If you live in or near Simi Valley you may have been to or heard of the Corriganville Movie Ranch which was founded by stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan in the 1930s. The site was used for filming western based movies and TV shows such as the Lone Ranger and was used later on as a tourist attraction. Now the site is basically a park where you can hike and ride your mountain bike. There isn't anything left from the filming days except for some concrete slabs where some buildings used to be. Corriganville is not a very big area but does have some trails you can check out if you want to go for a quick ride and there is also a loop trail you can follow which should give you an idea of what the area is like. |
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If you want some more exciting riding then you can ride up closer to the 118 freeway and it gets more rocky and technical up there. There is also an entrance off of Santa Susana Pass Rd. which is a little more fun than the main park area is because it offers some semi downhill singletrack riding. You can even go under the freeway and connect up to the Rocky Peak area but the trail leading up to Rocky Peak Fire Road from under the freeway is a push your bike ordeal. Since Corriganville is near Rocky Peak it has that same type of rocky terrain but if you are into that then you may like it.
Corriganville Park Video
Corriganville Park Review
There are not too many really fun areas to ride around here. There are various trails that can be found around the park but they are not too long or too exciting. Your best bet is to do the part from Santa Susana Pass Rd. but that is a very short ride too. It's also hard to find where the trail starts but it's close to Lilac Ln so if you park on the corner of Santa Susana Pass Rd and Lilac Ln. at the little dirt are then you should be able to find it. It's pretty easy to spot on Google Maps if you look it up. If you do this part then you will come to a section where you can go left and that will take you up closer to the freeway or go straight which is kind of fun and will dump you out at the railroad track next to the main part of the park.
Corriganville is more of an area to take the family for a stroll rather than a place to have a real ride. If you have never been there you can probably spend an hour checking it out just to do it but it may just end up being a one time ride. If you are coming down from Rocky Peak then it can be a good place to pass through on the way back to the car if you are doing the 2 car thing. Just keep in mind that the trail from Rocky Peak to Corriganville is pretty technical and not for beginners. There are some technical areas after you pass under the freeway on the way down from Rocky Peak that can be a challenge. Just remember when riding through the main part of the park to watch out for hikers and kids since it can get a little crowded.
Corriganville Park Pictures
Directions to Corriganville Park
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To get to Corriganville head out on the 118 freeway to Simi Valley and exit on Kuehner Dr. and take a left if coming from the valley or a right if coming from Simi. Then take Kuehner Dr. and make a left on Smith Rd. and follow it until you see a dirt parking lot on the left. You can also take a left on Sandalwood Dr. which is before Smith Rd. and take it to the end and head up from there. When you get to the parking lot you can basically pick a direction and start riding. You can't really get lost so just keep riding until you have basically seen it all... it won't take too long!