Where to Play Pickleball in Ventura County

Pickleball court at Del Prado Playgrounds in Newbury Park.

According to www.whatispickleball.com, pickleball is oversized ping pong played on a badminton sized court with a tennis sized net. Pickleball originated in Bainsbridge Island, Washington in 1965 when congressman Joel Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell created the game for their families to play.

Pickleball is played with a perforated plastic ball similar to a wiffle ball that weighs about an ounce and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping pong paddles. Pickleball is an indoor/outdoor sport that is easy to learn and, like tennis and ping pong, can be played singles or doubles. Learn more about pickleball at www.usapa.org.

Today, the sport of pickleball is governed in the U.S. by the USA Pickleball Association. which was founded in 2005 to promote the sport. There are over 8.9 million pickleball players in the United States over the age of six and over 44,000 pickleball courts across the country.

Pickleball continues to grow in popularity here in the Ventura County area. Here is a list of pickleball courts in and around Ventura County as well as adjacent areas:

Thousand Oaks:

• Two pickleball courts at Del Prado Playfield in the Dos Vientos section of Newbury Park. Lighted from sunset to 10pm.

• Six courts at Rancho Conejo Playfield in Newbury Park

• Three indoor courts at the Thousand Oaks Community Center

• Two courts (bring your own net) at Estella Park.

• The Pickleball Athletic Club is opening soon (est March 2025) at 2000-B Anchor Court, Thousand Oaks. The facility will have 9 indoor, temperature-controlled acrylic courts. Operating hours will be 6am to 11pm daily. There are monthly membership fees, but guests will also be able to reserve courts. Learn more at playatpac.com.

Westlake Village:

The City of Westlake Village constructed four pickleball courts for public use at Westlake Village Community Park, 31107 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. The courts are located in the northeast corner of the existing parking lot, east of the Yarrow Family YMCA and south of the skate park. Courts are open from sunrise to 9pm and have lights. www.wlv.org/pickleball.

There are 8 dedicated pickleball courts at the Westlake Athletic Club available to its members. wac.caclubs.com/pickleball

Simi Valley:

• Pickleball courts at Rancho Tapo Community Park, 3700 Avenida Simi offers 4 dedicated courts and 2 shared courts available daily from 7am to 10pm.

• Pickleball courts at Rancho Simi Community Park, 1765 Royal Avenue offers 6 dedicated courts daily from 7am to 10pm.

• There are 12 pickleball courts available at Sinaloa Middle School, 601 Royal Avenue, on weekdays when school is in session from 4:30pm to dusk and on weekends, school holidays and summer break from 7am to dusk. www.rsrpd.org/recreation/sports___field_conditions/sv_tennis_pickleball/index.php

Oak Park:

There are four new (as of June 2025) pickleball courts at Deerhill Park, 6700 Doubletree Road. www.rsrpd.org/business_detail_T9_R26.php

Port Hueneme:

Pickleball is available at Walter B. Moranda Park, 200 Moranda Parkway, Port Hueneme. There are 10 courts; 5 of them are reservable. www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/1169/Moranda-Park

Moorpark:

Pickleball courts at Tierra Rejada Park, 11900 Mountain Trail Street open 8am to sunset and dual tennis/pickleball courts at Miller Park, 4530 Miller Parkway open 7am to 10pm.

Camarillo:

• Six pickleball courts (4 permanent, 2 dual use courts) at Bob Kildee Community Park, 1030 Temple Avenue.

• Two dual use courts with lights and rollaway nets at Springville Park, 81 Via Zamora. as well as at Pitts Ranch Park, 1400 Flynn Road.

• Dual-use court at Springville Park, 801 Via Zamora. www.pvrpd.org/springville-park-pickleball

• There are four indoor pickleball courts at Camarillo Athletics that can be reserved for a fee. Located at 487 Dawson Drive #3S. camarilloathletics.com

Ventura www.cityofventura.ca.gov/pickleball

• Harry A. Lyon Park, 150 De Anza Drive, Ventura on Tuesdays from 3:30pm to dusk and Saturdays from 9am to noon.

• Juanamaria Park, Kimball Road and Loma Vista Road on Thursdays from 3:30pm to dusk and 2pm to dusk.

• There are three pickleball courts at the Lake Casitas Recreation Area that are open daily during regular park hours. They are available with a park entry fee or annual pass. Located at Picnic 1 Area. www.casitaswater.org/pickleball

Ojai

• The City of Ojai has 4 pickleball courts on City Hall Grounds at 401 S. Ventura Street, Ojai. Visit ojairec.com/389/Pickleball-Courts for hours and other information.

