Trails of 

North Ranch
Overview of adjacent areas 

Hillcrest Ridge Trail, with the Cutoff visible at the top of the hill

Overview

This area is dominated by two trail systems: the Hillcrest Ridge - White Sage Trail loop, and Saddle Pass Trail and its connections. Both systems run up to the top of prominent ridges with several connections to nearby neighborhoods. The ridgetops provide great views in every direction and the sometimes steep ridgeline trails provide great exercise. At the time of this writing (January 2022), the Wishbone Trail is the newest major trail in the Conejo Valley, completed in 2019. A hidden beauty is tucked away in the north-east corner of this area, the Lindero Creek Trail.

Because of the steepness of the trails, none of them are favored by mountain bikers. But they're great for people who want to get in a quick work-out hike.

There is easy connectivity to the Oakbrook trails to the north and Oak Park trails to the east. The overview of adjacent areas shows how these areas are connected.

Official Websites

• Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) website
• Conejo Creek North Park
• Conejo Creek South Park
• Sapwi Trails Community Park
• Sapwi Trails Bike Park

Trailheads, Parking and Features

a. South-east end of Gainsborough Rd. Map and directions.
b. Janss Rd at Paige Ln. There is parking on Paige Ln. Map and directions.
c. Scenicpark St. entrance to Sapwi Trails Community Park. Map and directions.
d. Adenida De Los Arboles entrance to Sapwi Trails Community Park. Map and directions.
e. Westlake Blvd entrance to Sapwi Trails Community Park. Map and directions.
f. North end of Grissom St. Map and directions.
g. South end of La Granada Dr. and Crown View Court. Map and directions.
h. Conejo Bluff Ct, but there is no parking. You can park on Conejo School Rd. Map and directions.
i. East Hillcrest Dr. There is no parking here. Map and directions.
j. Westlakd Blvd. There is no parking here. Map and directions.
k. Lakeview Canyon Rd. Parking is severely restricted here so check the signs. Map and directions.
l. Driveway to Westlake High School. No parking on Via Merida. Map and directions.
m. Country Valley Rd. There is no vehicle access here. Map and directions.
n. Westlake Village Community Park and YMCA on Thousand Oaks Blvd. Map and directions.
o. Bowfield St. just west of Rockfield St. Map and directions.

z. Conejo Creek Park South and parking. Map and directions.
y. Conejo Creek Park North and parking. Map and directions.
x. Westlake High School.
w. Westlake Village Community Park and YMCA. Map and directions.
v. North Ranch Playfield and parking on Bowfield St. Map and directions.

Trails

Download the GPS tracks to help you find your way. These GPX files contains tracks for all the trails in this area:

North Ranch Trails
Sapwi Trails

[1] White Sage Trail T1
[1a] White Sage Edison Road T1

Description The White Sage Trail is an Edison Road that runs from Sapwi Trail in the north to the Hillcrest Ridge Trail in the south. It's in good shape and not very steep, with some good views to the west. With the Hillcrest Ridge Trail (upper trail in the photo at right), it can make a nice loop route, although Hillcrest Ridge is really steep in spots and is quite a bit more strenuous.

Connections to the street are via the Sapwi Trail in the north, Hillcrest Ridge in the south, and Arabian Run and Dapple Gray/La Granada towards the south end.

1a White Sage Edison Road: T1 This is a short and quite steep shortcut that you can use to cut a few hundred feet off your travels if you want to get from the main section of White Sage to Sapwi Trail.

Technical Rating T1

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

This is a fairly complicated elevation profile as it shows four trails and where they meet. If the lines intersect, the trails meet at that point, except for the very right end of the White Sage Trail line. Where it crosses the green Hillcrest Ridge Trail line, the trails don't meet there. Instead, they meet where the arrows point for "Junction White Sage & Hillcrest Ridge." On the ground, the Hillcrest Ridge Trail loops around and comes back to the White Sage Trail, but that can't be represented in the chart. Also, the left (north) end of the White Sage Edison Rd runs into the White Sage Trail, and that is shown on the profile by the "Junction White Sage & WS Edison Rd" label.

