| BIG SYCAMORE CANYON, SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS 2002/2003 PAGE ONE |
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This photo gallery is based on several hikes in 2002 and 2003 into Big Sycamore Canyon in Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County as well as some adjacent areas. Sycamore Canyon occupies an area in the northernmost region of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area below the 3,000 feet peaks of the Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area. The canyon begins on the north slope of Boney Mountain and heads north down the slope. The sycamore-lined canyon then descends southwest past Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa to Sycamore Cove on the coastline. The canyon is one of the riparian woodlands along the California coast, containing a significant number of western sycamore trees. As a primary pathway through the Santa Monica Mountains, Big Sycamore Canyon Trail is one of the most popular trails in the area, being close to numerous trailheads, including the Backbone Trail. Other nearby trails include the Satwiwa Loop, Mishe Mokwa Trail, Overlook Trail, Lower Big Sycamore Trail, and Wood Canyon Trail. For thousands of years Big Sycamore Canyon was a nuch-used trading route connecting the Conejo Valley to the Pacific Ocean through the Santa Monica Mountains for the Ventureño Chumash and Tongva people who inhabited the area. At the top of the canyon is the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center located in the historic Satwiwa village site which is adjacent to Rancho Sierra Vista in southern Newbury Park. The trail is only mildly up and down and extends about eight miles from Newbury Park to Sycamore Cove Beach. Due to the generally heavy usage that the Santa Monica Mountains receives and the relatively short distances from residential areas, non-native species are in considerable abundance, and an asterisk next to the common name indicates such a species. |
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| Common gumplant Grindelia camporum Asteraceae [Named for David Hieronymus Grindel, 1776-1836] |
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Ashy-leaf buckwheat Eriogonum cinereum Polygonaceae |
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Wild rose Rosa californica Rosaceae |
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California brickellbush Brickellia californica Asteraceae [Named for John Brickell. 1749-1809] |
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| Western ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya Asteraceae |
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Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta Crassulaceae [Named for William Russel Dudley, 1849-1911] |
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| CALIFORNIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS | |||
| VIRGINIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS |
Copyright @ 2022 by Michael L. Charters
The photographs contained on these pages may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.
Comments and/or questions may be addressed to mmlcharters[at]gmail.com.