In search of wildflowers as we head into spring, I took a trip to Corriganville Park in Simi Valley, a city in Ventura County in Southern California.
The trip was inspired by a beautiful Instagram post I saw several days ago boasting vibrant orange California poppies decorating a hillside, so I made time to drive to the park one afternoon.
Once I arrived, I parked my car in a dirt parking lot and went on to explore the park, not knowing where I would find the poppies I saw on Instagram.
But even though catching a glimpse of California’s super bloom was my primary reason for visiting Corriganville Park, I was ecstatic to be greeted by picturesque scenery and to see lush green grass blanketed over the mountains — probably just as ecstatic as I feel about seeing flowers this spring.
Corriganville Park: a historic site
I later learned that Corriganville Park is a historic site that was formerly the Corriganville Movie Ranch, where more than 3,500 movies, TV programs and commercials were filmed. It’s easy to see why it was a popular filming location: the scenery looks like the kind of thing you’d find on a computer desktop background.
No poppies spotted at Corriganville Park
I spent over an hour wandering somewhat aimlessly through Corriganville Park just because everything was so intriguing. I wanted to walk through all the trails I saw!
The park 246 acres large and has five different trails. I’m not sure which one(s) I went on, but everything seemed to be pretty easy to moderate in difficulty. It’s a nice place to explore with friends and family — including children and even a dog. (I encountered a man and her daughter strolling through the trails with their new puppy, who seemed super excited about exploring the park!)
Related: Wildflower adventure at Walker Canyon
No poppies were immediately visible to me in the hour-plus that I was there, and I ultimately didn’t see any before I left. But I wasn’t actually too bummed about it because being up in the mountains and being surrounded by such majestic views was so rejuvenating.
Still, I did see little patches of various flowers that made my day because they are clear signs that spring is basically here.
As I got ready to leave, I encountered a couple who told me the poppies may have been on another end of the park that I didn’t venture through. I unfortunately had to leave right then and there, so I don’t know for sure what lay in the section of the park at the end of the parking lot. I’ll update this post below if/when I go back.
Despite the fact there weren’t as many flowers as I had hoped, Corriganville Park was a refreshing place to visit at the tail end of winter. It has become one of my new favorite gems in Southern California, and I will definitely be going there again.
Corriganville Park is located at:
7001 Smith Road
Simi Valley, CA
Click here for more information on Corriganville Park.
To see the Instagram post that inspired my visit, click here.
UPDATE
On a second visit to Corriganville Park, I successfully found the trail leading to bright patches of poppies. The trail starts at the rightmost end of the parking lot and is pretty flat in the beginning. You’ll just need to keep an eye out for orange on a mountain to guide you to the flowers.
When visiting the park — or any other place — to see poppies, make sure to stay on the trails and not to step into poppy patches! You can still take beautiful photos without crushing the flowers.
