Tarantula Hill in Thousand Oaks

Tarantula Hill (also known as Dawn's Peak) is located off of West Gainsborough Road in Thousand Oaks, between Grand Oak Lane and Camino Manzanas. Just park your car by the prominent oak tree and little green sign. I don't know who Dawn is, but allegedly the hill is named after the spiders that inhabit this peak that happens to be the highest point within the Conejo Valley, at about 1,057 feet.

I've seen people run, walk and cycle up the paved service road to the top, where you get treated to panaromic views of the entire Conejo Valley. The cyclist was working it pretty darn hard to get up there...the hill it pretty steep...about a 250 foot climb.

There's a single bench on the west side at the top and a water reservoir fenced in with barbed wire is quite prominent. For a quick dose of views, Tarantula Hill aims to please.

The bench at the top of Tarantula Hill faces west towards Newbury Park.

Tarantula Hills is dedicated open space that is protected by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency. Visit www.conejo-openspace.org for more information.

The trailhead on Gainsborough Road

The hill itself is fairly non-descript from Gainsborough Road