A Hop Along the Conejo Valley’s Vista-Laden Los Robles Trail

Perched on a plateau between Westlake and the Oxnard Plain lies the lovely, oak-studded Conejo Valley. The valley has its share of Ventura County developments but retains a charming pastoral side with delightful hiking.

The network of paths exploring the Conejo Valley is often called the Los Robles Trail System. Los Robles Trail and its companion paths link Conejo Valley with the extensive trail system in the Santa Monica Mountains. At the valley’s west end, Los Robles Trail ties into Point Mugu State Park. An intrepid hiker can make it across the valley to the Pacific in a day.

Los Robles Trail is a multiuse path, so hikers can expect to see mountain bikers or an occasional horseback rider.

Just as the Backbone Trail links scattered spots of beauty in the Santa Monica Mountains, Los Robles Trail unites the open spaces of the Conejo Valley.

The middle section offers a pleasant introduction to the region’s trail system. We’ll begin in pleasant Oak Creek Canyon at the edge of Thousand Oaks and enjoy a winding path with fine valley vistas. Look for woodpeckers, quail, hawks, scrub jays and roadrunners, as well as lots of conejos (rabbits). The valley takes its name from the abundant black-eared jack rabbits that hippety-hop along the trails.

Directions to the trail head: From U.S. 101 in Thousand Oaks, exit on Moorpark Road and drive a half mile south to Greenmeadow Avenue. Turn right (west) and proceed four-tenths of a mile to road’s end at the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley. Here you’ll find the signed trail.

The hike: Walk among the oaks on Oak Creek Canyon Whole Access Interpretive Trail, which is designed to help the blind learn about the outdoors. Interpretive stations with text written in English and Braille describe the surroundings.

After a quarter mile, the path bends east to a junction. An eastern leg of the canyon trail loops back to the trail head, but you want the path that heads briefly south to connect with Los Robles Trail.

Stick with Los Robles Trail West at a couple of junctions. The path tunnels through the high chaparral and climbs gently. The first good Conejo Valley views come at about the two-mile mark.

Some of the trail was burned in 1993 by a fire that began behind the Arts Council Center and roared into the Santa Monica Mountains. The chaparral on the ridges has recovered, and few signs of the blaze are evident.

The trail dips into a canyon, crosses a private road, then climbs again. Los Robles Trail meets Rosewood Trail, which descends to Lynn Road, at a signed junction. Stick with Los Robles Trail for another minute of hiking to reach Angel Vista Point, where a picnic table offers a place to relax and enjoy the valley view. Return to your car the same way you came.

For a slight variation, turn right when you reach the Oak Creek Canyon trail and hike four-tenths of a mile north through the woodsy canyon to Greenmeadow Avenue. Turn left (west) along the avenue and you’ll soon reach your starting point.

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For more of John McKinney’s tips, visit https://www.thetrailmaster.com.