Rocky Oaks

Description:

• As you drive along Mulholland Highway or Kanan Road, you could easily miss Rocky Oaks. Hidden between houses, roads and other signs of modern life, Rocky Oaks is home to a surprising number of plants and animals. Its fewer than 200 acres contain a diversity of wildlife habitats including a pond, southern oak woodland, grassland, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral communities.

  For thousands of years, Rocky Oaks provided people with food, shelter and materials. Ancestors of today's Chumash survived on the abundant resources of the land, hunting animals and harvesting plants. European settlers brought agriculture to this area. The stock pond and much of the grassland habitat are remnants of that lifestyle. Agricultural operations at Rocky Oaks ended with the 1978 Kanan Fire.

  Today, Rocky Oaks serves as a refuge for wildlife. It is an undeveloped space in which animals can find food and shelter. It helps connect the habitats that make up the Santa Monica Mountains and allows animals to travel and rest.

  Rocky Oaks also gives its human guests a place to relax, picnic, stroll, view wildlife or introduce young hikers to the outdoors. There are brilliant wildflower walks and an amphitheater for interpretive gatherings. Hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders enjoy the park.

  There are several trails ranging from an easy 0.3-mile stroll to a 100-yard moderate hilltop hike. See links for trail details.