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The Hummingbird Trail
By Mike Kuhn
THE TRAIL
The Hummingbird Trail begins 0.2 miles north of the 118 Freeway (Ronald Reagan Freeway) on the southern side of Kuehner Drive at the eastern end of Simi Valley. It extends down along Hummingbird Creek, crosses the creek just north of the 118 Freeway, and then climbs through beautiful sandstone rock formations for a total length of 2.3 miles and an elevation gain of over 1,000 feet. It intersects the Rocky Peak Fire Road some 0.8 miles north of the Rocky Peak Interchange of the freeway. At that point, a bench awaits the tired climber. One may continue up the Rocky Peak Fire Road to Rocky Peak (1. 7 miles) or go down the Rocky Peak Fire Road to the Rocky Peak Interchange. The trail was built, and is maintained by, the Rancho Simi Trail Blazers and other volunteers. This trail is a favorite of mountain bikers, who prefer to go down the trail. Hikers should be on the lookout for bikers, and bikers need to respect the safety of hikers.
We recommend bringing a minimum of one quart of water, trail snacks, sunscreen, a hat, dark glasses and good hiking shoes. Dress for the weather.
GEOLOGY
The Hummingbird Trail begins at the northeastern edge of the Chatsworth Formation, which is the name that geologists have given to the massive sandstone formations at the eastern end of Simi Valley. The formation is of Cretaceous age, locally greater than 68 million years. The formation itself extended to the end of the Cretaceous Period, at which time about half of the types of animal life on this planet became extinct, including dinosaurs, due to the impact of a large meteorite where the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is now located.
At some point, the Chatsworth Formation was lifted above sea level, and the upper portion of the formation was eroded away before new marine sediments were superimposed on the resulting landscape.
The Chatsworth Formation is composed primarily of light gray, fine to medium-grained sandstone strata, which are from a few feet to 20-30 feet in thickness. These beds have weathered to a tan color as a result of oxidation of iron-rich minerals in the sandstone after exposure to air. Occasional beds of siltstone and cobbles are present. The formation was deposited in the deep ocean, at a depth of 4,000 to 5,000 feet, by turbidity currents, i.e., massive submarine landslides, from the continental shelf into submarine canyons. Those turbidity currents were often a half mile or more in width, and ten or more miles in length. As a result, few fossils survived the grinding action of the long journey into the ocean depths. In between these catastrophic events, there were quiet periods without turbidity currents when silt and clay particles rained down from the surface of the ocean as fines carried long distances in the ocean from heavy runoff from the land. These fines became the siltstone strata.
The formation is part of the North Pacific Plate, which is moving northwest at a current rate of about 2.5 inches per year. Because of the collision with the North American Plate along the San Andreas fault, the margin of the North Pacific Plate locally has been uplifted and tilled to the northwest from 20-40 degrees.
There are many joints, vertical to the bedding plains, in the sandstone strata. The shape of a pitched roof of a house can be seen in the rock from the freeway west of Kuehner Drive. These joints, combined with the contacts between strata and cavernous weathering of the sandstone, have resulted in fascinating rock formations, including deep crevasses and caves.
PLANT LIFE
Three plant communities can be observed along the trail. On the warmer and drier south-facing slopes can be found Coastal Sage Scrub. This community is made up of largely exotic grasses from the Mediterranean Basin, such as:
- wild oats
- ripgut and red bromes
- soft chess
- foxtail
- golden top
and other plants such as:
- yucca
- laurel sumac
- California (Coastal) sagebrush
- bush sunflower
- yerba santa
- California buckwheat
- deerweed
- bush mallow
- black sage
- redberry
Chaparral is found on north-facing slopes. This community is made up of evergreen shrubs with small hard leaves. This is a fire climax vegetation in that the plants successfully sprout from root grasses following brush fires. Characteristic plants include:
- chamise
- hoary-leafed ceanothus
- California mountain mahogany
- toyon
- laurel sumac
- bush monkey flower
- hollyleaf cherry scrub oak
- lemonade berry
- sugar bush
- poison oak
The Riparian Plant Community is present along Hummingbird Creek. These water loving plants include:
- arroyo and sandbar willows
- Fremont cottonwoods
- yerba mansa
- mugwort
- bulrush
- juncus grass
- water cress
- Mexican elderberry
- poison oak
- stinging nettle
Many plants can result in painful encounters and dermatitises. Poison oak is the bane of outdoor users. It is present along Hummingbird Creek and a couple of hundred yards after leaving the creek. Poison oak is also present near the top of the trail. The trail purposely follows a route primarily on the south-facing side of the canyon in order to avoid Poison oak patches. Stinging nettle is present along Hummingbird Creek. Finally, you should avoid contact with yuccas. An encounter can be quite painful.
