The bloom of Yellow Mariposa Lily along the Chumash Trail in Simi Valley has been extraordinary this year. Above, it is pictured with Golden Stars.
Among the multitude of wildflowers blooming along the trail this May were the showy Butterfly Mariposa Lily and intensely blue Parry’s Larkspur.
Relate post: Marr Ranch Wildflowers
Originally published June 28, 2008. Updated December 30. 2022.
Without a doubt, the Chumash Trail is one of my favorite short “after work” trail runs. Popular among hikers, mountain bikers, and runners, the Chumash Trail starts on Flanagan Drive in eastern Simi Valley and ascends the convoluted western flank of Rocky Peak Park to Rocky Peak Fire Road. It’s single-track trail all the way, gaining about 1175′ over 2.7 miles.
From a trail runner’s training perspective, it is a nearly ideal short, technical, higher heart rate workout. It has a few tough sections but is generally very runnable. When I’m chugging up the trail, it seems just about the time my heart rate is going to go lactic, the trail will back off or contour. Because I usually run the trail near my aerobic maximum, it’s a great indicator of where I am in my training. Over-training, or any other fitness issue, is usually plainly — and sometimes painfully — evident.
In many ways running down the Chumash Trail is more difficult than running up. It can be very challenging to run down a rocky, technical section of trail with any speed. Running a trail like the Chumash Trail can help develop the skill and strength necessary to do downhills with better technique and more speed.
I don’t think I’ve ever run this trail fresh, but a couple of times a year, when my legs feel good, it’s fun to really push the Chumash Trail up and down. Like most running, there’s a balance — push too hard on the up and there won’t be enough left to push the down.
Here is an interactive, 3D terrain view of the Chumash Trail Out & Back to Rocky Peak Road. The map can be zoomed, tilted, rotated, and panned using the navigation control on the right. Track and placename locations are approximate and subject to errors. Poor weather and other conditions may make this route unsuitable for this activity.
There are several ways to extend the basic out and back. One option is to turn left on Rocky Peak Road and run a mile to “Fossil Point.” Another is to turn right and run 1.6 mile to the Rock Peak overlook.
Some related posts: Chumash Trail Mule Deer, Category Is: Things Found on the Chumash Trail, Chumash Trail Rocks & Snow, Chumash-Las Llajas Loop
I saw a flash of brown through the bushes on the trail ahead. I stopped as a deer emerged from a switchback. The doe was walking slowly up the trail with her mule-like ears turned back toward me. I said something like, “Where are you going?”
She turned toward me and stared quizzically. As I slowly pulled the phone from my pack, I continued to talk. Her expression was a mix of caution and curiosity. It was as if she couldn’t quite make up her mind what I was about.
This was peculiar behavior for a deer in this area. It wouldn’t be so strange if I was at Trippet Ranch. The deer there graze around the oaks and grasslands near the parking lot and are used to seeing people. But in decades of running the Chumash Trail, I’ve only occasionally seen deer, and they have always been skittish and quick to react.
This doe watched me as I slowly walked around the bend and toward her. I was reminded of a friend’s experience, when he was hit on the shoulder by a spooked deer. Not wanting to force a reaction, I stopped. The deer casually stepped off the trail and disappeared down the ravine.
Later, running down Las Llajas Canyon, I was startled by the sound of something large moving in the brush. This time I got only a fleeting glimpse, as the deer bounded uphill through the trees, rocks, and brush.
Some related posts: Chumash-Las Llajas Loop, Deer Encounters, Running Between Raindrops: Chumash Trailhead to Rocky Peak
Was that thunder? I warily eyed the dark clouds over the mountains and pondered the situation.
I was about halfway to the top of the Chumash Trail and was planning to run along the crest to Rocky Peak. The run had started in short sleeves and sunshine, but it was pretty obvious that wasn’t going to last.
A cold upper-level low had brought badly needed rain to the area for the past two days. The low was moving off to the east, but there was still a chance of afternoon showers and maybe even a thunderstorm.
It was the “thunderstorm” part that I needed to pay attention to. I had enough gear to deal with a downpour and cooling temps, but electrical storms are no fun at all.
I decided to continue to the top of the Chumash Trail and reassess. As I worked up the trail, I pictured the counterclockwise circulation around the low, and how convective cells develop over the mountains and then dissipate as they drift south. The concern was that the cells don’t always dissipate.
It looked like things weren’t getting any better at the top of the Chumash Trail, but it wasn’t worse either. I hadn’t heard any thunder for a while, and most of the activity seemed to be a few miles to the west and east. Having been starved of stormy weather for much of the rain season, I turned right on Rocky Peak Road and headed south toward Rocky Peak.
The run from the Chumash Trailhead to Rocky Peak is a challenging mix of technical single-track trail and hilly fire road. There are wide-ranging views of Simi Valley & Simi Hills, the San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Ventura County mountains, and San Gabriel Mountains. On a clear day, the view can extend to the Channel Islands, Saddleback, and San Jacinto Peak.
The actual turnaround point for a run to “Rocky Peak” varies. Some like to turnaround at the high point of Rocky Peak Road that is near Rocky Peak. Most of the time, I turnaround at a viewpoint that is at the end of a spur trail that branches off from the high point of Rocky Peak Road. From time to time, it’s fun to hike over to Rocky Peak and scramble to the top. That’s a bit more involved and requires some route-finding.
