The super bloom in Lake Elsinore’s Walker Canyon drew an estimated 100,000 visitors over the weekend, creating traffic jams and unmanageable crowds that prompted officials to shut off access to the fertile open space.
But for Ventura County residents, fields of technicolor wildflowers can be observed much closer to home because hikes in the Conejo and Simi valleys are also in bloom.
In Simi Valley, the hills are alive with the sight of poppies. Native orange blooms cover the slopes above the Interpretive and Wildlife Corridor trails in Corriganville Park, a 246-acre property once used as a movie ranch that served as the backdrop for more than 3,500 movies.
To reach Corriganville Park, travel south on Kuehner Drive from the 118 Freeway for about a mile. Turn left onto Smith Road. At the end of Smith Road, turn left into the Corriganville Park parking lot.
In Newbury Park, Elliot Peak is covered in California poppies as well as lupine, ground pink, California goldfields, wild hyacinth, chaparral yucca and slender sunflowers, among others.
To reach Elliot Peak, park at the end of Rancho Conejo Boulevard near the City of Thousand Oaks’ municipal service center. Take Hidden Rim Trail to the Hill Canyon and Western Plateau trails to connect to the path to Elliot Peak.
Palomino Trail in Newbury Park’s Rancho Potrero also offers views of orange poppies and purple lupine.
In Westlake, California poppies blanket the hillsides along the southern end of Saddle Pass Trail near the Yarrow Family YMCA. Agoura’s Cheeseboro Canyon is awash in color, too.
For trail maps and more information, visit conejo-openspace.org or rsrpd.org.