• Pickleball court are under construction at Soule Park, 1301 Soule Park Road, through July 2024. www.ventura.org/parks-department/inland-parks/soule-park-ojai

Calabasas

The privately-owned Calabasas Pickleball Club opened on June 1, 2024, with 16 courts at 5155 Old Scandia Lane. It is a members only club. Visit calabasaspb.com for more information.

Pickleball is offered at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center www.cityofcalabasas.com/government/community-services-parks-recreation/tennis-swim-center/tennis-pickleball

Clubs:

Ventura County Pickleball Club venturacountypickleballclub.com

Ojai Valley Pickleball www.ojaivalleypickleball.com

Ventura County Pickleball League camarilloathletics.com/ventura-county-pickleball-league

Visit camarillopickleball.fun to connect with other pickleball players.

The Twin Ponds Conservation Area in the Conejo Open Space is Protected Land

The Twin Ponds Conservation Area in Dos Vientos is part of the open space lands of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency and is protected by a conservation easement to the California Department of Fish and Game.

July 2014

January 2015

May 2016

The ponds were originally constructed in the 1920s as part of the irrigation system for agricultural and cattle ranching operations at Dos Vientos Ranch. Today they serve as important habitat for Two Striped Garter Snakes and larger animals such as deer, bobcat, coyote and mountain lions that depend on a reliable source of water. Migrating waterfowl are occasionally abundant, especially in winter.

COSCA and Fish & Game ask that we enjoy this scenic area but protect the ponds for the future and ask that we do not enter the water or allow dogs/horses to enter the water, disturb or remove any animal or plant or place any plants or animals, including fish, into the ponds.

To explore the ponds, take the Vista Del Mar Trail from one of several access points in the Dos Vientos area, including the corner of Via Ricardo and Via Rincon and the corner of Rancho Dos Vientos and Via El Cerro. This is a fun little hike to take the kids on and the ponds are only about a mile from the Via Ricardo/Via Rincon trailhead.

Twin Ponds? What ponds? The ponds are completely dried up as of August/September 2016.

January 2024

Late March 2024 - looking great!

U.S. National Park Service Free Entrance Days

There are over 400 national parks covering over 84 million acres throughout the United States and its territories.  The majority of these parks do not charge entrance fees (though parking fees often apply). As for the roughly 110 national parks that do have entrance fees, there are a number of designated "fee free" days each year.

Here are the National Park Service Free Entrance Days in 2025:

• January 20 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

• April 19 (First Day of National Park Week)

• June 19: (Juneteenth National Independence Day)

• July 16 (Bureau of Land Management’s Birthday)

• August 4 (Great American Outdoors Day)

• September 27 (National Public Lands Day)

• October 12 (First Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week)

• November 11 (Veterans Day)

The parks that normally charge a fee that are free on the above dates are listed at www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparksbystate.htm. California parks in this category include:

• Cabrillo National Monument

• Death Valley National Park

• Joshua Tree National Park

• Lassen Volcanic National Park

• Lava Beds National Monument

• Muir Woods National Monument

• Pinnacles National Monument

• San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

• Sequoia National Park

• Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

• Yosemite National Park

Plenty of other amazing national treasures are on this list, like Grand Canyon National Park.

And of course there are two national parks in Ventura County that are always worth exploring:

• Channel Islands National Park

• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

For more information about the National Park Service, visit www.nps.gov.

Ten Things To Do in the City of Moorpark

The City of Moorpark has the distinction of being the youngest city in Ventura County,  incorporating July 1, 1983.

According to the Moorpark Historical Society, the city originated when land investor Robert W. Poindexter of Los Angeles and his wife Madeline purchased the plot of land that is now Moorpark after Southern Pacific Railroad announced plans to relocate its tracks Los Angeles to San Francisco route from the coast to Chatsworth.

For many years, Moorpark was mostly farmland, with dry land crops including apricots, hay and lima beans, then later, walnuts and citrus when irrigation systems were improved. Moorpark became known as the "apricot capital of the world" and held an annual apricot festival by the late 1920s

So where did the name Moorpark come from? Apparently, Poindexter named the community after the Moorpark Apricot. Simple as that. Heck, he could have named it Poindexter!

So in any case, Moorpark is now a full-fledged city of 12.8 square miles with a population of approximately 35,000. Here is a selection of over 10 things to do within the City of Moorpark.

