On a Tuesday morning at Camarillo Grove Park, a dog can run loose almost anywhere in the 24.5 acres at the end of Camarillo Springs Road. On Saturday morning, the same dog can run loose only behind a double-gated fence. The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District's posted rules do, and they shape the park for Camarillo Springs residents more than any season does.
The park sits about one mile east of U.S. 101 on Camarillo Springs Road, at the base of the Conejo Grade, so it's the closest public open space to the community. The district's park page has the schedule. Read closely, it describes a park that changes from day to day.
The Sentence That Splits the Week
The Camarillo Grove dog park section on the district's site carries one line in bold:
"The entire park is also an off-leash park Monday - Friday only. Saturday and Sunday dogs are allowed off-leash only in the enclosed dog park."
On weekdays, that line makes the dog park one part of a much larger off-leash area. On weekends, the dog park becomes the only off-leash area. The enclosure is the same on both days. It's open 7 a.m. to dusk, Monday through Sunday, with a double-gated entry, separate areas for small and large dogs, a doggie drinking fountain, a leash holder and a picnic table. According to the park page, the small-dog side has artificial turf.
Here is the week laid out using the district's own published rules:
| Monday to Friday | Saturday and Sunday | |
|---|---|---|
| Off-leash in the enclosed dog park | Yes, 7 a.m. to dusk | Yes, 7 a.m. to dusk |
| Off-leash elsewhere in the park | Yes, per the district's park-wide rule | No |
| Dogs on the hiking trails | Leashed, per the trail rule | Leashed, per the trail rule |
| Dogs inside the Nature Center | Not allowed | Not allowed |
The third row is the one that catches people. The same district page that allows weekday off-leash use park-wide also asks hikers to "keep your dog leashed at all times when using the trails." Both lines are on the page, and the district doesn't say how they fit together. If you walk the loops with a dog, the trail wording is the one that names the trails directly.
Where the Leash Goes Back On
The trails are what bring hikers here from outside the immediate area, and that may be one reason the leash rule there stays the same all week. The district describes "newly expanded trails" with an upper trail, a lower trail, switchbacks, sitting areas, viewpoints and interpretive signs.
The two loops make for very different outings:
- The lower loop is the easier one, a gently sloping trail past oak trees, sage and volcanic rock formations.
- The upper loop is a moderate hike, over a mile long, with roughly 600 feet of elevation change.
Six hundred feet in a little over a mile is a real climb. A walk around the lower loop is a short stroll. The upper loop is a workout. The district posts a hiking trails map with the topography.
As of the district's field conditions page dated October 1, 2026, both the Camarillo Grove Hiking Trail and the Camarillo Grove Dog Park were listed as open. That page gets updated, so it's the one to check after rain.
The Nature Center Keeps a Weekday Schedule Too
The off-leash rule isn't the only thing that splits the week. The district rents out the enclosed Nature Center to schools and community organizations, at a nominal fee, for outdoor and nature education programs Monday through Thursday. So on those weekdays, part of the park may be set aside for a class.
The rest of the time, the Nature Center is open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to dusk unless it's closed for a special event. It has interpretive signs about local ecosystems, plants and wildlife along a trail, an interactive water table, a teaching deck, nature-based play features such as boulders and logs, and native gardens with braille signs. The separate Nature Education Building opens only during district programs and scheduled field trips. Dogs aren't allowed in the Nature Center on any day, which matters most on weekdays, when the park-wide off-leash rule covers most of the rest of the park.
October's Big Day Here Is a Saturday
The one fall 2026 event the district lists at Camarillo Grove itself falls on a weekend day, when the park is already at its most structured. Trail or Treat runs Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Camarillo Grove Park Nature Center. It's $10 per child, and parents get in free. Kids trick-or-treat along the trail, stop to answer nature questions, collect treats and do a craft or face painting.
Because it's a Saturday, the weekend dog rule applies all morning. If you bring a dog and young trick-or-treaters, plan on the leash outside the enclosure, and remember that dogs aren't allowed inside the Nature Center, where the event is based.
The following Saturday, October 24, the district's Howl-O-Ween runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., not at Camarillo Grove but at the Mission Oaks Dog Park, across town. Between the two Saturdays, the district's events calendar also lists Spooktacular Bash at the Community Center on Friday, October 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. for $5, and Halloween in the Park at the Community Center on October 28, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The district's Fall 2026 outdoor education listing also offers Camarillo Grove hikes from September through December and a Junior Ranger program in December. The registration page didn't show session dates or times when we checked. The district's general guided hikes page lists hikes at $5 or $6.25 each, open to all ages. Check registration for the current fall dates and fees before you go.
What Arriving Costs, and What's Being Rebuilt
Every visit starts in the parking lot. Standard vehicles pay a daily parking fee of $3 to $5, and the district offers annual passes and separate options for oversized vehicles. If you're driving in for the dog park several times a week, the annual pass is the one to compare against those daily fees.
The lot itself has upgrades on the way. At its March 4, 2026 meeting, the district board approved a contract with Prestige Paving Co. for ADA parking lot improvements at Camarillo Grove: $156,791, plus a 10% contingency. Staff said at the time the work could be done "in the next couple of months." We couldn't confirm a start or finish date from the board's later materials, including the October 7, 2026 agenda, where the project doesn't appear among the action items. For now, treat it as approved work with no confirmed completion date.
The park also takes event bookings. It has five rental areas for groups of 50 to 350 people, bookable up to a year ahead. Rates vary by site, and there's a $25 nonrefundable processing fee. Besides the shelters and group areas, the park has a playground, horseshoe pits, BBQs, an open lawn and plenty of shade trees.
A Park Older Than Its Neighbors
The park opened as a public gift more than 80 years ago. A district historical marker at the site says Adolfo Camarillo donated "20+ acres of the Camarillo Ranch" for a public park in 1940, originally called "Oak Grove." A vote by the County Board of Supervisors later renamed it Camarillo Grove Park. Visit Camarillo puts the donation in 1941 and the acreage at 26, so the sources disagree on both. Both agree on who gave the land and why.
Ventura County deeded the park to the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District in 2002. The district now lists it at 24.5 acres and describes it as a former stagecoach stop and home to the oldest tree in the district. The district's fun facts page says some of the park's oaks are estimated to be more than 100 years old. The district describes both the expanded trails and the Nature Center as new, which puts its newest features under some of its oldest trees.
Camarillo Grove Park is one of the everyday details we keep track of at Puckett Team Real Estate, alongside the golf course and the streets around it. If you live in Camarillo Springs and want to know where your home stands in today's market, ask us for a free home valuation built on that same close knowledge of the neighborhood.
