The 33-acre Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is home to several unique, hillside specialty gardens, a hiking trail and more – all tucked away amid the mall, mountains and freeway in Thousand Oaks.
Although there are plenty of specialty gardens to see here, our primary reason for visiting was to explore the Kid’s Adventure Garden. It’s a magical space dedicated to helping kids learn about nature and gardening. The garden features a tree house, zoo garden, pirate cave and more.
At the far edge of the garden is an entrance to the Nature Trail, a ¾-mile kid friendly path that meanders through native oaks and willows, around a chaparral hillside, and down along a streambed.
One of the best features of this nature walk are its trail signs, which point out things you might otherwise miss. We discovered that the holes we saw in one tree were actually used by a colony of woodpeckers to store food. We also spotted volcanic rock hideaways where coyotes and bobcats made their home.
We walked right alongside several of the specialty gardens as we made our way out of the main entrance and over to the Conejo Community Park. Here you’ll find an expansive grassy area, play structures and plenty of picnic tables. It all makes for a wonderful day out in nature with the kids.
Date of most recent visit: Sun., Jan. 15, 2012
Who: Mom & The Explorers
Weather: Warm & cloudy, mid-60s
Highlights
- Exploring the Kid’s Adventure Garden, especially the tree house & pirate’s cave
- Hiking the Nature Trail, where we learned about lava rock & lemon bottle brush
- Finding a “puzzle” rock – one broken up into small pieces that fit back together perfectly, just like a puzzle
- Enjoying a picnic in the Kid’s Adventure Garden
- Playing at the Conejo Community Park
Practical Matters
- Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan.-Dec., except during inclement weather; closed on most holidays
- Garden features include several unique, hillside specialty gardens, a bird habitat, rare fruit orchard, trail of trees, hiking trail & more
- Kid’s Adventure Garden is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays only
- Admission to the garden is FREE
- The kid-friendly ¾-mile Nature Trail meanders above a creek through oaks & willows; trail is unpaved, narrow & not stroller-friendly
- Ample free parking available directly across from the Kid’s Adventure Garden; take the footpath at the far end of the parking lot to the main garden entrance
- Restrooms are located in the parking area outside the garden
- There is a small eating area within the Kid’s Adventure Garden; many more tables are located at the far end of the parking area in Conejo Community Park
Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is located at:
350 W. Gainsborough Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
(805) 494-7630
