Feel the wind. It whispers tales of Chumash villages nestled in the Simi Hills. These hills have witnessed millennia of history. From Paleo-Indians to Chumash-Venturaño Native Americans. They hunted and built settlements here for over 8000 years. Hu’wam a Chumash village thrived in Cañon del Escorpió. It was a crossroads for Chumash Tongva and Tataviam peoples. They traded and lived near Bell Creek below Escorpió Peak. Today that area is Bell Canyon Park. This peak one of nine alignment points in Chumash territory was crucial to their worldview. It maintained the balance of nature. Healing springs and grinding stones were nearby.
The Simi Hills stretch 26 miles east-west. They average 7 miles north-south. They’re a low rocky range part of the Transverse Ranges. They lie mostly in Ventura County. Some foothills extend into Los Angeles County. They form the western edge of the San Fernando Valley. Simi Valley lies to the north. The Conejo Valley sits to the southwest. Chatsworth West Hills and Woodland Hills are in the eastern hills. Agoura Hills and Westlake Village are southwest of the Simi Hills. Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley are within Ventura County.
The higher Santa Susana Mountains are to the northeast across Santa Susana Pass. The Santa Monica Mountains run along the south. The Simi Hills have many creeks and streams. Las Virgenes Creek feeds into Malibu Creek. Moore’s Canyon Creek Bell Creek Dayton Creek Woolsey Canyon Creek Brandeis Creek Runkle Canyon Creek Arroyo Simi Palo Comado Creek Cheeseboro Creek and Arroyo Calabasas’ northern fork are all here. Bell Creek and Arroyo Calabasas are the Los Angeles River’s headwaters. They meet in Canoga Park. Ninety percent of the Santa Susana Field Lab’s water flows into the river.
Simi Peak reaches 2403 feet. Chatsworth Peak is 2314 feet high. Escorpió Peak also known as Castle Peak is 1475 feet high. The Simi Hills have mild rainy winters. Snow is rare. Summers are warm and dry. Wildfires are a threat. Cool Pacific winds blow inland. They enter through the Santa Clara River Valley and Conejo Valley. Conejo Mountain blocks some winds. The Simi Hills further block these winds. They moderate the San Fernando Valley’s weather.
The lower southern hills have grasslands and oak savanna. Northern rocky hills are chaparral and oak woodlands. The Simi Hills are part of California’s chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. Oaks include the coastal live oak the valley oak and scrub oak. California sycamores and arroyo willows grow in riparian zones. Spring wildflowers include the redbush monkey flower Plummer’s mariposa lily and canyon sunflower. Poison oak is another native plant.
The Simi Hills are a vital wildlife corridor. They link the Santa Monica Mountains to the Santa Susana Topatopa and San Gabriel Mountains. They prevent genetic isolation for many animals. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing a proposed overpass is planned. It will span the Ventura Freeway at Liberty Canyon. Large parts of the Simi Hills are protected. The Santa Susana Field Laboratory is proposed for parkland. The Woolsey Fire in 2018 impacted the red-legged frog population. The Simi Hills are a story in stone a testament to resilience a hidden gem of natural beauty and history. A place where the past and the future intertwine.