Midweek Mountaineers 2025

MAY

May 14th – East Canyon Up and Back

Three hikers met at the trailhead in the “East Canyon, Rice Canyon, and Michael D. Antonovich Open Space” section of the 4,000-acre Santa Clarita Woodlands Park via Interstate 5 and “The Old Road” in Santa Clarita.  The sun was shining and the air was fresh and pleasant. The hike begins southward along the partially maintained East Canyon Motorway, following a small creek in the canyon bottom.  The route was lined with bay laurel, healthy black walnut, cottonwood, sycamore, and oak trees.  Soon the dirt road began rising more steeply along the western side of a wooded ridge, yielding new growth and blooming plants that included, disk mayweed, sticky monkey flower, golden yarrow, common vervain, winecup clarkia, caterpillar phacelia, lupin, Chinese houses, fiesta flower, California poppy.  We enjoyed views of the steep slopes to the west and relics of the Bigcone Douglas-fir trees that once covered the mountain. 

May 7th – Porter Ranch Loop

Five hikers met at 7:30 AM at the Aliso Canyon Trail trailhead just below Porter Ridge Park at the east “end” of Sesnon Blvd at the north end of Reseda Blvd in Porter Ranch. It was a welcoming cool and cloudy morning as we began our clockwise-loop, dropping down into Aliso Canyon and followed the recently widened dirt trail southward toward Rinaldi Street. The trail has been repaired after being damaged by heavy rains in recent years, by repositioning a large drainage pipe (culvert) and grading over where the trail passes over the Aliso Canyon creek.  The trail nearly leveled and became surrounded with large oak trees, always a favorite part of the hike.  Not far from the Aliso Canyon Park parking lot there was a trail junction; we turned right and started heading northeast following the well-defined connector trail that led somewhat steeply upward to Eddleston Park at Reseda Blvd. Crossing to the west side of Reseda Blvd, we hiked northward a short distance on an unnamed trail to the eastern trailhead for the Palisades Trail which we followed westward. The wide well-maintained Palisades Trail provided views of the surrounding area mainly to the south.

APRIL

April 30th – Sapwi Park Chumash Indian Museum Double loop Double Loop

Six hikers met at 7:30 AM at Sapwi Trails Community Park off of Erbes road in Thousand Oaks, where the hike began.  From The children’s play area, we went north east on an open space service road, over a bridge that crossed a small creek.  The road was surrounded with trees, lush green grass, flowers and rabbits and birds.  As we continued hiking east, we passed a flood control dam adjacent to the Sapwi Trails Disc Golf Course.  The trail then followed the flood control basin, eventually emerging onto Westlake Blvd.  There we crossed the street and followed Lang Ranch Pkwy, through Lang Ranch Neighborhood Park, then to the end where Albertsons Fire Road starts.  We followed the Fire Road for about a half mile to a trail that drops down leading through the Chumash Indian village and Museum.

April 23rd – Corriganville Santa Susana State Historic Park Double Loop

Seven hikers met at 7:30 AM at Corriganville at the east end of Simi Valley on a pleasant overcast morning.  We began our hike south of the railroad tracks on the old Lower Stagecoach Trail, going east until we reached the Santa Susana Pass Road opposite the north end of Lilac Lane.  We then followed Lilac Lane, seeing quite a few scrub jays and quail, to the Stagecoach Trail kiosk.  Located at the upper end of the Chatsworth portion of the Stagecoach Trail in the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park (SHP).

April 16th – North Ridge Trail, Chumash Park, Mt. Sinai Loop

Nine hikers met at 7:30 AM at the North Ridge Trail trailhead on Flanagan Dr. and Yosemite Ave. on a pleasant overcast morning.  Our hike began as a narrow path, surrounded on both sides with a mixture of lush green grass, lupine and mustard.  Continuing past Broken Arrow Street trailhead on the North Ridge trail until we reached Evening Sky Dr.  There we walked to the end of the Dr. where there was a gate that opened to a trail that led through Chumash Park.  Heading east the trail turned into an old dirt road that ran along the east side of Mount Sinai Cemetery.  When the road leveled out we turned left (northeast) onto the remains of a dirt road leading into what was once Douglas White Oaks Park , but is now “A few crumbling stone foundations dotting a small canyon in northeastern Simi Valley,” all that’s left of what was once a 355-acre ranch property used by Douglas Aircraft Company as a recreation area for its employees.  Coming back to the dirt road, we went southward to a point where we could turn right and head northwest alongside Mt. Sinai Drive to an unmarked trailhead a short distance west of the main entrance to the Mt. Sinai Cemetery.  That trail led us northwest uphill to the Flanagan Rocks area.  We crossed Flanagan Drive and walked down the sidewalk back to our vehicles, thus completing a 4.7-mile hike with about 687’ of elevation gain/loss, on a pleasant morning for hiking.