• The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College is a five acre zoo housing 200 exotic animals as part of the Exotic Animal Training & Management program. Great place for a quick weekend wild animal fix right here in our backyard.

• Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park is a 3,000 acre wilderness area with over 12 miles of trails.

• Ambush Paintball and Airsoft Park

• Moorpark City Library

• Underwood Family Farms offers fresh produce, kids' activities, special events, farm animals and more.

• High Street Arts Center

• Poindexter Skate Park

• Tom Barber Golf Center Driving Range

• Arroyo Vista Recreation Center

• 18 community parks in Moorpark

• Take a tour of Apricot Lane Farms

• Lucky Strike Bowling Lanes and Arcade

For more things to do in Moorpark, visit the Do Something, Kid Fun and Fitness & Sports sections of the site. And of course the Events Calendar highlights daily goings on around the county.

A DOZEN FUN THINGS TO DO IN SIMI VALLEY

Forty-Seven Things to Do In Thousand Oaks

The City of Thousand Oaks was incorporated on September 29, 1964. Most of Newbury Park was annexed by the city in the 1960s/1970s. Casa Conejo, Newbury Park's first planned community built in the early 1960s and the Lynn Ranch area of Thousand Oaks are unincorporated areas of Ventura County that technically are not annexed into the City of Thousand Oaks. The City of Thousand Oaks also annexed the Ventura County portions of Westlake Village in 1968 and 1972. That said, this list also includes a few things to do in the City of Westlake Village.

Enough history for now! Let's look at the future...like tomorrow or this coming weekend. Here are 47* things to do in the City of Thousand Oaks in random order.

*It started out as 47 things to do but we've lost count since originally posting this.

• Sky Zone Thousand Oaks at Janss Marketplace

• Enjoy peace and serenity at Gardens of the World

• AMC Dine-In Thousand Oaks 14 Movie Theater at The Oaks

• Conejo Valley Botanic Garden

• Conejo Creek Bike Path

• SVN2 Indoor Golf in Newbury Park

• Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

• Sunset Lanes Bowling at the Sunset Terrace Restaurant

• Hike the Western Plateau

• Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park

• Chumash Indian Museum/Oakbrook Regional Park in Thousand Oaks

• The Mighty Axe in Thousand Oaks

• The Landing at Westlake Lake

• Lang Ranch/Woodridge Open Space in Thousand Oaks

• Tarantula Hill in Thousand Oaks

• Rancho Potrero Community Equestrian Center in Newbury Park

• Marty's Hobbies Store in Thousand Oaks

• Hillcrest Open Space Preserve

• Angel Vista Peak in Newbury Park

• Bank of America Performing Arts Center Thousand Oaks

• Rancho Potrero Open Space in Newbury Park

• Farmers’ Markets in Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village

• The Oaks Mall

• Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa Recreational Area in Newbury Park

• K1 Speed Indoor Go Kart Racing and Arcade in Newbury Park

View of Boney Mountain from the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa area.

• Janss Marketplace

• Triunfo Creek Park Open Space in Westlake Village

• Thousand Oaks Community Art Gallery in Newbury Park

• Grant R. Brimhall Library and Newbury Park Branch Library

• Hitting Zone Indoor Batting Cages in Westlake Village

• Community Pool at Samuelson Aquatics Center, Cal Lutheran

• Chuck E. Cheese's in Thousand Oaks

• The Promenade at Westlake and The Lakes at Thousand Oaks

• Los Robles Trail System

• Vista Del Mar Trail in Newbury Park

• Boulderdash Indoor Rock Climbing in Thousand Oaks

• Regal Janss Marketplace 9 Movie Theater

• Westlake Village Dog Park (technically in the City of WLV)

• The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch in Newbury Park

• Play Netball at Oakbrook Neighborhood Park in Thousand Oaks

• Conejo Mountain Edison Road Trail in Newbury Park

• Borchard Park Labyrinth and Fitness Equipment in Newbury Park

• Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas at The Promenade at Westlake

• Hillcrest Open Space Preserve in Thousand Oaks

• Conejo Creek Dog Park in Thousand Oaks

• Rabbit Flats Disc Golf Course in Thousand Oaks

• Sapwi Trails Community Park in Thousand Oaks

• California True Colors Garden in Thousand Oaks

• Sundays at the Kids' Adventure Garden in Thousand Oaks

• Galactic Challenge at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks

• Pickleball courts in the Conejo Valley (and surrounding areas)

• Dave & Buster's Thousand Oaks

• Escapology Escape Rooms at Janss Marketplace

• 101 Escape Rooms in Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks

• Los Robles Greens Public Golf Course and Driving Range in Thousand Oaks

For other things to do, visit Do Something, Kids' Activities and Fitness and Sports.

