Mount Clef Ridge

Mount Clef Ridge is a 1,076 ft volcanic mountain in Thousand Oaks, California.[1] It is a volcanic outcrop that resulted from lava eruptions 30 million years ago.[2] The ridge was formerly under ownership by the Janss Corporation, but was acquired by the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) in 1967.[3][4] Trails here are available from Santa Rosa Valley, Newbury Park and Wildwood Regional Park. Although being a major feature of Wildwood,[5] it occupies its own open-space area bordering Wildwood's northern boundaries. Mount Clef Ridge Open Space Area occupies 212 acres. From the ridge are great panoramic views of Santa Rosa Valley, Conejo Valley, Hill Canyon, as well as the Santa Susana-, Santa Monica- and Topatopa Mountains.[6] The open-space area is home to plants such as coastal sage scrub, chaparral, Lyon's pentachaeta and Conejo dudleya. The fauna includes mountain lions, deer, coyotes, gray foxes, and more.[7]

Mount Clef Ridge as seen from Tarantula Hill.
Hillside letters on Mount Clef at the Cal Lutheran campus.

Mount Clef Ridge was featured in the film Flaming Star (1960) starring Elvis Presley.[8] The horse training scenes in Dark Victory (1939) starring Ronald Reagan also features sequences by the ridge. An army was storming off Mount Clef Ridge in the film Spartacus (1960). The ridge was also featured in Wuthering Heights (1939), where the ridge dubbed for Peniston Crag, England.[9]

A rock shelter, known as Wildflower Cave (Ven-486), is located here and was utilized for shelter by the Chumash people in pre-colonial times.[10]

The ridge is named in honor of the California Lutheran Education Foundation (CLEF), which worked to establish California Lutheran University in the 1950s.[11]

The ridgeline extends from the Norwegian Grade westwards to Wildwood Regional Park.[12] A rock formation that spells out "CLU" can be found atop Mount Clef on the campus of California Lutheran University, and a 30-foot cross is located just east of the landmark letters. The cross was made from old telephone poles.[13] This part of the ridge, Dr. Rudy Edmund Living Laboratory, was dedicated on May 5, 2003, in order to enhance student research in biology and geology at the university. Ecological field studies also take place here.[14][15] The area's namesake, CLU professor Rudy Edmund, published extensively on the need to preserve Mount Clef Ridge.[16]

See also

References
  1. Stone, Robert (2011). Day Hikes Around Ventura County. Day Hike Books. Page 218. ISBN 9781573420624.
  2. Sheer, Julie (2013). Moon Take a Hike Los Angeles: 86 Hikes within Two Hours of the City. Avalon Travel. Page 42. ISBN 9781612381626.
  3. http://www.conejo-openspace.org/images/Trail%20Maps/Wildwood_Trail_Map-2pgs_052017.pdf
  4. Maulhardt, Jeffrey Wayne (2010). Conejo Valley. Arcadia Publishing. Page 64. ISBN 9780738580395.
  5. https://articles.latimes.com/1989-11-25/news/vw-137_1_wildwood-park
  6. Stone, Robert (2011). Day Hikes Around Ventura County. Day Hike Books. Page 218. ISBN 9781573420624.
  7. http://www.conejo-openspace.org/open_space_areas_in_TO.htm#Mount%20Clef%20Ridge Archived 2016-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
  8. O’Brien, Tricia (2017). Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. Arcadia Publishing. Page 27. ISBN 9781467125697.
  9. Medved, Harry and Bruce Akiyama (2007). Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Exploring Southern California's Great Outdoors. St. Martin's Press. Pages 278-279. ISBN 9781429907170.
  10. Maxwell, Thomas J. (1982). The Temescals of Arroyo Conejo. California Lutheran College. Pages 21-22.
  11. Brant, Cherie (2006). Keys to the County: Touring Historic Ventura County. Ventura County Museum. Page 146. ISBN 978-0972936149.
  12. http://www.conejo-openspace.org/mt.-clef.html
  13. https://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-11/local/me-58_1_radio-tower
  14. https://www.callutheran.edu/about/history/#00s
  15. Collins, Barbara J. (2012). You Lead a Mean Trail: Life Adventures and Fifty Years of Teaching. Lutheran University Press. Page 233. ISBN 9781932688764.
  16. https://www.callutheran.edu/news/story.html?id=93#story


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