20 Attractions to Explore Near Lake Piru

Rancho Camulos Museum is a 40-acre NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK situated within an 1800 acre working ranch. It was the home of Ygnacio del Valle, a Californio alcalde of the Pueblo de Los Angeles in the 19th century and later elected member of the California State Assembly. The ranch was known as the Home of Ramona because it was widely believed to have been the setting of the popular 1884 novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is known as the “Thrill Capital of the World,” the 260-acre theme park features world-class roller coasters and over 100 rides, games and attractions for the entire family and was voted by USA TODAY readers as America’s Best Theme Park.With 19 roller coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the world record for most roller coasters in an amusement park.

The Fillmore and Western Railway is a railroad owned by the Fillmore and Western Railway Company. The company operated on track owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. Visitors to Fillmore would see filming activity as well as sets and support equipment at the company's rail yard and along the tracks between Santa Paula and Piru. They stopped operating on the line in 2021.

Tapo Canyon Regional Park is located in the midst of the rolling hills and canyons of the Santa Susana Mountains north of Simi Valley.Today, the park offers recreational activities as mountain biking, horseback-riding, hiking, as well as campgrounds, picnic areas, and sixteen RV camp hook ups. The elevation here goes up as far as 2300 feet, which offers great panoramic views along much of its hiking trails up on the hills.

America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College, is also home to the Exotic Animal Training and Management program. This is the living, breathing classroom for the Exotic Animal Training and Management program. Explore to learn more about starting your animal care career and become a student OR explore to learn more about America's Teaching Zoo as a community resource

Sespe Creek is a stream, some 61 miles long, in Ventura County, southern California. Thirty-one miles of Sespe Creek is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River and National Scenic Waterway, and is untouched by dams or concrete channels. It is one of the last wild rivers in Southern California. It is primarily within the southern Los Padres National Forest.

This is an art environment, located in Simi Valley, California. It was created by Tressa "Grandma" Prisbrey from the 1950s to the 1970s. Prisbey built a "village" of shrines, walkways, sculptures, and buildings from recycled items and discards from the local landfill. It has been designated as a historical landmark by the City of Simi Valley.

This is an open air park that is owned and maintained by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. It features changing exhibits about Simi Valley, and is the start for docent-led park tours. The interior of buildings can only be viewed during the docent-led tours. In addition to the Simi Adobe–Strathearn House, there are various historic buildings and structures that have been moved from their original site to the park, including the 1924 Montgomery children's playhouse.

This is the repository of presidential records from the administration of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, and the burial place of the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan. It is the largest of the 13 federally operated presidential libraries, containing millions of documents, photographs, films and tapes. There is a permanent exhibit covering Ronald Reagan's life, as well as memorabilia such as Air Force One, the aircraft personally used by the president.

This park was once the Corriganville Movie Ranch and was the filming site for over 3,500 movies, TV programs and commercials. Today, this park is home to 4 different trails that wind around the 246 acre property owned by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District.

This is a 219,700-acre wilderness area in the eastern Topatopa Mountains and southern Sierra Pelona Mountains, within the Los Padres National Forest, in Ventura County. There are hiking trails, perennial and seasonal creeks, waterfalls, hot springs, rock formations, and designated campsites in the wilderness area.

Hungry Valley is a valley located along the northern border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. it is an off-road vehicle recreation area administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. With over 130 mi of marked off-road trails across over 19,000 acres of protected land, Hungry Valley SVRA is the second largest vehicular recreation area in California.

A 9 mile round-trip hike along the Sespe Creek to a shaded riverside campground. The Trail starts at the end of a long, paved mountain road in clear sight of the impressive Piedra Blanca sandstone formation to the north. A National Recreation Trail splits north here and heads through the formation and into some deep canyons, but our trail followed the lowered but still flowing Sespe Creek into a nearly-shadeless chaparral brushland.

A historical site and living history center dedicated to restoring and preserving an awareness of the Chumash people and their historical, cultural, material and present-day influence, as well as the natural environment and historical significance of this site.

A majestic museum, with a mission to preserve and share Santa Paula, California’s artistic heritage including the famous Santa Paula Civic Art Collection; and to educate and engage the community through collection, exhibition, interpretation, programming and outreach. It plays host to rotating exhibitions of vintage and contemporary art, cultural events, a gift shop and more.

The California Oil Museum highlights the history and inner workings of the state's "black gold" industry through hands-on, interactive exhibits, videos, models, photographs, and memorabilia. A separate building holds a working 1900s oil rig.

Wildwood Regional Park is a suburban regional park in the western Simi Hills and Conejo Valley, in Ventura County, California.The four principle trails are the Mesa-, Moonridge-, Wildwood Canyon- and Santa Rosa Trails. Over 250 plant species have been recorded in Wildwood, as well as 37 species of mammals, 70 bird species, and 22 species of amphibians and reptiles.The park offers recreational outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain biking, jogging, horseback riding and more.

The Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is 33-acres of natural terrain encircled by the city of Thousand Oaks. From the the sweeping vistas at the peak of the Garden through fifteen unique, hillside specialty gardens, and onto the hiking trail along the riparian steam. It consists of a vast variety of endemic plants, water-conserving plants, oak trees, and indigenous wildlife.

The Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a large open space nature preserve owned and operated by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy spanning nearly 3,000 acres. it is part of a critical ecological linkage and wildlife corridor between the Santa Monica Mountains and the ranges to the north. Hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians enjoy miles of trails through rolling hills.

A beautiful botanical garden located in Thousand Oaks, California, situated directly across Thousand Oaks Boulevard from Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. It is home to a French garden and waterfall, an English rose garden, an Italian grapevine garden and a Japanese garden with koi ponds and a pagoda. The park is used for walking and picnicking, and guided tours of the gardens are available.