There are 10 parks located in Oak Park.  Hours are from 6 am to 10pm and all are available for daily use at no charge.  For more information call (818) 865-9304.

 

Eagle View Park
	1240 Hidden Springs Ave.	Amenities: Basketball court Kids play area Picnic area Bike paths  Hiking trails
Oak Canyon Community Park
	5600 Hollytree Dr.	Amenities: 38.164 acres Amphitheater Large picnic shelter Dog Park Kids play area Bike paths Restrooms
Valley View Park
	100 Los Arcos Dr.	Amenities: 8.3 acres Lighted baseball field Soccer field Kids play area Lighted basketball court Restrooms
Indian Springs Park
	4800 Rockfield St.	Amenities: 9.79 acres Baseball field Lighted tennis courts Lighted basketball court Kids play area Restrooms
Medea Creek Natural Park
	Conifer & N. Media Creek Ln.	Amenities: Linear Park Stream Hiking Trails Bike Paths
Chaparral Park
	217 N Medea Creek Lane.	Amenities: 4.652 acres Picnic area Kids play area Access to trails
Deerhill Park
	6700 Doubletree Rd.	Amenities: 12.6 acres 2 tennis courts w/ lights Softball field Basketball courts Multi-use field Kids play area  Restrooms
Mae Boyar Park
	130 Kanan Rd.	Amenities: 5.885 acres 2 tennis courts w/lights Picnic area Kids play area Recreation building Horseshoe pits  Restrooms
Oak Park Community Center & Gardens
	1000 Kanan Rd.         (818) 865-9304	Amenities: Basketball court Community center Gymnasium Gazebo Pond Multipurpose room Parking stalls Recreation building Restrooms
Oak Canyon Dog Park
	5600 Hollytree Dr.	Amenities: Large Dog Area Small Dog Area Water (for dogs only) Shaded Area      For a list of the rules      and hours...Click Here

History of Oak Park Parks

The Simi Valley Recreation and Park District, founded in 1961, operated the first two parks in Oak Park:  Mae Boyer (named after the wife of Oak Park developer Louis Boyar and completed in 1966), and Chaparral (1979).  In the early 1970’s, residents of Oak Park formed a Park Planning Committee then called the Park Advisory Board, and its first chair was Ron Stark.  The District began “after school” programs at Brookside Elementary School and Mae Boyer Park.  

In approximately 1980, the district was renamed the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District  (RSRPD), reflecting the size of the original Rancho Simi land grant, which included Oak Park.   The property entrusted to the district includes 1675 acres, over fifty percent of the entire land in Oak Park.  The RSRPD district itself was reduced in size when Bell Canyon and Moorpark were removed.  Much of the open space today in Oak Park is identified with the familiar post and cable fencing.  

Leonora Lassak, known to most as “Miss Jo”, began coordinating recreational activities out of the “ball room”, a closet used for storing balls at Brookside Elementary School.  She started out with a telephone and a milk crate for a desk.  Eventually the district moved her to an office in Mae Boyer Park until a recreation office was provided by the school district in the Oak Park School Administration building on Medea Creek Lane.  

The first RSRPD groundskeepers worked out of a lot off Kanan Road.  Originally the district contracted with a young lady to clean and lock the restrooms at Mae Boyer.  Many Saturday nights, her boyfriend had to bring her by the park before they could go out on a date.

As expansion of housing in Oak Park continued in the late 1980’s, the developers were required to build parks and schools for the community.  Those parks included Eagle View (1989), Valley View (1992), Oak Canyon Community (1992), Indian Springs (1995), and Deerhill (1999), as well as trails and trailheads.  The program to provide care for children before or after school, now known as the “AM-PM Club”, was expanded to Oak Hills and Red Oak Elementary Schools.  The Park District purchased the buildings for those clubs, previously leased, in 2003.  The School District and Park district have a joint use agreement for the use of the playgrounds.

Oak Canyon Community Park is unique in that it is an open space setting, which incorporates playground areas and pavilions.  The park includes a residence for full time caretakers.  Mert Lapeyre-Montrose and Les Montrose have been the caretakers since 1995.  There, they raised their three daughters through their teen years.  The park also has a maintenance yard with a five-vehicle size building where the maintenance equipment is maintained.  A senior management supervisor-grounds and five groundskeepers currently maintain all the park property in Oak Park.  Administrative functions are performed by the staff at park headquarters at Sycamore Drive Community Center in Simi Valley.  Specialists in such fields as carpentry, plumbing, electrical and painting respond from Simi Valley to Oak Park on an as needed basis.

Eventually, the citizens of Oak Park approved a tax assessment that provides for a full time park ranger and a contract custodian to clean some facilities.  A mutual agreement between the School District and the Park District provides joint responsibility for maintenance and use of the high school tennis courts.

The Oak Park Community Center (and gardens) was dedicated on April 18, 2004.  It provides much needed facilities for recreation, community meetings, private parties, weddings etc.  Also relocated there were “Miss Jo” Lassak and now-retired Dennis Anderson, Oak Park Recreation Supervisor (now Renee Peace).  

Through a joint agreement between RSPRP, the Community Foundation for Oak Park, and the Oak Park Gardeners, The Oak Park Community Garden was dedicated on May 8, 2004, on land owned by the park district at Kanan Road and Sunnycrest Drive.

The RSRPD continues to provide a wide variety of activities for the community.  The Oak Park High School girls softball team uses Valley View as its home field.  The school’s cross-country teams use Oak Canyon Community Park to train and host meets.  Park facilities and the Community Center may be reserved with a permit.  Recreation activities include softball leagues and classes in exercise, dog obedience, dancing, yoga, tennis and numerous special classes for youths and teens.  Information about all activities may be obtained at the Oak Park Community Center at 1000 Kanan Road (818 865-9304).    All recreational activities for Oak Park are included in a quarterly publication, which is mailed to all residents of Oak Park, and posted on the website for the district http://www.rsrpd.org and is also available on this website when published.