Rock Ridge Open Space
Managed by Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
717 acres6.5 mi of trail
Suicide TrailSuicide Connector TrailChina Flat TrailRock Ridge Open Space Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Oak Park
More than half of Oak Park’s land is conserved: 61%
23 miles of mapped trail cross Oak Park, 4.3 per square mile of land. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 2,057 acres are parks and preserves, 150 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #3 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
61%
2,047 acres · of 5.3 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
4.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,057 ac
150 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
8.0 mi lanes · 2.7 mi paths
Highest peak
2,402 ft
Simi Peak
What kind of outdoors town is Oak Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oak Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oak Park is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #3 of 847 in California. All four inputs put Oak Park near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oak Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land61% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails4.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land150 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,057 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)#3 of 847
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Rock Ridge Open Space, with 6.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wistful Vista Open Space
Managed by Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
368 acres3.8 mi of trail
Conifer Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Palo Comado and Cheeseboro Canyons
Managed by National Park Service
549 acres2.5 mi of trail
China Flat TrailSuicide TrailDoubletree Connector TrailSuicide Connector Trail
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Oak Canyon Community Park
Park
57 acres2.2 mi of trail
Suicide Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sunrise Meadows Open Space
Managed by Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
217 acres2 mi of trail
Smoke Tree TrailDoubletree Connector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Medea Creek Park
Park
32 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Indian Springs Park
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Rock Ridge Open Space717 acres · 6.5 mi of trail · Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
DirectionsWistful Vista Open Space368 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
DirectionsPalo Comado and Cheeseboro Canyons549 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · National Park Service
Oak Canyon Community Park57 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSunrise Meadows Open Space217 acres · 2 mi of trail · Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
DirectionsDeerhill Park13 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMedea Creek Park32 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Indian Springs Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Valley View Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Eagle View Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Mae Boyar Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area549 acres · National Park Service
Chapparal Park5 acres
Who protects it
2,047 conserved acres
61% of Oak Park’s land. Who manages Oak Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,497 ac
National Park Service550 ac
Local Recreation Area · 1,357 acNational Recreation Area · 550 acLocal Park · 139 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District Open Space Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 1,357 | Open |
| Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area National Recreation Area | National Park Service | 550 | Open |
| Oak Canyon Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 55 | Open |
| Madera Creek Nature Park Local Park | Regional agency | 44 | Open |
| Deerhill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Indian Springs Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Mae Boyar Park Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Valley View Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Chaparral Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Eagle View Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Oak Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Oak Park
Kids World Playground
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Oak Park
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Oak Park
Inspiration PointIn Sunrise Meadows Open Space
DirectionsPeaks in Oak Park
Simi Peak2,402 ft elevation · In Palo Comado and Cheeseboro Canyons
DirectionsPicnic areas in Oak Park
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Oak Park
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.7 miUnpaved · 5.4 mi
Suicide Trail2.3 mi
China Flat Trail1.8 mi
Suicide Connector Trail0.9 mi
Conifer Trail0.7 mi
Rock Ridge Open Space Trail0.6 mi
Smoke Tree Trail0.3 mi
Doubletree Connector Trail0.3 mi
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Tennis
7Baseball
7Basketball
3Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Oak Park: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 66 | 65 | 68 | 72 | 75 | 81 | 87 | 89 | 86 | 79 | 72 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 3.1 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.1 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Oak Park →
Next door
Oak Park and its neighbors
Oak Park has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Park | 61% | 4.3 | 150 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Thousand Oaks | 39% | 4.1 | 101 | 99% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oak Park
Where can I hike in Oak Park?
The longest trail networks: Rock Ridge Open Space, 6.5 miles; Wistful Vista Open Space, 3.8 miles; Palo Comado and Cheeseboro Canyons, 2.5 miles; Oak Canyon Community Park, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oak Park is conserved land?
61% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Oak Park’s trails?
Rock Ridge Open Space and Wistful Vista Open Space don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oak Park?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.0 of painted or protected lanes and 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Oak Park?
79,610 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oak Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,057 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oak Park have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Oak Park neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →