Hill Canyon
{{Short description|Canyon in southern California, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
Image:Hill-Canyon-Wastewater-Plant-Wetlands-Newbury-Park.jpgs of the Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant'.]]
Hill Canyon is a deep canyon in the western Simi Hills and within northern Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, southern California.
The Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve includes the central canyon area, and is part of the Conejo Canyons Open Space. It has trails connecting it to Santa Rosa Valley County Park at the canyon's mouth, to Wildwood Regional Park east of the canyon, and to Rancho Conejo Playfields southwest of the canyon.
Geography
The canyon separates the Conejo Grade area and westernmost Simi Hills from the Mount Clef Ridge to the east. It was formed by Arroyo Conejo (creek) flowing down through the Simis from the higher Conejo Valley to the lower Santa Rosa Valley, where the creek merges with Arroyo Santa Rosa and becomes Conejo Creek.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-06-22-me-15995-story.html|title=Youngsters Take Leap Into Troublesome Waters : Recreation: A popular pastime is jumping from a 40-foot cliff into the Hill Canyon swimming hole. But officials are concerned about the danger.|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 22, 1995|first=Mary F. |last=Pols|access-date=19 February 2016}}
It is located in an area locally known as La Barranca (Spanish for canyon).{{cite web|url=http://www.cosf.org/website/html/arroyo-conejo-to-hill-cyn.html|title=CONEJO OPEN SPACE FOUNDATION: to promote and maintain the multi-usetrail and open space systems of the Conejo Valley}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-05-me-2887-story.html|title=Designer Leads the Crusade to Save a Canyon : Thousand Oaks: Mark Murphy hopes the city will join his fight to clean up and preserve La Barranca, a 3-mile gorge threatened by development.|date=November 5, 1990|newspaper=Los Angeles Times| first=Psyche |last=Pascual |access-date=19 February 2016}}
It is a deeply eroded canyon at the foothills of dramatic ridgelines and volcanic outcroppings{{cite web|url=http://www.dailynews.com/lifestyle/20150602/how-to-mark-national-trails-day-in-southern-california/1|title=How to mark National Trails Day in Southern California|website=Los Angeles Daily News }} on the Mount Clef Ridge. Hill Canyon is part of the Conejo Canyons Open Space, which is owned and operated by the Conejo Open Space Foundation (COSF).{{cite web|url=http://www.conejovalleylifestylepubs.com/2015/10/26/community-steps-up-to-preserve-trails-open-space/|title=Community Steps Up to Preserve Trails & Open Space|work=Conejo Valley Lifestyle Magazine}}
The canyon is situated east of the Conejo Grade in Camarillo, CA, and is immediately west of the Mount Clef Ridge of Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks. Once slated for a golf course, the canyon is now protected open space.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-13-me-64139-story.html|title=City Explores Plan for New Golf Course|last=BUSTILLO|first=MIGUEL|date=1996-11-13|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-28}} Hiking trails and bridges are accessible from trailheads found for instance in Wildwood Regional Park, Rancho Conejo Playfields and Santa Rosa County Park.{{cite web|url=http://www.venturacountytrails.org/WP/2011/10/19/bridging-the-gap-between-thousand-oaks-and-santa-rosa-valley-open-space/|title=Bridging the gap between Thousand Oaks and Santa Rosa Valley open space}} Hill Canyon Trail is the primary trail and connects to the Hawk Canyon Trail, Western Plateau Trail, Arroyo Conejo Trail, Lynnmere Trail, and the Canyon Overlook Trail, which climbs to the top of the Mount Clef Ridge from Santa Rosa Valley.Murphy, Kelly (2012). Local Multi-Use Trails. Kelly Murphy. Page 116. {{ISBN|9781479165599}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.conejovalleyguide.com/dosomethingblog/hill-canyon-hawk-canyon-and-western-plateau-trails-in-thousa.html|title=Hill Canyon, Hawk Canyon and Western Plateau Trails in Thousand Oaks|work=Conejo Valley Guide}}Hasenauer, Jim and Mark Langton (1995). Mountain Biking the Coast Range: Santa Monica Mountains. FineEdge.Com LLC. Page 87. {{ISBN|9780938665380}}.
The only developed area in Hill Canyon is the Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCTP),{{Cite web |url=https://www.toaks.org/government/depts/public_works/sewer/hill_canyon_treatment_plant/hctp.asp |title=Thousand Oaks - Hill Canyon Treatment Plant |access-date=2016-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301115140/https://www.toaks.org/government/depts/public_works/sewer/hill_canyon_treatment_plant/hctp.asp |archive-date=2016-03-01 |url-status=dead }} which takes up about sixty acres and includes the largest bodies of water in Newbury Park. It has a capacity of 14,000,000 gallons per day,Hanrahan, Grady (2012). Key Concepts in Environmental Chemistry. Academic Press. Page 155. {{ISBN|9780123749932}}. and approximately 3.7 billion gallons of water are conveyed here every year for processing.{{Cite web |url=http://www.toaks.org/faqs/categoryqna.asp?id=23 |title=Thousand Oaks - Common Questions |access-date=2016-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301114052/http://www.toaks.org/faqs/categoryqna.asp?id=23 |archive-date=2016-03-01 |url-status=dead }} Thousands of gallons in sewage spills have led to leaks into the adjacent Conejo Creek, which discharges at its estuary in Mugu Lagoon.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-feb-05-me-15829-story.html|title=Raw Sewage Continues to Spill Into Conejo Creek|date=February 5, 1998|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first=Cathy |last=Murillo |access-date=19 February 2016}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jun-21-me-vnbriefs21.2-story.html|title=Untreated Sewage Spills Into Conejo Creek|date=June 21, 2003 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=19 February 2016}}
The Conejo Canyons make up a total of 1,628 acres when combined together. The flora includes coast live oak- and riparian woodlands, coastal sage scrub, as well as interior sage scrub and chaparral. From nearby peaks there are panoramic views as far as the Pacific Ocean, the Oxnard Plain, and the Topatopa Mountains.{{cite web|url=http://www.conejo-openspace.org/open_space_areas_in_TO.htm#Conejo|title=Canyons|access-date=2016-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209163754/http://conejo-openspace.org/open_space_areas_in_TO.htm#Conejo|archive-date=2016-02-09|url-status=dead}} The trails here are used for horseback-riding, mountain biking, running and hiking.Murphy, Kelly (2012). Local Multi-Use Trails. Kelly Murphy. Page 118. {{ISBN|9781479165599}}.
See also
- Conejo Canyons Open Space
- Wildwood Regional Park
- {{C|Simi Hills|Simi Hills topics}}
References
{{Reflist|25em}}
{{Coord|34.2267|-118.9303|display=title}}
Category:Canyons and gorges of California
Category:Landforms of Ventura County, California
Category:Geography of Thousand Oaks, California