Older version of City of Thousand Oaks sign.

Guide to Finding Family Friendly Bike Paths In and Around Ventura County

As a casual cyclist with young kids I usually steer clear of riding on busy streets, particularly those that don't have any type of bike lane on them. Thankfully there are nearly 80 miles of bikeways in Thousand Oaks, including 3 miles of bike paths, 20 miles of bike lanes and 54 miles of marked bike routes.  

Bike routes are shared with vehicles

Class I Bike Paths are separate from auto traffic and thus are great for family friendly cycling. Class II Bike Lanes are striped, painted and shared lanes adjacent to automobile lanes. Class III Bike Routes are marked by green signs that signify sharing with autos.

We also love taking our bikes to other places in and around Ventura County to enjoy other sights and surroundings. So how about if we highlight Class I Bike Paths throughout Ventura County, stretching from Thousand Oaks to Ventura.

Conejo Valley

The Conejo Creek Bike Path is a 1.2 mile path in the heart of Thousand Oaks that connects Gainsborough Road on the south to Conejo Creek Park and the Thousand Oaks Library. This is a nice, flat path, good for kids.

Another access point to the Conejo Creek Bike Path on La Granada Drive.

There is another Thousand Oaks bike path, the .5 mile Greenmeadow Drive connector bike path accessible on the west at Greenmeadow and Yellowstone, on the south side of Los Robles Greens. This is not a particularly interesting path but it does enable cyclists and walkers a path around the golf course to the Los Robles trailhead and Moorpark Road from Newbury Park. A bit hilly, too.

Entrance to Greenmeadow Avenue connector bike path in Thousand Oaks

There is also the .8 mile bike path on the north side of The Oaks mall as well as the .5 mile Read Road Connector path accessible off of Olsen Road just east of the 23 freeway.

Sign at the Read Road connector path on Olsen Road east of 23 Freeway.

Medea Creek Natural Park has hiking, biking and fitness trails that stretch from Calle Rio Vista and Oaks Hills Drive in Oak Park on the north, then south past Medea Creek Lane and Conifer Street to a cul de sac entrance to the park at the west terminus of Tamarind Street. About a mile to mile and a half of paths, including paved and dirt paths.

Nicely paved path at Medea Creek Natural Park in Oak Park

Ventura

My personal favorite bike path in Ventura County is the Omer Rains Trail that runs the entire length of San Buenaventura State Beach.

Senator Omer Rains Ventura Oceanfront Bikeway Sign on Main Street next to Ventura Beach RV Resort

We park the car at Marina Park in Ventura and ride a short distance north on Pierpont Blvd to the bike path entrance. This oceanfront path takes you past the Ventura Pier, through the Promenade area, adjacent to the Ventura County Fairgrounds, Emma Wood State Beach and beyond. Or you can get to the path from anywhere along the Ventura Promenade area.

Bike path along San Buenaventura State Beach.

Omer Rains Bike Path near Ventura Beach RV Resort on Main St.

Nice, newer paved section of Ventura beachfront bike path near Surfers Point.

The Ventura River Trail is a 6.3 mile asphalt pedestrian and bike path that follows the old Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way from Main Street in Ventura to Foster Park inland towards Ojai. You can easily connect from the Omer Rains Trail to the Ventura River Trail up to the Ojai Valley Trail for quite a long, nearly automobile-free ride.

The Ventura Harbor Bike Path takes you 1.2 miles from Market St and Arundell Ave in midtown Ventura southwest through farmland to E. Harbor Boulevard and Schooner Drive, near Four Points by Sheraton.

Bike path from midtown Ventura to the Harbor is not the most exciting path but it is a convenient way to ride to Ventura Harbor, Marina Park and adjacent areas.

The La Conchita Bike Path between Rincon Point at the Ventura/Santa Barbara County Line adjacent to Highway 101 past La Conchita to Mobil Pier Road in Ventura was completed in September 2014. This path has leapfrogged into my own personal favorite in Ventura County because of its spectacular beach views. This is about 4 miles of bike path in the Oil Piers Beach to Mussel Shoals to La Conchita Beach to Rincon Point beach areas.

Bike paths rarely get better than this stretch along the southbound 101 and the Pacific Ocean in Ventura.

There's another short stretch of bike path at the east end of Navigator Drive that goes west, then south, around the Ventura West Marina.

