Vertical Reality

Spread out over more than 5,000 acres of spectacularly rugged land studded with chaparral and valley oaks, Rocky Peak Park near Simi Valley has never been in want of visitors.

Throughout the week, scores of people can be found exploring the park’s web of trails or jumping from rock to rock.

Rocky Peak Park straddles a mountaintop near the Los Angeles County line and encompasses a varied collection of landscapes.

From the jagged sandstone outcroppings near the summit of the peak to the grassy valleys and verdant oak groves below, the park has more than eight miles of trails leading the way to boulders, canyons, bubbling springs and gurgling creeks.

Park devotees say spring is the best time to visit. As a result of El Nino’s plentiful rains, much of the park is covered with a rich green carpet of grass dotted by bright yellow mustard blooms and golden sunflowers.

Deer, bobcats, owls and mountain lions dwell in the mountains’ many nooks and crannies.

The park grew from 140 acres in 1990 to its present size after the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy acquired entertainer Bob Hope’s Runkle Ranch.

Administered by the conservancy, Rocky Peak Park is open free of charge to the public. The park may be reached via a fire road from the Rocky Peak exit on the Ronald Reagan Freeway, just west of the Los Angeles County line. Another popular access route is at the end of Flanagan Drive in northeastern Simi Valley.