Our local yucca (Yucca whipple ssp. intermedi) is of special interest. This member of the lily family has dagger-like leaves and produces a five to eight-foot tall white flowering stalk in the spring. The premier Chumash Indian village in Simi Valley was located in Tapo Canyon and was named after this plant "ta'apu" in Ventureno Chumash. The name of the village "Ta’apu" is the origin of the name Tapo.
ANIMAL LIFE
Animals that may be observed along the trail include birds, such as:
- turkey vultures
- red-tailed hawks
- great-horned owls
- poor-wills
- California quail
- mourning doves
- roadrunners
- Anna's hummingbirds
- common flickers
- black phoebes
- cliff swallows
- scrub jays
- mockingbirds
- common crows
- Brewer's blackbirds
- American goldfinches
- towhees
- white-crowned and English sparrows
reptiles, such as:
- southern Pacific rattlesnakes
- two striped garter snakes
- gopher snakes
- California King snakes
- striped racers
- alligator lizards
- horned lizards
- western fence lizards and side blotched lizards
and mammals, such as:
- rabbits
- California ground squirrels
- pocket gophers
- many types of bats
- agile kangaroo rats
- deer mice
- dusky woodrats
- coyotes
- ringtail cats
- southern California weasels
- striped skunks
- mountain lions
- bobcats
- mule deer
While mountain lions are present in the hills and are sighted by hikers, encounters are unlikely. Do not hike alone, and keep small children close at hand. Rattlesnakes may be encountered at any time. Stay on the trail and avoid them when they are encountered, be observant, and never try to handle them. Do not handle any wild animal, including bats, even if they appear to be injured.
HISTORY
The Hummingbird trail is named after Hummingbird Creek, which flows out of the historic Hummingbird Ranch. The site of the ranch was originally called "El Nido de la Chupa Rosa," i.e., "The hummingbird's nest." The first Anglo-American occupant of the ranch, Charles Hoar, retained the old name out of respect for historic continuity. The name probably comes down from the Chumash name for the place. Places like "eagle's nest" and "blue heron's nest" were sacred. Birds could fly to the upper world. Massive rock formations, with caves and cracks in the rocks, were also thought to be access routes to the spirit world. To the Chumash, the Hummingbird's Nest must have been a powerful spiritual place.
Not far from Kuehner Drive you will encounter a low masonry-and-sandstone wall. This feature is the remains of a historic off-stream dam that bears a date near its overflow of 1917. When Charles Hoar purchased the Hummingbird's Nest Ranch in 1887, he was obligated to provide one miner's inch of water flow to the new Simi Hotel, which was built to house prospective purchasers of farmland. The original dam may have been a water storage devise to ensure continuous flow.
Hummingbird Creek and its first tributary north of the freeway is a watery oasis within a dry world. It is one of the few places in Simi Valley where you can visit a natural setting with running water.
Almost half way up the mountain, if you keep your eyes open during the spring and summer, you may observe the red bush monkey flower or a red/yellow bush monkey flower cross. The red bush monkey flower is a variety of the yellow bush monkey flower which has an extra blue gene. The red variety has a very limited geographical range, which is centered on the hills at the eastern end of Simi Valley.
Midway up the mountains you will encounter a deep gorge in the rocks. Above that gorge are caves on both sides of the trail just below a flat. The cave on the right contains interesting formations.
Nearby are small California bay laurel trees, with their aromatic leaves that are used in Italian cooking. In late spring and early summer, as one climbs out of the valley, the magnificent Plummer's Mariposa lily can be found along the trail. Flowers are present throughout the year, and there are always enchanting vistas.
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