THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A popular trailhead in Cheeseboro Canyon has reopened to the public after a series of improvements were made over the last 10 months.
The trailhead parking area is now accessible for all users with potable water, horse trailer parking, a pedestrian pathway, a 20’x40’ shade structure, and a new vault toilet.
In addition to all the visitor enhancements, the project mitigated flooding hazards for local residents by regrading the site and installing a new system of storm drainage utilities.
“We’re pleased to reopen the vastly improved site to the public," said David Szymanski, the park superintendent, during a ribbon-cutting event this morning. “This is an area where visitors can recreate in various ways - hike, bike, picnic, ride horses, bird watch, and enjoy the gorgeous scenery."
This project combines federal dollars with private funds from the National Park Foundation, the Santa Monica Mountains Fund, and the Clifford Holmes estate. Holmes, a property ranch manager for actor Bob Hope, left his estate to this project after he died in the 1980s.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park System, it comprises a seamless network of local, state, and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service