vista, a 1,603 ft peak in the Santa Monica Mountains. Parking for the Rosewood Trail is located at the Stagecoach Inn Park, across Lynn Road from the primary trailhead. The Rosewood Trail begins with oak woodland and crosses a creek at the canyon floor, before climbing up towards the steep Angel Vista Point. There are 360-degree panoramic views of the Conejo Valley, the Oxnard Plain, the California Channel Islands, Pacific Ocean, Point Mugu, Hidden Valley, as well as the Santa Monica-, Santa Susana- and Topa Topa Mountains.
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 acquired by the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) in 1967. Trails here are available from Santa Rosa Valley, Newbury Park and Wildwood Regional Park. Although being a major feature of Wildwood, it occupies its own open-space area bordering Wildwood's northern boundaries. Mount Clef Ridge Open Space Area occupies 212 acres. From the ridge are great panoramic views of Santa Rosa Valley, Conejo Valley, Hill Canyon, as well as the Santa Susana-, Santa Monica- and Topatopa Mountains. The open-space area is home to plants such as coastal sage scrub, chaparral, Lyon's pentachaeta and Conejo dudleya. The fauna includes mountain lions, deer, coyotes, gray foxes, and more.
Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) is the park management agency for most of the parks in the Conejo Valley, California. Established in 1962, CRPD later established Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) in 1977 through a joint effort with the City of Thousand Oaks. COSCA administers over 15,000 acres of open space and 140 miles of trails, while CRPD administers over 50 community parks. In 2019, CRPD's annual operating budget was $20 million, of which about 70% comes from property taxes.
