On December 2, 2026, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing opens over ten lanes of the 101 at Liberty Canyon — a 200-foot-long, 165-foot-wide vegetated bridge, roughly a $114 million project, and the largest wildlife crossing in the world. The public celebration runs 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting at the crossing and a companion event at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas. If you live in Agoura Hills, Calabasas or anywhere along this stretch of the 101, it is going to change what your neighborhood is known for.
What it actually is, and why Liberty Canyon
The crossing is a vegetated overpass — not a concrete tunnel or a bare bridge. It is planted with roughly a million locally sourced native seeds so that animals experience it as a continuation of the hillside rather than as a structure. Sound walls and planting screen the light and noise from the freeway below, because mountain lions in particular will not use a corridor that feels exposed.
Liberty Canyon was chosen for one reason: it is the only point along this stretch of the 101 where protected public land exists on both sides. North of the freeway is the Simi Hills and the Santa Susana range. South is the Santa Monica Mountains. Everywhere else, development on one side or the other makes a functional corridor impossible.
The problem it solves is genetic. The Santa Monica Mountains lion population has been effectively marooned — hemmed in by the ocean, the 101 and the 405 — and biologists have documented the consequences of that isolation for years. The crossing is an attempt to reconnect a regional ecosystem, not just to reduce roadkill. Mountain lions get the headlines, but bobcats, deer, coyotes, bats and desert cottontails are all expected users.
What happens on December 2
- Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026
- Time: 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Where: a ribbon-cutting at the crossing itself at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills, plus a public celebration at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas
- Admission: ticketed, reported at around $10 for the public celebration
Practical advice if you live nearby: plan around it. A midweek event of this profile, on a stretch of the 101 that already backs up, with national media present, is going to affect Liberty Canyon Road, Agoura Road and the King Gillette Ranch access off Las Virgenes. If you have a school pickup or a commute through that corridor that day, leave early.
What it means for the neighborhoods around it — honestly
I get asked a version of this constantly: is the crossing going to move home values in Agoura Hills and Calabasas? Here is my honest read, separated into what we can actually say and what is speculation.
What is reasonably clear
Recognition. Liberty Canyon has gone from a name locals used for a freeway exit to a landmark with international press coverage. For a market where a meaningful share of buyers are relocating from outside the region, name recognition is not nothing. When someone in Chicago or Austin searches “Agoura Hills,” they now find a story.
Permanence of the open space. The crossing only works because the land on both sides is protected in perpetuity. That protection was already in place, but the crossing anchors it in a very visible way. If you own a home whose value depends partly on the view or the trail access behind it, the crossing is a reinforcement of the thing you are paying for.
Trail and visitor traffic. Expect more people at the Liberty Canyon, Cheeseboro and Palo Comado trailheads, and at King Gillette Ranch, particularly in the first year. Whether you file that under amenity or nuisance depends on how close you live to a trailhead.
What is speculation
Anyone telling you the crossing will produce a specific percentage change in Agoura Hills or Calabasas home values is making it up. There is no comparable precedent at this scale in a market like ours, and local prices here are driven overwhelmingly by interest rates, school districts, inventory and insurance availability. The crossing is a genuine amenity and a genuine story. It is not a pricing model. Anyone who quotes you a number should be asked where it came from.
The one wrinkle worth thinking about
More wildlife movement through a corridor bordering residential neighborhoods means more wildlife encounters — mostly coyotes and deer, occasionally something larger. That is already a fact of life in Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Oak Park and Westlake Village. Sensible precautions around pets, trash and unattended small animals are the same as they have always been; there will simply be more reason to actually follow them.
What the Agoura Hills numbers actually show right now
I want to be careful here, because this is exactly the kind of story that invites made-up percentages. I cannot tell you what the crossing will do to any individual home value, and neither can anyone else. What I can show you is the market as it stands before the crossing opens, so that a year from now there is an honest baseline to compare against.
| Agoura Hills, single-family | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homes closed (Jan 1–Aug 24) | 42 | 56 | 44 | 49 |
| Median sale price | $1,420,000 | $1,387,792 | $1,547,000 | $1,495,000 |
| Avg. days on market (sold) | 37 | 49 | 50 | 55 |
As of August 24, 2026 there were 33 single-family homes listed in Agoura Hills, unchanged from the same date a year earlier, against 84 closings over the trailing twelve months — roughly 4.7 months of supply, the most relative breathing room of the five core Conejo Valley cities. The number that has moved most is time on market: from an average of 37 days in 2023 to 55 in 2026.
If you own near Liberty Canyon and want to track this properly, the metrics worth watching are days on market and sale-to-list ratio for the immediate area, not the citywide median. Citywide medians in a market this size move on a dozen houses. I publish the full four-year breakdown for all five cities in the Conejo Valley fall market report.
Source: Flexmls / VCRDS closed-sale data for the Conejo Simi Moorpark Association of REALTORS® MLS, pulled August 24, 2026. Single-family residences unless noted. Figures reflect transactions reported to this MLS. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
If the crossing has you curious about the neighborhoods around it, see what homes are currently available in Agoura Hills and in Calabasas.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing open?
December 2, 2026, with a public celebration from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the crossing at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills and at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas.
How big is the wildlife crossing?
Roughly 200 feet long and 165 feet wide, spanning ten lanes of US-101, planted with about a million locally sourced native seeds. It is the largest wildlife crossing in the world.
How much did the wildlife crossing cost?
Reported at approximately $114 million, funded through a combination of state money and private philanthropy, with the Annenberg Foundation as the lead donor.
Why was Liberty Canyon chosen?
Because it is the only location along this stretch of the 101 with protected public open space on both sides of the freeway, connecting the Santa Monica Mountains to the Simi Hills and Santa Susana range.
Will the crossing increase home values in Agoura Hills?
Nobody can responsibly quantify that. It raises the profile of the area and reinforces the permanence of the surrounding open space, but local prices are driven primarily by rates, inventory, schools and insurance. Treat any specific percentage claim with skepticism.
Can people walk across the wildlife crossing?
No. The crossing is built for wildlife, and human traffic would defeat its purpose. The December 2 ribbon-cutting is a one-time event.
If you are looking at a home near Liberty Canyon, Cheeseboro or the open-space edge in Agoura Hills or Calabasas and want a straight assessment of what you are buying into, let’s talk.
More: Agoura Hills · Calabasas · Fall 2026 in Agoura Hills · Why the Conejo Valley open space is permanent
