Big Sycamore Canyon

Boney Mountain and the Backbone Trail in Sycamore Canyon, Newbury Park.

Big Sycamore Canyon, often shortened to Sycamore Canyon, is a major feature of Point Mugu State Park, in Ventura County, California, United States.[1] Sycamore Canyon is situated in the northernmost region of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area below the 3,000 feet (910 m) peaks of the Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area.[2] The canyon begins on the north slope of Boney Mountain and heads north down the slope. The canyon then heads southwest past Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa to Sycamore Cove on the coastline.[1][3] The canyon in the park is one of the riparian woodlands along the California coast.[4][5] It contains a number of California sycamore trees.[4]

As a primary pathway through the Santa Monica Mountains between the Conejo Valley and the coast,[6] Big Sycamore Canyon Trail is a popular trail.[7] The sycamore-lined canyon is close to numerous trailheads, including the Backbone Trail. Other nearby trails include the Satwiwa Loop, Mishe Mokwa, Overlook Trail, Lower Big Sycamore Trail, and Wood Canyon Trail.[8]

Big Sycamore Canyon was for thousands of years a popular trading route connecting the Conejo Valley to the Pacific Ocean through the Santa Monica Mountains for the Ventureño Chumash and Tongva people who inhabited the area for thousands of years.[9][10][11] At the top of the canyon is the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center located in the historic Satwiwa village site adjacent to Rancho Sierra Vista in southern Newbury Park.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b "Big Sycamore Canyon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. ^ Patterson, Charles (2010). Mountain Bike! Los Angeles County: A Wide-Grin Ride Guide Menasha Ridge Press. Page 18. ISBN 9780897327817.
  3. ^ "Sycamore Cove". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  4. ^ a b Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (N.R.A.), General Management Plan (GMP): Environmental Impact Statement. United States: n.p., 1982.
  5. ^ National Park Service Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - Riparian Woodlands. U.S. National Park Service
  6. ^ McTigue, Mickey (1993). Mountain Biking the Coast Range: Ventura County & the Sespe Guide 4. Fine Edge Publications. Page 18. ISBN 9780938665182.
  7. ^ Stienstra, Tom (2012). Moon California Hiking: The Complete Guide to 1,000 of the Best Hikes in the Golden State. Avalon Travel Publishing. Page 583. ISBN 9781612381633.
  8. ^ Riedel, Monique (2009). Best Easy Day Hikes Ventura. Rowman & Littlefield. Pages 43-50. ISBN 9780762755769.
  9. ^ "Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa". National Park Service.
  10. ^ Straus, Naomi (2004). Let's Go California 10th Edition. Macmillan. Page 474. ISBN 9780312335441.
  11. ^ "Lamountains".
  12. ^ Schad, Jerry (2011). Afoot and Afield: Los Angeles County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide. Wilderness Press. Page 191. ISBN 9780899974996.
  13. ^ Brundige, Don and Sharron (1994). Bicycle Rides: Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. B-D Enterprises. Pages 218-221. ISBN 9780961915162.