This area was formerly Camarillo Regional Park, but was transferred from the county to the state with the provision that the state would take on all the use requirements for the area. One of these requirements is that a publicly accessible park be maintained. Apparently this does not preclude a parking fee because the general $6 per day fee for the university applies here too. Areas outside the gate would allow a bit of free parking, but has been marked "no parking". There is some free parking on Lewis Road, nearly a half mile away. Being with my mother, she chose to pay the fee rather than walk the extra mile. There is no toilet, the only amenity gained for the fee is a dirt parking lot.
But it is a pretty spot.
We park as far in as possible next to the model airplane airfield, then follow the gravel road further in toward the hills. Past the park is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area land and past that is Point Mugu State Park. Connecting to trails within the state park has been a goal for a while, but I do not think it has been done yet. Today, we keep to the flatter ground in the bottom of the valley.
Following the gravel road as it turns to dirt and joins a few trails.
As we take our turns through the park, we come to some dilapidated buildings. These were a dairy that was part of food production and patient therapy for Camarillo State Hospital. They are a mass of graffiti now and have been slated for removal for a while.
The old dairy buildings are fenced off. The skeleton of an old barn.
We find a second route back toward the parking lot for a big circle through the valley.
Another look at the rocky peaks and buildings below. There are trails high up there and travel through the tall grasses without trails may be possible.
Some information about the park can be found here.
Patapsco Valley State Park interactive map link I was charged with deciding on a hike that kids could do, except I have no experience in this or in evaluating what a particular kid can do. Plus, I would be without any parental supervision. Alltrails offered up Cascade Falls as a possible suitable suggestion, except that it would be done on the weekend and is a very popular location. I liked a climb on Garrett's Pass and a drop on the Cascade Falls Trail, which is 4 miles and only 300 feet or so from bottom to top. (It goes from ~20m to ~100m.) That's not so much, right? And I even had the means for up to 2 kids to be self sufficient, able to carry water, snacks, camera, and a light sweater on their own. Self sufficiency for the win, right? The hike would be in the Patapsco Valley State Park, like most my hikes would likely be. This park has a mix of free lots and pay lots. The pay lots have different prices for in state or out of state, weekends/holidays or weekdays. T...
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