The last weekend of April I visited my oldest son who is a freshman in college up in Ventura County. The first night I caught the spring string symphony concert in which he plays violin. The next day, my son had to work, so I thought I’d take a hike-about some Ventura County trails. I had lots of time to spare since he did not get off work until 4:00 pm. So, first I took in breakfast at Denny’s, then leisurely made my way to the trailhead. It was easy to find. At the end of Avenida de los Arboles Road I found a dirt lot with dozens of cars parked at the Wildwood Regional Park trailhead for Mesa Trail. Apparently, there are many different places to enter this park, much more than I am used to with the wilderness areas around my home in Orange County.
Right off I was taken by the beauty of these trails. There wasn’t much shade out there on the Mesa. But I didn’t need it. The weather was cool and breezy. The hills were green with color. I was right at home in my element, exploring trails I have not been to before. I really love doing that – it is my favorite pastime.
My first stop was Lizard Rock, or rather, what I thought was Lizard Rock. After summiting this lovely perch above the mesa, I hiked back down to the trail where about a tenth of a mile later came up on a marker that pointed out Lizard Rock. It wasn’t the rock that I had just climbed down. So, I summited the actual Lizard Rock and took in the expansive mesa view once again.
Mesa Trail:
Coming up on the “1st Lizard Rock,” actual Lizard Rock is the rock outcropping in the background:
View from “1st Lizard Rock”:
Looking back at “1st Lizard Rock”:
View from the actual Lizard Rock:
The trails up to this point were moving with lots of people -- hikers, bikers and runners. But everyone disappeared once I turned off onto Lizard Trail and made my way down to Wildwood Canyon Trail. The hike along Wood Canyon Trail was also pretty empty. An occasional runner came by. And then, out of nowhere, I came upon a large shady picnic area with benches, bbq’s, bathrooms and even a drinking fountain that hosted several families. Apparently, people can reach this spot from other trails with shorter distances from the start.
The continuing portion of Wildwood Canyon Trail was forestry with lots of shade. My kind of trails! I also made several creek crossings, some over protruding rocks, others over small plank bridges.
Wildwood Canyon Trail:
Paradise Falls came as a surprise. In other words, I did not hear it before I saw it as I expected. It was crowded with people. But despite the crowds, the area was surprisingly clean. Usually busy spots like this are marked with littler. Not so for Paradise Falls. It really was beautiful and I enjoyed the festive mood all those people brought along. Quite pleased to be there, I hung out for a good twenty minutes, sitting in various spots around the pool.
Paradise Falls:
After Paradise Falls I hiked up and behind it, following the creek along the way. I wasn’t sure if I was headed in the right direction for my next stop: Indian Cave. I questioned another hiker who looked like he knew where he was. He said that he knew the cave, and that “it wasn’t much.” But apparently, I was on the right track. Whether or not the cave was something worth seeing, I still wanted to check it off my “list.” (In quotes, because I didn’t really have a list, but I did map out this hike-run earlier in the week). So, off I marched on my way to Indian Cave. All the while, the views of the creek below continued to delight me to no end.
When I arrived to Indian Cave, it did look like “nothing much.” An unassuming wooden staircase led up to an opening in the rocks. Of course, I climbed the staircase. Not expecting much, I found a small but wonderfully charming cave. What a delightful, tranquil spot this was to sit and look down the canyon. Once inside, a small opening at the back of the cave became visible. You can be sure that I climbed through that opening which led to a nice little sitting area. In this spot, I was obscured by anyone who might be walking up the trail. And as it happened, a man and woman walked all the way up to Indian Cave as I sat there. They took a look at the staircase, and to my shock, turned around and left. They didn’t even climb up to explore. I was perfectly content though to continue having that cave all to myself.
Indian Cave was the biggest gem of this hike. And that says a lot, because Lizard Rock and Paradise Falls were wonderful!
Indian Cave:
After Indian Cave, I began the climb out to close up this loop. The trail was mostly shady with continued views of the creek. I even spotted another waterfall far below. Maybe on the next trip I’ll try and check that one out.
Very pleased with Wildwood Regional Park.
My route: Mesa Trail / Lizard Rock / Wildwood Canyon Trail / Paradise Falls Trail / Wildwood Canyon Trail / Indian Cave Trail / Indian Creek Trail / Avenida de los Arboles
5.51 miles, 1,206’ of elevation gain
