Thousand Oaks waterfall to close after record crowds leave behind trash, human waste

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (KABC) -- A popular waterfall in Thousand Oaks will be closed off to the public after it saw large crowds that trampled vegetation and littered the area with trash and human waste.

Starting Friday, Paradise Falls in Wildwood Regional Park will be shut down until further notice, according the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency.

The park had been reopened for weekend use two weeks ago and attracted "unprecedented crowds that behaved differently than they have in the past," the agency said in a statement Wednesday.

Rangers with the conservation agency collected "multiple truckloads" of trash in the area and noticed that some visitors had used a nearby creek as a makeshift toilet, leaving behind human waste.

"While trash cans are available, many simply left it for COSCA staff to clean up and trash accumulated faster than it could be removed," the statement reads.

The closure will be enforced by the Thousand Oaks Police Department, which will cite anyone who enters the waterfall area, according to the conservation agency. Other trails managed by the agency will remain open.

"Local users are requested to find alternative destinations for now and let Paradise Falls recover," officials said.