SAMO ParkCache 6 Traditional Geocache
Marko Ramius: The cache owner is not responding to issues with this geocache, so I must regretfully archive it.
Please note that if geocaches are archived by a reviewer or Geocaching HQ for lack of maintenance, they are not eligible for unarchival.
Thank you for your understanding.
Marko Ramius
Volunteer Cache Reviewer
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Welcome to Cheeseboro / Palo Comado Canyons in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park System. Here you can enjoy a long distance hike, ride a mountain bike or even take your horse on one of the many trails.
This cache is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area ParkCaching Program. This site contains one of six (6) collector cards as part of the ParkCache series in the mountains. Please only take one card per person.
Note: There is no log. Credit given on honor system.
This geocache site is available year round. This cache is on accessible land. Please do not travel off trail for your safety and preservation of resources.
Information regarding Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyons in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
• All plant material, rocks, animals, and historical features are protected by law and may not be collected or disturbed.
• Safety information:
- Poison Oak can be found in this area. It is identified by three leaves ranging in color from green to crimson. The plant is deciduous, so it does lose its leaves in the winter.
- Watch out for rattlesnakes and ticks.
• Cheeseboro Information Trailer
Open weekends – hours may vary
• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Visitor Center Information:
Open daily from 9 AM – 5PM.
Address: 26876 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas, CA 91302
Phone number: 805-370-2301
In emergency: dial 911
Welcome to the northernmost section of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Here, in the Simi Hills, the waters that flow in Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyons begin their journey to the Pacific. Deer, bobcats, coyotes and rabbits roam in this large expanse of habitat. Stroll to Sulphur Springs or hike to the top of Simi Peak and view the cities you’ve left behind. Walk quietly amid the oaks and grasses or picnic beside a streambed.
The Chumash lived in these canyons for thousands of years. Many trails within the canyons originated with the Chumash and were then expanded by the ranchers who followed.
For more than 150 years, ranchers made these canyons their home, bringing about a change in the landscape. Many of the native plants, poorly adapted to heavy grazing, were replaced with European annuals such as wild oats, mustard and thistles. Native plants were not the only things affected. Grizzly bears, once thriving in the canyons, were exterminated by the ranchers.
Today, a great diversity of plants and animals live in the canyons. Large oaks are widespread and outcrops of sedimentary rock provide excellent nesting sites for owls, hawks and other raptors (birds of prey). The abundance of raptors indicates a large prey population, especially small mammals and reptiles. In more rugged areas where cattle didn’t graze, we can still find a variety of native plant communities, including chaparral, coastal sage scrub, riparian, and woodlands.
With the removal of cattle, the landscape has been renewed. Oak seedlings can now grow tall without becoming food for cattle. Native annual wildflowers are returning, dotting the landscape with colorful displays in the springtime.
Enjoy your visit to Cheeseboro / Palo Comado Canyons and explore the splendors this area has to offer.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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