Many of the fall events scheduled on the parkland along Potrero Road between now and Thanksgiving are work sessions. They include native seed cleaning at Rancho Sierra Vista, trail building on the Chamberlain Trail in Point Mugu State Park, and an acorn workshop at the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center that teaches how acorns are gathered, prepared and stored. The horse arenas at Rancho Potrero are run by a nonprofit under a 40-year public agreement.
For anyone in Hidden Valley, this means the land around you has a calendar you can join. Here is how the season is set up, starting with the property that changed most recently.
The Arenas at Rancho Potrero Have Been Public Since 2021
The Conejo Recreation and Park District bought the Rancho Potrero Community Equestrian Center in 2021, together with the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency and the City of Thousand Oaks. The district then signed a 40-year agreement with Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship to manage and run it as a public facility.
The district lists these facilities:
- Five arenas
- Boarding services and horse rentals
- Turnout and round pens
- Picnic tables
- Direct access to public trails
Ride On also offers lessons to the general public, including beginner and intermediate English or Western riding. Its site lists group lessons at $70. The district says hours and availability vary, so call 805-491-1230 before driving over to ride or ask about boarding.
The land around the barns is just as useful. The public agencies acquired a 326-acre area here in 1993, and a 2010 Specific Plan designated 304 acres of it as natural open space and set aside 20 acres next to Lynn Road for the public equestrian center. Its trails connect to Dos Vientos Open Space and the National Park Service land next door. From the former Olympia Farms site, the views reach toward the coast and the Channel Islands. October's clearer air makes it a good month for that viewpoint.
Ride On's own big events this year were in spring. Its 37th annual CALNET Horse Show ran May 16 and 17, 2026, with classes from equitation and pole bending to costume and open dressage. Its Trail Days followed in early June, with trail rides through the open space, hay-wagon rides and lunch. Fall at Rancho Potrero is quieter, with lessons and trail access more than events.
October at Rancho Sierra Vista Is Seed Season
Farther along Potrero Road, the Santa Monica Mountains Fund has packed its October volunteer calendar at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa. The work is restoration done by hand. The listings give weekdays without a year, and those weekdays line up with this October:
- Thursday, October 8. Native plant propagation at the park's nursery. The Fund describes it as a short three-hour session where volunteers "learn a little, and help a lot."
- Friday, October 9. Native seed cleaning at the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa main parking lot. The Eventbrite listing gives 9 a.m. to noon, and the seed goes into storage for later restoration work.
- Friday, October 16. A second seed-cleaning morning at Rancho Sierra Vista.
- Sunday, October 18. The All About Acorns Workshop, led by Kat High, a descendant of the Hupa Tribe. It takes place at the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center.
The Fund asks volunteers to register through Eventbrite for each session. Check start times on Eventbrite, because the Fund's calendar page lists them differently.
The acorn workshop fits the season best. Kat High will walk participants through collecting, preparing and storing acorns. The event and parking are free, but reservations are required, and the workshop is held outdoors on the Culture Center's porch. When last checked, the Eventbrite listing showed it as sold out, so a waitlist or a future session may be the realistic option.
The Culture Center keeps a weekend schedule outside these events. The National Park Service lists it as open Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a Native American guest host or ranger on site. The main Rancho Sierra Vista parking lot is listed as open 8 a.m. to sunset. That NPS page was last updated in April 2025, so confirm hours before planning a visit around them.
The Trail to the Ocean Needs Its Own Crew
Rancho Sierra Vista is also where the Big Sycamore Canyon Trail starts. The National Park Service gives it as 8.0 miles one way, from the park down through Point Mugu State Park to the ocean. It is multiuse, starts with a steep descent into the state park, and occasionally carries authorized vehicles on the road.
Riders and cyclists need to know the trail rules, because they differ by route. Horses and bikes are allowed on designated trails, but the 1.5-mile Satwiwa Loop Trail is for hikers only. The Wendy Trail is 1.2 miles and multiuse, with a half-mile connector toward Los Robles. Down in the canyon, State Parks lists the Sycamore Canyon Nature Center as open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m.
Upkeep on these trails also falls to volunteers. The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council has two Chamberlain Trail workdays in Point Mugu State Park on its calendar:
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., led by Roger Young.
- Saturday, November 21, 2026, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., led by George Sherman.
Both crews meet at the dirt parking area where Wendy Drive meets Potrero Road and shuttle into the park together. The Trails Council asks volunteers to contact the crew leader in advance, pack a lunch, bring a couple of liters of water, and arrive a few minutes early to sign forms. Leader phone numbers are on the Trails Council's trail work page.
Closer to Thousand Oaks, the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency closed the Los Robles Trail near Ventu Park Fire Road from September 21 through October 5, 2026. The closure blocks through travel between the Spring Canyon and Rosewood trails, though out-and-back trips short of the work zone are still possible. The posted end date is tomorrow, so riders planning a longer loop on the Los Robles side should check the agency's trail page before heading out.
On Weekdays, the Crews Are on Hidden Valley's Own Roads
The same season brings work to the roads that lead to all of this. Southern California Edison's Hooligan Circuit project is moving overhead electrical distribution lines underground along W Potrero Road, Hidden Valley Road and White Stallion Road.
SCE's fact sheet says underground construction was expected to start in August 2026, with completion expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. Civil and electrical crews work Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The utility warns that temporary road closures may be needed and that its dates and times can shift because of operational issues or weather. The fact sheet does not confirm whether work has started on a given stretch, so treat the schedule as SCE's projection.
In practice, this splits the week. Weekday trips to the arenas, the trailheads or the Wendy Drive meeting spot may hit lane work through the end of the year. The Saturday and Sunday plans in this post fall outside SCE's posted hours. That includes the Culture Center's weekend hours, the Sycamore Canyon Nature Center, the October 18 acorn workshop and the November 21 trail crew.
When you live next to this much open land, it helps to know who looks after it, when they need help, and which roads will be busy getting there. If you'd like to talk privately about what the land around a Hidden Valley property means for how you use it, Michelle Price is glad to have that conversation. Request a Confidential Consultation.
