Santa Monica Mountains NRA

Visitor Center - (3), originally uploaded by kimberzy.

These flowers were near the Visitor Center in Thousand Oaks, CA.

I went up to the Santa Monica Mountains National Rec. Area on April 26, 2009. It was a nice, sunny day, perfect for photography :) The Visitor Center is located at 401 West Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks, CA. If you are planning a visit there, it is best to stop there first to get maps, because the park is spread out over a large area, which also contains some state parks as well. The Visitor Center has a nice selection of books and postcards, as well as pamphlets on the various parks contained within the park area.

I ended up visiting a few areas in the park, the first being Malibu Creek State Park, which is located near Calabasas, CA. I took the Crags Road hike, which leads to the Visitor Center, about 7/10 of a mile from the trailhead. The trail is wide and well maintained and a very easy hike at that. There were a few other trails branching off from Crags Road, but I didn't have time to do more than the loop to the Visitor Center and back. It wasn't very good for wildflowers, as it was pretty dry there, but the scenery around the trail was very nice. I found some Purple Vetch there, but it was fading fast, and some Thistle, a few Poppies and Farewell to Spring, but that was about it.

My next stop was Charmlee Wilderness Park, which is located in the town of Malibu, CA. I didn't spend much time there, but they do have a nice little garden filled with wildflowers and other native plants. They also have hiking trails, and I would definitely like to go back to take a hike next time. Their garden contains wildflowers such as Bush Sunflower, Sticky Monkeyflower, Red Monkeyflower, Wooly Blue Curls, Blue Eyed Grass, Scarlet Pimpernels, Purple Sage, Tidy Tips, Globe Gilia, Pitcher Sage, and a lot more.

I also drove down Mulholland Hwy, just for the heck of it. It is a nice, scenic drive, but is twisty and turny and I encountered more than a few "speed racers" out there. I wish I could just drive along at a nice pace, just for once, and enjoy the scenery without some dumbass tailgater behind me...........just once! But, I digress.

That aside, it was a nice day and I had a great time. I need to remember to bring the sunscreen tho. I swear, my arms are about 10 shades darker than my legs right now - LOL!

This upcoming week, I am off to The Pinnacles again for an overnighter, then off to Point Reyes on Saturday for another overnighter. I will have more photos to post then (of course - hehe).

Til then, happy trails!

Links to check out:

Malibu Creek State Park

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Charmlee Wilderness Park