Entrance to short bike path adjacent to Ventura West Marina.

There is a two mile biking and hiking on the east side of the lake at the Lake Casitas Recreation Area, 11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura. The path starts at picnic area #1 and follows the east shoreline of the lake for a four mile round trip ride. The path is paved in the recreational area and becomes a dirt road outside of that. More information at www.casitaswater.org/hiking-and-biking-trail.

Ojai

The Ojai Valley Trail is a 9 to 10 mile trail that parallels Highway 33 from Foster Park on the outskirts of west Ventura, to Soule Park in Ojai. It connects to the Ventura River Trail.

The Ojai Trail runs parallel to Ventura Ave/Ojai Ave.

Simi Valley

The Arroyo Simi Bike Path is a two lane bike path in Simi Valley that runs from Madera Road, just south of Easy Street on the west, ending at Tapo Street on the east. Over seven miles.

Arroyo Simi Bike Path/Trail in Simi Valley.

Camarillo

We enjoy the newer, flat roughly 2 mile Calleguas Creek bike path from Pleasant Valley Fields up to the corner of Flynn and Upland Roads in Camarillo. Quick access from the Conejo Valley and a nice, relatively easy path good for all ages.

Look at how nice and flat this bike path adjacent to Calleguas Creek is!

Other Areas

There's an online bike map available on the Ventura County Transportation Commission website at www.goventura.org where you can find other Class I, II and II bike paths around the county. Here are some of them.

The Santa Paula Bike Trail takes you roughly 3 miles on the east near W. Main St and Peck Rd to (roughly) Dike Road on the west. 

The Fillmore Bike Path runs from south of Highway 126 (Telegraph Road) up past Shiell Park.

In Moorpark there's a .5 mile path at Country Trail Park, around the neighborhood to the west, back to Mountain Trail Street.

There's a bike path that starts at the ocean side of'olołkoy Beach Park and takes you south all the way to Hollywood Beach and Channel Islands Harbor. Cross Harbor Boulevard and make your way into Channel Islands Harbor, where you can ride all the way to the south end of the harbor.

Bike path near Oxnard Beach Park and Channel Islands Harbor.

In Port Hueneme there's a bike path that starts off of Bard Rd, west of South J St, through Richard Bard Running Springs Park and takes you southwest all the way to Hueneme Beach.

If you're willing to venture a bit further away from Ventura County, the Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Path stretches over 20 miles, from Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades to Torrance. Flat, adjacent to the ocean, and so many things to do along the way!

Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Path in Pacific Palisades

That should be enough to get you started! Looking for local cycling clubs? Find some of them at this link.

Take Advantage of AAA Membership Benefits and Discounts

The Automobile Club is a non-profit service organization with over 51 million members, including 6 million in Southern California.  If you are not already a member, you should consider becoming one.

Basic “classic” membership is $57 per year (as of June 2025). Membership provides for up to 4 service calls per year, with tows up to 7 miles, discounted rental cars, emergency fuel delivery, locksmith service, access to AAA offices and services, free maps and travel planning, etc. Upgraded plans (AAA Plus and AAA Premier) are available, with enhanced benefits, such as much longer towing benefits.

But where membership can really pay off are savings on products and services.  Here are a few that really stand out (updated June 2025...subject to change).

• Getting a AAA rate on hotels like Hilton, Hyatt, and Best Western can save you 5% or more on your rooms.

• AMC Theatre Black Tickets good for seats across the country for $12.75, which is a 20% savings over average retail prices. Also save on tickets at Regal and Cinemark theatres.

• $2 off admission to the Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena.

• Save over 40% on admission at Knott's Berry Farm.

• Up to 20% off when you purchase advance tickets to Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach at an AAA branch and 10% off at the gate or online.

• Save 30% on a 1-day general admission to Universal Studios Hollywood

• Save up to 56% off passes to Six Flags Magic Mountain.

• Save 5% at the gate at LEGOLAND California Resort and up to 20% off of tickets purchased in advance

• Save up to 60% on tickets to Sea World San Diego

• Planning on a multi-day visit to Disneyland? Save by buying passes at a AAA office

• 10% off food and non-alcoholic drinks at Dave & Buster’s

Hundreds more discounts listed on the AAA website. There's also a free AAA iPhone and Android app to find AAA discounts in your area.

So even if you don't think you'll need roadside assistance or towing, it could really pay off having a AAA membership.  Visit the Auto Club of Southern California website at www.calif.aaa.com/home.html for more information.