Lake Sherwood

Last updated: October 2026

Lake Sherwood real estate offers a rare setup for Southern California: a gated lake and golf community in the Santa Monica Mountains, south of Thousand Oaks and west of Westlake Village. Homes range from lakeside houses on Lake Sherwood Drive to large estates inside the guard-gated Sherwood Country Club. The lake dates to 1904, the film history goes back to the early 1920s, and a new private club is set to open here in fall 2026.

Lake Sherwood at a Glance

Where Is Lake Sherwood, and Is It Part of Thousand Oaks?

Lake Sherwood is an unincorporated community in southeastern Ventura County, not a city and not part of Los Angeles. It sits in the Santa Monica Mountains, with the Conejo Valley and Thousand Oaks to the north and Westlake Village to the east. The ZIP code is 91361 and the area code is 805.

Because the community has no city hall of its own, listings carry different postal city names. Homes along Stafford Road often show Thousand Oaks, while others show Westlake Village or simply Lake Sherwood. Hidden Valley, an equestrian ranch community with parcels of 20 acres or more, is the neighboring unincorporated area.

Local Tip: Searching by "Thousand Oaks" or "Westlake Village" alone can miss Lake Sherwood homes, since mailing cities vary from street to street. The Lake Sherwood homes for sale search covers the whole area at once.

A Lake Community With Hollywood Roots

Rancher W. H. Matthiessen finished a 45-foot dam in 1904, and the reservoir, first called Potrero Lake, formed that winter. In the early 1920s, Douglas Fairbanks filmed Robin Hood here, and the ranch became known as Sherwood Forest, which gave the lake its name. William Randolph Hearst later owned lakeside land.

The lake and its setting went on to host The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Bridesmaids (2011), and other productions.

The modern community took shape after 1985, when businessman David Murdock bought the lake and surrounding land. Murdock died in June 2025, and that changed the local picture again in 2026 (see the club section below).

Homes and Estates in Lake Sherwood

The community holds roughly 660 residences, and nearly all of them are single-family custom homes on generous lots, some of several acres. Styles run from a 1931 fieldstone lake house to brick Georgian-style compounds, and many properties have mountain or lake views, docks, home theaters, and guesthouses. Recent listings have ranged from roughly 7,000 to 15,000 square feet of living space.

The area breaks into a few distinct settings:

Sherwood Country Club and the New Miramar Lake Club

Sherwood Country Club is a private, member-owned club with a Jack Nicklaus signature course that opened on October 30, 1989. It hosted Tiger Woods's year-end World Challenge from 2000 through 2013 and the PGA Tour's ZOZO Championship in 2020. The course is par 72 and plays well over 7,000 yards.

A second Nicklaus course now shares the same gates. The former Sherwood Lake Club (341 Williamsburg Way), an 18-hole par-3 course, was acquired by Rick Caruso's company in early 2026 and rebranded The Miramar Lake Club. Plans include an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse, a resort-style pool, a signature restaurant, tennis courts, and wellness facilities, with an opening expected this fall. Josh covers the difference between the two clubs in his post on the two Jack Nicklaus courses at Lake Sherwood.

Main Takeaway: The two clubs have separate ownership and separate memberships. Buyers who want club access should confirm which membership a specific home can join, and what it costs, before making an offer.

For private and public golf closer to the Westside, Josh also keeps a guide to golf courses around Beverly Hills, which suits buyers who split their time between a mountain retreat and a home in the city.

Who Lives in Lake Sherwood?

Residents are mostly private, and only publicly reported ownership is listed here.

The Lake, the Trails, and the Outdoors

The lake is part of the private community and is owned by the Lake Sherwood Association. Reported activities include swimming, fishing, stand-up paddleboarding, and boating. Lake privileges are tied to the community, so buyers should confirm the rights that come with a specific address.

Public open space is close by. Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park, part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, has free parking and views of Boney Mountain, plus the hikers-only Satwiwa Loop Trail and the Big Sycamore Canyon Trail, which runs toward the ocean. Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks covers about 1,765 acres and includes Paradise Falls.

Schools Serving Lake Sherwood

Lake Sherwood is in the Conejo Valley Unified School District. Students are generally associated with the schools below, but attendance boundaries change, so families should confirm the assigned school for a specific address with the district.

Dining, Shopping, and Culture Nearby

The community itself is almost entirely residential. Residents mostly head to Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village, and sometimes Agoura Hills, for everyday needs.

• Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village (Two Dole Drive) is home to Coin & Candor, which serves wood-fired cooking.
• Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza includes the 1,800-seat Fred Kavli Theatre and the Ray Scherr Forum Theatre.
• The Oaks is the largest shopping mall in Ventura County.
• Malibu lies across the mountains for beach days. Buyers weighing lake-and-mountain privacy against the coast can compare it with Malibu real estate.

Daily Life, Access, and Wildfire Readiness

Lake Sherwood is car-dependent. The community's Walk Score is 6 and its Bike Score is 9, and most errands involve a drive into Thousand Oaks or Westlake Village. That seclusion is part of the appeal for residents who want quiet, gated streets and mountain views.

The Woolsey Fire started on November 8, 2018, burned 96,949 acres, and was fully contained on November 21. A flare-up near Carlisle Canyon and Lake Sherwood on November 13 was reported as burning up Boney Mountain and away from populated areas, though evacuation orders were in effect for nearby parts of Lake Sherwood and Hidden Valley during the fire.

Local Tip: Hillside buyers should ask early about defensible space and road access, and about whether insurance is available and at what terms. Josh's look at Malibu beachfront versus canyon living covers the same wildfire questions in a comparable setting.

Buying and Selling in a Thin Luxury Market

Lake Sherwood is a small market, so a handful of closings can swing published averages in either direction. A lakefront estate and a hillside compound can price very differently, and the best comparison is often a specific recent sale rather than an area average. Buyers weighing Lake Sherwood against other gated hillside communities often look at Bel-Air as well.

Buyers can read how a purchase at this level typically moves in the guide to buying a luxury home, which covers preparation, timing, and what to expect once an offer is accepted, which is useful for anyone new to estate-level purchases.

Sellers can see how Josh presents estate properties on the marketing page, from photography and video to private outreach to qualified buyers, and how that approach can be adapted to a lake or golf property of this kind.

Josh's reach extends well beyond the Conejo Valley, and the full list of neighborhoods shows the other Los Angeles areas he serves, from the Westside estates to the Malibu coast, for buyers still comparing several parts of Southern California.

Explore Lake Sherwood With Josh

Whether the goal is a lakeside retreat or a home on the golf course, Josh Flagg is glad to talk it through, including a first look at the area ahead of the Miramar Lake Club opening. Questions about a specific address, or about what a home might be worth today, are welcome through the contact page, and there is no set timeline or obligation attached to starting that conversation at whatever pace suits the person asking.