By Teresa Rochester trochester@VenturaCountyStar.com
July 29, 2005

Mike Kuhn tried something different Tuesday.

The head of Trailblazers, a group that leads hikes through Simi Valley hills and repairs trails, parked his vehicle on Mt. Sinai Drive to hit trails that loop to Kuehner and Flanagan drives.

No stranger to the paths -- old roads that pass through grass land and dip down into the White Oak Channel -- it was the parking he hadn't experienced before.

"It was convenient to have there," Kuhn said. "It's not an area people are very apt to park."

The city of Simi Valley erected two signs at the terminus of Mt. Sinai Drive that simply state "No Parking from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m."

In other words, during the day hikers can park on the road, which the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District considers a trailhead.

"It definitely provides one more amenity for residents in this community who like hiking in the hills," City Manager Mike Sedell said.

The parking signs were the brainchild of Councilwoman Michelle Foster, who often parked on Kuehner to access trails carved into permanent open space.

"There wasn't access to any of it on Mt. Sinai Drive," Foster said.

"The city went out and took a look. It's been done in a way so it's not overnight parking. ... It was a real easy fix. It is so incredibly beautiful."

There is a looping trail that takes hikers around Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, said Ed Hayduk, assistant general manager of the Park District.

The district plans to build a small trailhead parking lot when Mr. Sinai Drive is extended.

The extension is part of a condominium project slated for the base of Happy Face Hill. The project is currently being contested in court by a group of residents.

Hayduk said most hikers park at the end of Flanagan or along Kuehner. The open space those two streets border will one day become Chumash Park.

As part of the park, the district will build a parking lot on the west side of Flanagan. The district is currently working on a master plan for the park.