Trail, Down a Few Steps and Just to the Right of the of Right the to Just and Steps Few a Down Trail, the in Twists and Crossings Creek More

path behind some cottonwood trees we reach Paradise Falls. Falls. Paradise reach we trees cottonwood some behind path

more creek crossings and twists in the trail, down a few steps and just to the right of the of right the to just and steps few a down trail, the in twists and crossings creek more

Arroyo Conejo Creek (also known as Wildwood Creek) thoroughly soak my shoes. A few A shoes. my soak thoroughly Creek) Wildwood as known (also Creek Conejo Arroyo

On Lower Wildwood Canyon Trail, several short stream crossings along the North Fork North the along crossings stream short several Trail, Canyon Wildwood Lower On

woodlands. woodlands.

Los Angeles Times Angeles Los yuccas into what is surely one of the Conejo Valley's prettiest and most accessible riparian accessible most and prettiest Valley's Conejo the of one surely is what into yuccas Paul D. Rodriguez Rodriguez D. Paul

Lizard Rock Trail winds down through a tilted field of prickly pear cactus and flowering and cactus pear prickly of field tilted a through down winds Trail Rock Lizard

water treatment plant. plant. treatment water

seem everywhere, along with a sprinkle of farmland, some new homes and a nearby a and homes new some farmland, of sprinkle a with along everywhere, seem

23 than the flat Mesa Trail below had implied. Brooding mountains and deep green canyons green deep and mountains Brooding implied. had below Trail Mesa flat the than

Creek

Oxnard

101

A quick, moderate climb to Lizard Rock offers a bird's-eye view that's far more dramatic more far that's view bird's-eye a offers Rock Lizard to climb moderate quick, A

Conejo Falls Loop Falls

Detailed

Arroyo

and Paradise and

lava that may or may not resemble a lizard. lizard. a resemble not may or may that lava

Fork 118

Lizard Rock Lizard

laced with switchbacks leading to the hike's highest point - a scoop of cold, blackened cold, of scoop a - point highest hike's the to leading switchbacks with laced North CO. COUNTY

L.A. VENTURA "That's Lizard Rock up there," says Caballero, pointing directly ahead at a scrubby hill scrubby a at ahead directly pointing Caballero, says there," up Rock Lizard "That's

126

have all but a few traces of the area's original Native American residents. residents. American Native original area's the of traces few a but all have

15 0

FALLS

"Gunsmoke" built their fake Dodge City here in the 1960s. The set has since vanished, as vanished, since has set The 1960s. the in here City Dodge fake their built "Gunsmoke"

PARADISE

MILES huge volcanic outcroppings that took shape 30 million years before the producers of producers the before years million 30 shape took that outcroppings volcanic huge

waist-high brown grass, faded pink wildflowers that could use a drink and mounds of mounds and drink a use could that wildflowers pink faded grass, brown waist-high

We enter Wildwood Park along the aptly named Mesa Trail, a breezy, flat path flanked by flanked path flat breezy, a Trail, Mesa named aptly the along Park Wildwood enter We

Thousand Oaks Thousand

Trail Trail Hiking Maps" tome. tome. Maps" Hiking

Creek Lizard Rock Lizard The 4.4-mile Lizard Rock and Paradise Falls loop is hike No. 55 in Caballero's "Mileage Caballero's in 55 No. hike is loop Falls Paradise and Rock Lizard 4.4-mile The

Indian TEPEE

INDIAN oak trees can get to a Robinsons-May parking lot. parking Robinsons-May a to get can trees oak

Paradise Falls, so I can see just how close a secluded waterfall hidden in a canyon full of full canyon a in hidden waterfall secluded a close how just see can I so Falls, Paradise Rd.

ing Wildwood Park, a 1,700-acre nature preserve in the Conejo Valley and the home of home the and Valley Conejo the in preserve nature 1,700-acre a Park, Wildwood ing Lynn

To The Oxnard-based chiropractor had suggested we meet here before driving to neighbor- to driving before here meet we suggested had chiropractor Oxnard-based The LIZARD ROCK LIZARD P

Mesa Trail Mesa

Parking the store this early on a Tuesday. Tuesday. a on early this store the Arboles

de los de sion that says, "I'm not here to buy slacks." In fact, he's the only person parked in front of front in parked person only the he's fact, In slacks." buy to here not "I'm says, that sion

Avenida

Wildwood Regional Park Regional Wildwood shorts, a clip-on pedometer, a Caballero Chiropractic Office ball cap and a sunny expres- sunny a and cap ball Office Chiropractic Caballero a pedometer, clip-on a shorts, End

ing lot in Thousand Oaks. He's the man in the mustache wearing hiking boots, cargo boots, hiking wearing mustache the in man the He's Oaks. Thousand in lot ing

N Start/

Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, is easy to spot when I pull into the Robinsons-May park- Robinsons-May the into pull I when spot to easy is Barbara, Santa and Angeles Los

Big Sky Dr. Sky Big Caballero, an inveterate day hiker who has self-published a book of 139 hikes between hikes 139 of book a self-published has who hiker day inveterate an Caballero, 0.5 MILES 0.5

anyway.

miles from here," says James Caballero. I believe him. But I want him to prove it to me to it prove to him want I But him. believe I Caballero. James says here," from miles

in a Thousand Oaks park. "You won't believe that there's a 70-foot waterfall just three just waterfall 70-foot a there's that believe won't "You park. Oaks Thousand a in

Allowed: Moderate Difficulty: miles 4.5 stretch: Trail A waterfall three miles from the 101 Freeway? It's hidden among trails and stunning vistas stunning and trails among hidden It's Freeway? 101 the from miles three waterfall A Take me -- Thousand Oaks Park Oaks Thousand -- me Take

Fold along dotted lines ☞ It crashes into an emerald pool and shines in the midday sun with, as promised, no one to Take Me appreciate it except the two of us and a woman in a bikini lying on a rock with her ankles in the water. "I can't believe it," Caballero clucks. "People live their whole lives here and Thousand Oaks Park they don't even know about this." We pull ourselves away from this semiprivate Eden. Indian Creek Trail winds us back to our cars, past a Chumash cave site, and (about three miles away) to Robinsons-May and the 101 Freeway. The particulars Where: Wildwood Park What: 1,700-acre recreation area in Thousand Oaks featuring waterfalls, archeological sites and an extensive multiuse trail system for hikers of all levels. Moderate loop to Lizard Rock and Paradise Falls is just under 4.5 miles with 1,200 feet of gain and loss. How: How: Take the 101 Freeway to the Lynn Road exit in Thousand Oaks. Go north on Lynn Road, and turn left onto Avenida de Los Arboles and left into the Wildwood Park parking lot at the road's western terminus at Big Sky Drive. The park is open from dawn to dusk every day. - Jordan Rane

For more trail maps: http:// www.latimes.com/trailmaps