Last week’s storm damaged trails, soaked hillsides and left gaping sinkholes at a popular Ventura hiking spot.
Nearby, the National Park Service closed Solstice Canyon, a Malibu hiking area hit hard by mud flows in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Crews are expected to reassess conditions at Solstice later this week, officials said. But Harmon Canyon, off Foothill Road in the Ventura hillsides, is expected to stay closed for at least two weeks.
Even then, only part of the preserve would reopen, said Melissa Baffa, executive director of the Ventura Land Trust, which manages the preserve. Days of rain caused washouts and slides in the upper canyon’s steep terrain, she said. A team hiked in to check conditions last weekend.
“We were hoping for the best,” said Brian Clark, one of the land trust’s board members. “But we were expecting bad news.”
What damage did the storm cause?
After nearly 11 inches of rain in just a week, the hillsides were soaked, and muddy water swept down the barranca. The team found washouts, sinkholes and a significant slide over a dirt road, Clark said.