[2] Hillcrest Ridge Trail T1 , T2 , T4.5
[2a] Hillcrest Ridge Cutoff

Description The Hillcrest Ridge Trail is mostly a broad trail that runs from south White Sage Trail in the north, touches Hillcrest Blvd, widens to a dirt road and turns north to loop around to the south end of White Sage Trail, then becomes a singletrack T2 that heads west to end at Conejo Bluff Court. As a ridgeline trail, it is very steep in places, and then extremely steep T4.5 as it drops from the south end of the ridge to Hillcrest Blvd. This makes it great for a conditioning hike or run (see photo at right), but it's too steep for most mountain bikes to climb. There are great views from the ridge in several places, but very little in the way of shade, so choose your hiking time carefully. In the spring this ridge can be covered with mustard and so can be very colorful! The singletrack section from the south end of White Sage to Conejo Bluff Court is fairly smooth but a bit steep in places, and is liable to be overgrown with mustard in the spring T2 .

To recap, the broad part of the trail from the north end until Hillcrest Ridge Cuttof rates T1 ; the section from there to the top of the steep hill is T2 , and the steep hill itself that leads to Hillcrest Blvd is T4.5 because it's a little loose and extremely steep. From Hillcrest Blvd so the south end of White Sage is T1 , and the singletrack from there to Conejo Bluff Court is T2 .

2a Hillcrest RIdge Cutoff: T2 This 1000' double-track-width trail climbs 150' between two parts of the Hillcrest Ridge Trail, making it quite steep - too steep for most mountain bikers to climb. Generally the tread is in good shape but there's a little loose gravel on the top, making it a bit slippery.

Technical Rating T1 , T2 , T4.5

The trail profile is included with the description of the White Sage Trail above.

[3] Dapple Gray T2.5 and La Granada Trails T2

Description The La Granada Trail is a singletrack that runs roughly parallel to Conejo School Road, starting at the cul-de-sac at the north end of Mountain Crest Circle, ending at the fire lane that continues north of the end of Conejo School Road. The trail then continues along the paved fire lane until its north end where it becomes La Granada Drive. The tread of the singletrack is in good shape and it isn't very steep. T2

The Dapple Gray Trail starts at the La Granada Trail and climbs 0.5 miles to the Hillcrest Ridge Trail. It crosses the White Sage Trail 0.3 miles from the bottom. The tread is in pretty good shape but it is quite steep in spots, going straight up the ridgeline as it does. It gets even steeper after it crosses the White Sage Trail. It gets a more difficult technical rating than La Granada Trail because of the steepness. T2.5

Technical Rating T2.5 , T2

The trail profile is included with the description of the White Sage Trail above.

[4] Arabian Run Trail T2

Description This trail climbs 150' vertically over 0.2 miles from Crown View Court to the White Sage Trail. The trailhead is a little difficult to see - it's on the south-east side with no sign to mark it, a little more than half way up the hill. The tread on this singletrack is pretty firm but there are some steepish spots.

Technical Rating T2

The trail profile is included with the description of the White Sage Trail above.

[5] Glider Hill Trail T2.5
[5a] Glider Hill South

Description This singletrack starts off from La Granada Dr. in pretty good shape, but soon becomes a lot rougher. It snakes around the hillside and then ends at Lone Oak Dr. Glider Hill South may be completely overgrown and impossible to locate - it was in March 2021.

Technical Rating T2.5

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[6] Las Flores Trail T0.5

Description This is an Edison Road that runs underneath some power lines in an open meadowy area. The trail is very gently sloped and had a firm surface. It starts at Erbes Rd immediately south of Los Cerritos Middle School and runs west for just over a half mile where it bumps up against Avenida De Las Flores. Here it turns south and becomes the Conejo Creek Park trail that's described next. There are several connections to the neighborhood.

