Boney Mountain, also known as Boney Peak, is one of the highest peaks in the Santa Monica Mountains. The mountain is located in Ventura County, California and is in height. The highest summit in the Santa Monica Mountains, Sandstone Peak, is situated less than a mile northeast of Boney Peak along the same ridge of volcanic rock. It is the top section of a mass of volcanic rock which solidified around 15 million years ago, and was later uplifted to its dominant position, overshadowing western Conejo Valley.Schad, Jerry (2010). Afoot and Afield: Los Angeles County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide. Wilderness Press. Page 192. .
Boney Peak is located in the Circle X Ranch Park, within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The surrounding Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area lies within the eastern portion of Point Mugu State Park.Stone, Robert (2011). Day Hikes Around Ventura County. Day Hike Books. Page 136. . Boney Mountain State Wilderness includes trail access to the rest of Point Mugu State Park, as well as Big Sycamore Canyon and Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center. Hiking trails from Satwiwa Native American Cultural Center in southernmost Newbury Park reach Boney Mountain and Peak, and feature views of the Pacific Ocean, Channel Islands, and Mount Baldy. Nearby trails lead to Danielson Monument and the Sycamore Canyon Waterfall.
The Chumash people have a long and deeply spiritual history at and near the mountain, and they consider the mountain sacred.Riedel, Allen (2008). 100 Classic Hikes in Southern California: San Bernardino National Forest, Angeles National Forest, Santa Lucia Mountains, Big Sur and the Sierras. The Mountaineers Books. Page 118. .Riedel, Allen (2011). Best Easy Day Hikes Conejo Valley. Rowman & Littlefield. Page 21. .Mallarach, Josep-Maria and Thymio Papayannis (2007). Protected Areas and Spirituality. Island Press. Page 109. . Boney Mountain was described by Chumash Indians to anthropologist John P. Harrington around 1900:
Early one morning in 9080 B.C., the ancestral grandfather from whom I took my name, headed west on one of his most adventurous hunting trips ever... As the group climbed Old Boney, they looked back to the north and could see the pleasant openings of the Conejo- and Hidden Valleys. There, there appeared to be good grazing ground for the mammoth herd and they proceeded thence.Maxwell, Thomas J. (1982). The Temescals of Arroyo Conejo. California Lutheran College. Page 9. Library of Congress Catalog Number 82-072788.
The story may be a lore related to the Paleo-Indians, the distant ancestors of the Chumash.Maxwell, Thomas J. (1982). The Temescals of Arroyo Conejo. California Lutheran College. Pages 5–9. Library of Congress Catalog Number 82-072788. An ancient Chumash village known as Satwiwa was located at the foothills of the mountain, which remains sacred to the Chumash people. Satwiwa is believed to be first inhabited 13,000 years ago,Bangs, Ray and Chris Becker (2004). 52 Great Weekend Escapes in Southern California. Globe Pequot. Page 55. . and was still a Chumash inhabitation site as of 2,000 years ago.
In 2019, newspaper photos showed the peak was frosted with snow. Long time Newbury Park residents stated that it was the first time they had seen snow on the peak.
See also Triunfo Pass Circle X Ranch Santa Monica Mountains California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion
References
External links
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: Circle X Ranch Park trail website NPS: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area website