The National Park Service finalized a $16.7 million purchase of Bob Hope’s 2,308‑acre Jordan Ranch in June 1993, adding the tract to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The acquisition pushed the park’s holdings to roughly 20,400 acres, a new record for the region.
The ranch sits in the Simi Hills east of Thousand Oaks, its oak‑lined canyons and China Flat vista offering panoramic views that previously attracted private hikers.
Developers had already plotted luxury homes and a golf course on portions of the land, but the sale halted those ambitions and secured the property as open space. The move also preserved a vital wildlife corridor linking Simi Valley to the Pacific, a key goal for conservationists.
The Jordan Ranch deal was tied to a larger conservation framework that mandated the transfer of Runkle Ranch and Corral Canyon before the Ahmanson housing project could proceed, per the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. This arrangement, signed in 1990, was one of Southern California’s largest parkland transactions, totaling over 10,000 acres.
Joseph T. Edmiston, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s executive director, steered negotiations and secured federal funds originally earmarked for the Paramount Ranch acquisition, preventing the money from being redirected elsewhere. The deal closed on the same day the escrow was finalized, marking the end of a five‑year negotiation saga.
The National Park Service allocated about $120,000 in the first year for ranger patrols, trail upkeep and visitor outreach, ensuring the land would be ready for public use. Hikers, bikers and equestrians were expected to access the area within six months, turning a former private ranch into a public recreation asset.