Technical Rating T0.5

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[7] Conejo Creek Park Trail T0.5

Description This is a broad decomposed granite or dirt path that runs between the parking lot and the freeway. It is well separated from the freeway, but south of Janss Rd it is very noisy. The tread is pretty even and has a very gentle slope to it. It runs from Las Flores in the north, across Janss Rd and ends at the bike path next to La Granada Drive.

Technical Rating T0.5

The trail profile is combined with that for the Las Flores Trail directly above this description.

[8] Conejo Creek Park Bike Path T0

Description This paved bike path travels for most of its length along the east edge of the southern park of Conejo Creek Park. It is generally north-south. In the south it ends at the intersection of Gainsborough Rd. and Galsworthy St. In the north it ends at Janss Rd. The slope is very gentle making it a very easy route by bike or on foot.

Technical Rating T0

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[9] Sawpi Trail and Sapwi South Loop T2

Description These trails, along with the driveways, pretty much circumnavigate Sapwi Trails Community Park.

Sapwi Trails was originally planned to be a community park with ball fields and lights for playing at night. However, it was discovered that much of the area was part of an ancient landslide and was unstable. It would have cost millions of dollars to stabilize the ground to be safe for ball fields. Instead, the parks departement decided to keep it mostly natural and add facilities for underrepresented recreational activities. These include

a disc golf course
a bike park with a pump track and jumps (photo at right)
an area for remote-contol glider planes
running and riding trails
a playground for kids
picnic tables, shade structures and restrooms

Follow the above links to learn more about this park.

The main Sapwi Trail travels 1.2 miles from the kids' playground area on Erbes Rd at the west end to Westlake Blvd towards the north-east. There is lots of parking at the Erbes end but none at the Westlake Blvd end. The trail itself is a combination of dirt utility road and singletrack. It crosses the disc golf course a few times so watch for flying discs!

The Sapwi South Trail climbs 0.4 miles from the main trail up to the RC plane field. It ends at parking area for the RC plane pilots. The surface is in generally good condition.

Technical Rating T2

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[10] Skelton Canyon Trail T2
[10a] Skelton Ridge Trail T3.5

Description The Skelton Canyon trail, just over a mile long, starts at the west end on Westlake Blvd., climbs the ridge and descends to Lakeview Canyon Road. There is no immediate parking at either end; we suggest you park on Santiago St. off of Westlake Blvd. This singletrack trail is in generally pretty good shape, can be a bit loose and a little overgrown. It's a bit steep for mountain bikes at the start and end but can be navigated by strong riders. The photo at the right shows it during a very dry summer. There are a couple of trees along the way, but there's not much shade.

The Skelton Ridge Trail joins the Skelton Canyon Trail at the latter's highest point. It continues almost straight up the ridge to the top and down the other side. You can expect it to be very overgrown, often to the point where it is completely obscured. The photo next to the elevation profile shows it during a strong mustard bloom. The mustard was much taller higher up the hill! In addition, the trail is pretty steep in places. It's not suitable at all for mountain bikes and is rated T3.5 because of the overgrowth problem. But if you can find your way, it's a real adventure!

Technical Rating T2

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[11] Windmill Canyon Trail T2

Description This is a very pretty trail that follows along the creek on the other side from Via Merida. There is no access from this road; you get to the bottom from Westlake High School. (Via Merida is blocked about a half mile north of Thousand Oaks Blvd, becoming County Valley Road on the north side of the gate.) From Westlake High, the trail runs through a meadow parallel to the stream, just above the oak trees the grow next to the stream. Near the north end, the trail drops down closer to the stream and goes underneath the oak canopy. The trail has a very gentle slope and is in very good shape - it has a firm tread with no ruts. It's a great trail for a very pleasant stroll! At the north end, the Saddle Pass Trail continues up the steep slope on the other side of County Valley Road.