I felt the first raindrops as I reached the high point on Rocky Peak Road and turned onto the spur trail that leads to the overlook. There was some increased development to the east, but it looked like there would be enough time to get over to Rocky Peak, take a couple of pics, and then head back.
I felt a little exposed on top of Rocky Peak. I hadn’t heard any thunder for the past hour, but a cell to the east was spouting heavy rain over the San Fernando Valley, which meant there was probably enough development to produce lightning. I took the title photo and a couple of others and hurriedly descended from the peak.
Back on Rock Peak Road, the sprinkles increased, and the showers became more steady as I ran north toward the Chumash Trail. Under the dark clouds, a raven perched on a large pinnacle cawed incessantly, either enjoying the rain or complaining about it. In the distance, a siren wailed down in the valley. It was cold, and I was very glad to have an extra shirt, sleeves, gloves and a light rain shell.
As I began the descent of the Chumash Trail, the sun briefly broke through the clouds, reflecting brightly on the wet sandstone rocks. I breathed deeply, relishing the smell of the cleansed air and wet chaparral, and continued down the trail.
Here’s an interactive 3D terrain view of my GPS track. Over the run, the temperature sensor on my pack recorded a drop of about 30 degrees — from around 70°F at the start of the run to about 40°F when the showers began! Here’s what a NOAA Radar Mosaic looked like at the start of the run and when I was on Rocky Peak.
Related: Chumash Trail, Rocky Peak, Thunderstorm
Update of a post from December 30, 2006.
The Chumash-Las Llajas Loop is a scenic 9.3 mile trail run in the eastern Simi Valley. Run counterclockwise, it combines a strenuous climb on a single-track trail and fire road with a fast-paced 4-mile downhill on a dirt road. The cumulative elevation gain/loss on the loop is about 1600′.
I like to do the loop starting at the Las Llajas Canyon trailhead on Evening Sky Drive. A short jog up Evening Sky Dr., then across a field, and you’re on your way up the Chumash Trail. From this point, it’s an approximately 1000′ climb over 2.7 miles of rocky trail to Rocky Peak fire road.
After turning left (north) on Rocky Peak fire road, a short downhill is followed by three-quarters of a mile of climbing to “Fossil Point.” A short detour off the main fire road leads to a cairn marking the high point. From here there is a panoramic view of Oat Mountain, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Valley, Boney Mountain, Channel Islands, and Ventura Mountains.
Exposures of fossil shells are found near the high point. According to the area’s Dibblee geology map, these may have been deposited in shallow marine lagoons a couple million years ago.
From the high point, the loop continues north on Rocky Peak Road. At first, it descends steeply, then climbs to a hilltop with a few valley oaks. Partway up the hill, a roadcut reveals the long roots of the chamise plants on the hillside.
Following a short downhill, the road continues past a fallen valley oak that was killed by the 2011-2015 drought. There is a fork in the road here. The road connecting to Las Llajas Canyon goes up a short hill to an overlook of the canyon. From the top of the hill, there are more than 4 miles of downhill through the winding canyon. There used to be oil field equipment on the connector between Rocky Peak Rd. and Las Llajas Canyon, but it has been removed.
If the creek in the canyon is flowing, there are several places where the (usually) small stream crosses the road. In the Spring and early Summer, many species of wildflowers can be found in the canyon.
Some of the wildlife, and not-so-wild animals, I’ve encountered on the loop include rattlesnakes and other snakes, deer, longhorn cattle, roadrunners, and a kangaroo rat. Although others have seen mountain lions in the area, I’ve only photographed their tracks.
The loop ends with a short, steep climb up a paved road. At the top of the hill, turn left to return to the trailhead.
Explore the scenery and terrain on the Chumash-Las Llajas Loop trail run using our high resolution, interactive, 3D viewer. The imagery is so detailed, it’s almost like being there! To change the view, use the control on the upper right side of the screen, the CTRL key and your mouse, or touch gestures. Track and placename locations are approximate and subject to errors. Poor weather, and other conditions may make this route unsuitable for this activity. (It is also possible to start the loop at the Chumash Trail trailhead at the end of Flanagan Dr.)
The title photo is a section of Rocky Peak fire road between the top of the Chumash Trail and Fossil Point. It is from a run on October 6, 2020.
Some related posts: Chumash Trail Rocks & Snow, Exploring Las Llajas, Marr Ranch Wildflowers, Things Found on the Chumash Trail
What a difference 5 days makes! In the cold morning shadows before the start of the Boney Mountain race last Sunday, the dew on the fences was frozen and frost was everywhere. This morning in Corriganville Park the temperature was a balmy 65 or so, and the high was expected to be around eighty.
Today I was running the Bandit 30K course as part of a training run organized by Bandit 15K/30K/50K R.D. Randy Shoemaker. Good thing too. Even though these are my backyard trails, it reminded me just how tough these courses are. The numbers — about 3300 ft. of gain/loss over 19.5 miles for the 30K — don’t tell the whole story.
The title photograph is of runners at the top of the Wildlife Corridor Trail. This gnarly trail links Corriganville Park to Rocky Peak Road, and it is just one of the special treats you’ll encounter on the 15K, 30K and 50K courses. I don’t know if it tougher going up, when your legs are fresh; or going down, when your legs are worked. From personal experience I know it is really easy to push too hard on this climb, and mutter to yourself, “Why did I do that?” for the remainder of the race.
Today, the conditions could not have been better. Well, if we’re going to nitpick, maybe a little less wind. But who can complain on a January day when skies are blue, the hills are green, and the temperature is in the seventies?