April 9th – Wildwood Neighborhood, Park Lynnmere Trail Loop

Eight hikers met at the Baseball Field Parking Lot, at the junction of Avenida de Los Arboles and Canna Street in Thousand Oaks.  The hike began by crossing under Avenida de Los Arboles through a tunnel and walking through Wildwood Neighborhood Park.  We then climbed some stairs and crossed Arroyo Conejo on a bridge; next we headed through a neighborhood to the Las Flores Trail which we followed to Lynn Road. Then we connected to the Lynnmere Trail, which we followed west to the Wildwood Canyon Trail.  Crossed the Arroyo Conejo again and followed the trail eastward back to the Neighborhood Park.

April 2nd – Sage Ranch Loop

Three hikers met at the lower parking lot in Sage Ranch Park in the Simi Hills on a beautiful, chilly spring morning.  The 625-acre park is located just north of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) (aka Rocketdyne/Boeing) at an elevation of 2,000’.  The park is full of world-class sandstone rock formations, great for visualizing animal shapes and faces.  To the north there is a side trail that will take you to a nice overlook that usually provides a sweeping view of Simi Valley.  We continued hiking along the main Loop Trail enjoying, a lush green landscape and stopping to climb Sandstone Ridge (aka “Sugarloaf”).  Eventually we reached the “detour” where the environmental cleanup effort is continuing.  Turning onto the “detour” trail, leading us northward through the center of the ranch, the hike offered us more unique terrain.

MARCH

March 26th – Chivo Canyon and Tapo Open Space Loop

Seven hikers met on Westwood Street in the Wild Horse Canyon housing development in northeastern Simi Valley on a cloudy morning.  After a short walk to the mouth of nearby Chivo Canyon we began hiking northward for about 0.7 miles, passing some abandoned mining equipment and a local oil seep.  Reaching a trail junction, we turned left (west) and began hiking a short distance on a fairly well-maintained connector trail until coming to the east junction of the Tapo Open Space Loop Trail.  Taking the right fork, the trail began adorned with trees and shrubs.  After passing a divinely decorated tree stump, the shrubbery thinned as the trail wound through a grassy dell, and gradually got steeper until it rose to the high point of our hike.  There we took a short break and enjoyed the views.

March 19th – Big Sky Trail (lollipop loop)

Eight hikers met near the waterfall on Big Sky Pl. on a clear, breezy and cool morning.  We walked northwards along Erringer, for about a ¼ mile until we came to the trailhead and turned east at the entrance to Big Sky Trail.  After crossing the small stream and going a short distance to a trail junction, we went left for a clockwise loop.  Going east, we enjoyed the fresh air, the new grass growth and sage brush coming alive after the recent rains.  Soon we came to the Big Sky HOA service trail, with its shade trees and some shelter from a strong breeze.  When the service trail ended, we began a hilly hike that gradually increased our views of the valley below and sections of different neighborhoods among the surrounding hills, including Whiteface Mountain.  The trail was in good condition for a pleasant hike.  At the highest point of our hike (1,463’) we could see the remnants of Lost Canyons Golf Course.  From there going back to our vehicles was an enjoyable downhill trek. completing a 4.6-mile, with 800’ of elevation gain/loss hike.

FEBRUARY

February 19th – Long Canyon

6 hikers met at 8:00 AM in the Long Canyon Trail parking lot in Wood Ranch on a perfectly beautiful morning.  The outing began by hiking up the Long Canyon Trail to the Lang Ranch Open Space where we followed the Sunrise Trail eastward to the Long Ranch Ridge Trail south to the Rocky Incline Trail.  Then we followed a connector trail to the Long Ridge Trail which led us to an entrance into the eastern end of the pleasant heavily-wooded area that contains the Chumash Interpretive Center portion of the Oakbrook Regional Park.

JANUARY

January 29th – Mt McCoy

Eleven hikers and a cute dog gathered at 8:00 AM at the Donut Delight parking lot on a chilly [but wind-free] winter morning.  We crossed Madera Road, walked the short distance to the west end of Royal Avenue and then headed up Washburn Street to the trailhead.  We began our climb up the trail’s many switchbacks, enjoying our first opportunity to hike after the recent very strong winds and the resulting destructive wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties abated and the red-flag warnings stopped.  Upon reaching the cross at the top of Mt. McCoy, we stopped for a short break.  The sun was out and the morning had warmed up some.  We enjoyed the views in all directions.  Before long we headed toward the presidential library, passing the nearby water tank and then following the service road to Presidential Drive which we followed up to the library.  After we took a lengthy break at the tables outside the library enjoying what had become a very nice morning, we began returning the way we came.

January 1st – Wildwood Park Loop

The early winter morning sky was a bright blue behind scattered high clouds when 14 hikers with 2 dogs met at 8:00 AM at the main Wildwood Park parking lot at the west end of Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks  The parking lot was nearly empty when we arrived (but completely full when we finished).  We began our counterclockwise loop hike by heading west on the Mesa Trail.  Soon we turned left (south) and hiked a short distance on the Tepee Trail until turning right (west) when we came to the Stagecoach Bluffs Trail which rose steadily uphill affording us with views of hillsides dotted with prickly pear cactus and soon we could look down into Wildwood Canyon below.