Technical Rating T2

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[12] Saddle Pass Trail T2.5 , T3 , T5

Description The Saddle Pass Trails starts at the south end at County Valley Road across the street from the Windmill Trail. It climbs up, quite steeply in places, ending 2.4 miles later near the top of a hill with views in every direction. The closest parking is about 500' from the trailhead at the north end of Via Merida. The trail starts off quite steep and narrow until you get past a few very tight switchbacks whereupon it widens out. However, it continues up steeply and often has a rut down the middle. Otherwise the tread is pretty firm and the trail is a good width. It gets it's slightly higher technical rating of T2.5  because of the steepness.

About 0.8 miles from the start, the trail forks and continues to the southeast. The well-used trail to the northwest climbs to the top of the nearby hill to a spot with a great view all around. But continuing on the mail trail to the southeast, it again forks about 350' further on. This time the main trail takes a sharp bend to the northwest (the other direction will take you to the top of the Aqiwo Trail). Another fork to the right about 1.4 miles from the start leads to the top of another hill and more outstanding views. This section of the trail has some exposure and the trail is off-camber so it rates T3 here. The last fork is 1.8 miles from the start. To the right (southeast) is the Bowfield Trail while the Saddle Pass Trails continues straight north and up an extremely steep T5 hill. Be prepared for a real workout!

Looking at the elevation profile below you can see that much of the trail isn't very steep. Those sections rate T1.5 .

There are no trees anywhere along the trail and so no shade. It gets very hot here during the warmer months so prepare accordingly.

Technical Rating T2.5 , T3 , T5

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[13] Bowfield Trail T2

Description This short trail connects the Saddle Pass Trail to Rockfield Street. Across the street is the North Ranch Playfield and the start of the dirt path of the Lindero Creek Trail. From Rockfield St., it starts as a dirt path for 200 yards on the south side of Bowfield St, then climbs with a moderate slope up to Saddle Pass Trail. The tread is generally firm but may be a little rutted.

Technical Rating T2

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

[14] Wishbone Trail T2
[14a] Aqiwo Trail (AKA Wishbone Connector)

Description The Wishbone Trail is one of the newest trails in the Conejo Valley. Construction was started in the spring of 2018 and was completed about a year later after quite a number of volunteer events. It climbs towards the north-east from the very west end of the Westlake Village Community Park, loops around at the highest point and then comes down on the opposite side of the steep valley. The bottom ends are joined by a dirt path around the ballfields. It connects to the Saddle Pass Trail by way of a the Aqiwo Trail, a distance of 0.4 miles. (The Aqiwo Trail continues south and ends at a hill that overlooks the Community Park. This trail was formally named in May 2022 - "Aqiwo" means "Star" in the Chumash language.) There is no shade on either trail so it will be hot in the summer, but there could be lots of flowers in the spring, including mustard and other weeds that can choke the trail.

The Wishbone Trail is a bit steep for most mountain bikers to enjoy climbing.

Technical Rating T2

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

(climbing the northwest arm and descending the southeast arm):

[15] Lindero Creek Trail T1 , T2

Description This short but beautiful trail is a hidden gem near the northeast corner of Thousand Oaks. There are two parts - in the south it is a decomposed granite (DG) path on the south and east side of the North Ranch Playfield. Crossing Bowfield St., it becomes a traditional trail that snakes through a beautiful stand of oak trees alongside Lindero Creek, crossing it a few times. Continuing north, it crosses Lakeview Canyon Rd., then goes through a tunnel under Kanan Rd. This tunnel is pitch black and is dangerous to traverse without a light because the surface is very uneven and could be full of debris and water.

There are temporary bridges across the stream but they could be removed in advance of stormy weather.

Technical Rating T1 , T2

Trail Profile      Back to the Top

This page was last updated May 23, 2022.

Thanks for looking at Steve's guide to trails in Ventura County, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) and other locations.