Ventura Hills Nature Preserve Is Open Above the Hillside. Getting In Is Still Being Argued Over.

Since March 2026, 1,645 acres of coastal sage scrub above Ventura have been open to the public as Ventura Hills Nature Preserve. Ventura Land Trust owns the land outright, and the trust says its trails look out over downtown Ventura, the Santa Barbara Channel, the Oxnard plain and the Santa Monica Mountains. The land is settled. What's still being decided is the short drive up Hall Canyon Road that every hiker, dog walker and mountain biker takes to reach the trailhead.

Chevron and Aera Energy have sued over public use of that road. A judge kept it open in May, and the parties have since looked at a separate pedestrian corridor. If you live on the Hillside, this preserve is close to home. Using it well means knowing the land, the case over the road and the rules of the road itself.

Twenty-Five Years for the Land

The preserve used to be called Mariano Rancho, and its history explains why the road matters so much. KCLU reported at the March opening that voters turned down a proposal to build homes on the land in the early 2000s. Some opponents of that plan then pushed to buy the full 1,645 acres and preserve them. The group behind it was the Ventura Hillside Conservancy, now the Ventura Land Trust. Brook Ashworth, its founding president, described the opening to KCLU this way:

"It's truly exhilarating. It's been such a long road to get here, and what it means to the future of Ventura, and the community...it's huge, it's huge, because it's forever."

The purchase price was $4 million, a big commitment for a nonprofit already stretched thin. In the same KCLU story, Executive Director Melissa Baffa said her predecessor, Derek Poultney, raised $2 million fairly quickly. The other $2 million came as financing from Montecito Bank & Trust. The trust bought the land in 2020 and then spent six years working out how a public preserve could sit beside the homes around it. That meant community meetings and raising more money for a management plan.

At the time, the trust was also working to protect Harmon Canyon, about 2,100 acres east of the new preserve. Ventura Land Trust now cares for two large open spaces in the hills above the city, and Ventura Hills is the one closest to the Hillside streets.

So the acreage took two decades of votes, fundraising, a loan and planning. Then, within weeks of the opening, the way in became the open question.

The Quarter Mile Under Dispute

The preserve entrance is less than a quarter mile past Sunset Drive on Hall Canyon Road. According to Ventura Land Trust, Chevron and Aera Energy say public use of Hall Canyon Road interferes with their asserted legal rights to use it for oil operations. The companies asked the court to close the road and the trust's trailhead to the public.

Here is how the case has gone so far, based on the trust's own updates and local reporting:

• Spring 2026: The companies asked for court orders that would have kept the public out during the lawsuit. The Sierra Club's Condor Call newsletter reports that the court denied both a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction.
• May 12, 2026: A judge denied the preliminary injunction to close public access to Hall Canyon Road and the trailhead. The Ventura Breeze reported that the court cited Chevron's failure to present competent evidence for the request.
• Summer 2026: In a later Condor Call issue, the trust said it was working with Aera, Chevron, the City of Ventura and legal counsel. One option under discussion was a pedestrian corridor along the northwest side of lower Hall Canyon Road, in place of continued litigation.

The Breeze put it plainly in May. The lawsuit continues, the process could be "long, complex, and expensive," and the ruling keeps access open "for now." The trust's access page still says long-term access is at risk and posts the court filings for anyone who wants to read them.

Neighbors may hear different accounts on walks or at the coffee counter. As of this writing, the preserve is open, the road is open and the case is ongoing. A dedicated pedestrian corridor is still a proposal.

Driving Up Hall Canyon

Since the road itself is in dispute, how visitors use it matters. Ventura Land Trust gives the address as 2805 Hall Canyon Road, Ventura and these directions:

1. Head northeast on Hall Canyon Road.
2. Go straight through the stop sign at Fairview Drive.
3. Go straight through the stop sign at Sunset Drive.
4. Keep going past the Ventura Water facility.
5. Turn left into the preserve entrance, less than a quarter mile past Sunset Drive.

Two rules on that last stretch tie directly to the dispute. The speed limit is 10 mph. The access road is shared, and pedestrians must keep to the right on the dirt path, which orange pylons separate from the asphalt. If you walk up from home instead of driving, that pylon-lined path is your route. A permanent version of it, on the northwest side of the road, is what the parties have been discussing.

Parking is limited. The trust's FAQ says the lot is about the same size as the one at Harmon Canyon and doesn't give a space count.

Once You're Through the Gate

The preserve is steep, and the trust says so up front. Trail 101 climbs 600 feet in its first mile. The trust also says it has worked to make the preserve as accessible as it can so more people can reach the views. The trust lists about 5 miles of multi-use trail at opening, for human-powered recreation only.

The trust's FAQ doesn't list which trails allow bikes, so if you plan to ride, read the trail signs at the trailhead. E-bikes aren't allowed anywhere in the preserve.

The scenery is the reason to come. On the opening-day hike, KCLU's reporter described a steep trail through rugged canyons with views of the city, the Pacific and, farther out, the Channel Islands. The trust is still planning the property's long-term restoration, biological monitoring and public access. It notes that the land supports native plants not yet found in similar habitat at Harmon Canyon.

The Page to Check Before You Head Up

Open hours and court rulings aren't the only things that decide whether you can get in on a given day. Ventura Land Trust sometimes closes its preserves for weather. Its Preserve Conditions & Closures page, updated October 17, 2026, said that Harmon Canyon Preserve and Ventura Hills Nature Preserve would reopen Sunday, October 18, after a temporary closure for red flag conditions. Both preserves are listed on the same page, so one check covers both before you drive up Hall Canyon or out to Harmon.

The preserve page also links to that closures page, a trail map and an updates signup. The trust has also used its preserve page to post the complaint, its own opposition and the May ruling on Hall Canyon Road. For now, a visit looks like this. Drive 10 mph past the Ventura Water facility, park in the small lot, keep your dog on a leash no longer than 6 feet and start up Trail 101 before the light goes.

Juliana keeps up with Hillside news like this, whether it's a new trailhead or a court ruling on the road to it. She covers Ventura's open spaces with the same care she brings to its homes. For more local updates from the hills above Main Street, visit Juliana Lisheski and Discover the Ventura Life.