Great Place to Skate

Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood far from the Ventura Freeway but close enough to Camarillo Airport to hear the faint hum of small planes is Pleasant Valley Park, a recreation area offering facilities for swimming, skating and a host of other activities.

The park, one of several run by the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District in Camarillo, is like many other outdoor play areas in the county, with picnic tables, park benches and pop machines.

One in an occasional series on parks in Ventura County

But this place really rocks for the 8-to-18 set, especially in summer.

Anchoring the tree-lined park at Temple Avenue and Ponderosa Drive is a 12,000-square foot skate park, a giant concrete rectangle that looks like an empty swimming pool but with lots of slopes, ramps and moguls. “I like the bowl the best,” said Aarin Gates, 12, a local who’s been going to the skate park since it opened last summer.

On a recent sunny afternoon, Aarin, the only girl skating in a sea of teen boys on well-worn skateboards, wore a red and blue helmet while practicing in the large paved hole that is the bowl.

They were doing grinds--skating from one side of the bowl to the other, at each end hanging on the bowl’s lip by the wheels of their skates or boards.

The skating area is the park’s main draw for Aarin, she said, because the only other facility like it is an indoor arena in Ventura where patrons must pay to play.

For Colleen Daley, who lives in a house by the park, the small circular playground is just the spot to bring her 3-year-old.

The playground is in the park’s center on soft white sand. It has a kiddie slide, one lonely swing and climbing equipment for toddlers. There is bigger playground equipment for older kids.

The bright blue and yellow play sets are scheduled to be replaced soon with new, more modern climbing equipment, said district groundskeeper Doug Maroney.

“Mainly we like [the playground] because it’s so convenient,” Daley said. “My husband and I are also trying to get back into tennis, so I come over and practice on the walls, too.”

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Near the playground are six gated, lighted tennis courts, next to which are eight concrete backboards where people can work on their serves and strokes.

A baseball diamond and an indoor swimming pool are on the park’s west end.

The diamond is off-limits to the public on days when league players have games. Call the park district at 482-1996 for available hours.

The pool is open from 1 to 3 p.m. weekdays and 2 to 4 p.m. weekends. The cost is $1.50 for those 17 and under, $2.25 for adults. Summer passes are also available. Call the pool at 987-8198 for more information.

For a quiet picnic, go to the park’s most central area near the playground and walk south along a bicycle path past a row of tall palms. A grassy, shaded picnic area is on the southwest side of the park, with a couple of barbecue grills and picnic tables. Although picnic tables and grilling stations dot the park, this area gets less foot traffic and is shielded from the noise of the skaters.

For large groups, a picnic pavilion faces Temple Avenue. Call the park district office to reserve the large picnic area. The lattice-covered site has 30 picnic tables and a large double barbecue that can hold several dozen burgers. Tile counters surround the grilling area, which includes a food preparation table and a sink. Four soda machines, restrooms and a pay telephone are nearby.

The park also has three horseshoe pits, two of which are in good repair, and several wide open spots good for kite-flying. Park benches surround the skate park for spectators.

An ice cream truck stocked with various snacks makes daily visits to the park. Just listen for the jewelry-box tunes that signal its arrival.

DETAILS

To reach the park, exit the Ventura Freeway at California 34 (also known as Lewis Road) and drive east about a mile to Temple Avenue. Go left on Temple until it intersects with Ponderosa Drive. Parking is available behind the Camarillo Library at 3100 Ponderosa Drive and next to the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo at 1500 Temple Ave. The pool is at 1030 Temple Ave.

(Ideas for Jaunts can be sent to holly.wolcott@latimes.com.)