12 hikes :: september :: Wildwood Regional Park

the realization was made in May, that the San Fernando Valley is just not conducive to hiking in the summer. the average daily temp May through October is 90 degrees. (and I'd hasten to say that's conservative.) and quite frankly - in these temps - we would much rather hang out at the beach.

so there we are. the 12hikes project took an unexpected hiatus. and yet - on this day (one of the hottest we've had this summer; reading 105 F when we returned home) - we decided to forgo the beach (expecting crowds) for a hike. a nice way to start a new year we thought. and we weren't disappointed.

this spot has been on my list for a long time. in fact i have a note on it taped to the inside of our pantry cupboard. there's just something about water (ocean, rivers, lakes and waterfalls!) that my kids are fascinated by. this spot held three out of the four - and even though I am sure the temperature there was hovering in the high 90s - they didn't complain (ok maybe a tiny bit right at the end) and extolled the greatness of this hike all the way home (slurpees in hand might have aided in this enthusiasm!). it was the majestic oaks and sycamores and native plants (great show of chalk dudleyas) that once again won my heart. and i'll admit it was quite a kick to find a local waterfall! (like the previous hike to the open space preserve, this one deserves another visit in another season. wildflowers? fall foliage?)

we read that the chumash originally settled in this area over 8000 years ago (!) and that parts of Spartacus (and other movies and television shows) were filmed here.

we did the "easy" Moonridge Trail, Paradise Falls, Indian Creek Loop. About 3 miles with a 500 foot elevation change. we will do it again - and explore the other paths soon!



















Wildwood Regional Park
928W. Avenida de los Arboles
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Neighborhood: Thousand Oaks

Proximity: 25 miles
Hike length: about 3 miles
Bonus features: creek, waterfall, lovely picnic spots
Tips: Today... HOT. There are drinking fountains at a couple of spots (Paradise Falls for one) but I was glad we brought lots of H2O. And glad we had a substantial snack with us that we enjoyed at a table by Indian Creek, in an oak grove (lovely!). We were there for almost 3 hours. I wouldn't really suggest September for this spot. I think late fall / winter / early spring would be much more rewarding as far as landscape. Things were very dry and aside from the trees and cacti, dormant.

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K: On a scale of 1 to 10... 9 3/4! It was really pretty and had a nice waterfall. But the bad thing was it was really hot. I'd like to go back on a colder day. Not too cold though.

E: i say that on scale of 1-10 it is a 7 because we were not allowed to swim and it was extremely hot.i would go back when it's not so hot.