Tarantula Hill
{{Short description|Peak in California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Tarantula Hill
| photo = Dawn%27s_peak_aka_tarantula_hill.jpg
| photo_caption =
| elevation_ft = 1057
| elevation_ref =
| map = California#USA
| map_caption = Tarantula Hill
| map_size = 200
| listing =
| location = Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
| coordinates = {{coord|34.1962|-118.8879|format=dms|type:mountain_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates =
| coordinates_ref =
| topo =
| easiest_route =
}}
Tarantula Hill, is a {{convert|1057|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} peak in Thousand Oaks, California.Philipp, Cathy (1997). On the Trail - Malibu to Santa Barbara. Cathy Philip Pub. Page 107. {{ISBN|9780965584807}}.{{Cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011063500/http://www.toacorn.com/news/2016-08-11/Community/Popular_trail_now_easier_on_the_feet.html|archive-date=11 October 2016|url=http://www.toacorn.com/news/2016-08-11/Community/Popular_trail_now_easier_on_the_feet.html|title=Thousand Oaks Acorn | Thousand Oaks, CA News}}
It is located on a {{convert|45|acre|ha|adj=on}} open space and is operated by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA). Climbing Tarantula Hill is a steep {{convert|0.5|mi|km|adj=on}} trail;Stone, Robert (2011). Day Hikes Around Ventura County. Day Hike Books. Pages 202-203. {{ISBN|9781573420624}}. the trailhead is located at 287 West Gainsborough Road, across the road from the main entrance to Conejo Valley Botanic Garden. Atop the mountain there is a 360-degree panoramic view of the Conejo Valley, the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. There is also a fenced-in water reservoir located on top.McKinney, John (2013). HIKE Ventura County: Best Day Hikes around Ventura, Ojai and the Simi Hills. The Trailmaster, Inc. Pages 82-83. It was once a popular hang-gliding site.Philipp, Cathy (1997). On the Trail - Malibu to Santa Barbara. Cathy Philip Pub. Page 107. {{ISBN|9780965584807}}. It was once a volcanic mound but went dormant 16 million years ago.{{Cite web|title=Story of the Conejo Valley written in peaks, bluffs and ridges {{!}} VenturaCountyTrails.org News|url=https://www.venturacountytrails.org/WP/2017/06/22/story-of-the-conejo-valley-written-in-peaks-bluffs-and-ridges/|access-date=2020-12-06|website=www.venturacountytrails.org|date=22 June 2017 }}{{Failed verification|date=August 2024|talk=Volcano}}
The hill is located near the center of the Conejo Valley.Sprankling, Miriam (2002). Discovering the Story of The Conejo Valley. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 75. {{ISBN|0-9725233-0-8}}.
The origin of the name "Tarantula Hill" is unclear, although it has been called that since at least 1966.{{cite news |title=Battle flares over radio antenna tower atop 'Tarantula Hill' |work=Ventura County (Calif.) Star-Free Press |date=May 5, 1966 |page=C-8 |quote="no one is sure how it came to be christened."}} A brewery in Thousand Oaks is named for it.{{cite news |title=T.O. natives crafting city's first brewery |url=https://www.toacorn.com/articles/t-o-natives-crafting-citys-first-brewery/ |access-date=20 August 2024 |work=Thousand Oaks Acorn|date=21 December 2017}} The hill is occasionally referred to as "Dawn's Peak",McKinney, John (2013). HIKE Ventura County: Best Day Hikes around Ventura, Ojai and the Simi Hills. The Trailmaster, Inc. Page 83 refers to it as such. although that also refers to "Peak 6582, California" in Riverside county.{{cite web |title=Peak 6582 |url=https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=21415 |website=www.peakbagger.com |access-date=20 August 2024}}