At a saddle in the Santa Monica Mountains 2,340 feet above the Pacific Ocean and three miles from the coast, the Backbone Trail crosses Stunt Road, creating a high trailhead for nearby destinations like Saddle Peak. The 2-mile round trip hike to the summit climbs just 450 feet but offers fantastic views of Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains.

A spring bloom of Gazanias line the bottom of the trail

The intersection of Stunt Road and Schueren Road form the shape of a V. Pick up the Backbone Trail here, starting west up the center of the V. After a short distance, the trail crosses a section of pavement to the left of a large municipal water tank. Beyond, the trail becomes a single track, which gradually ascends the east side of Saddle Peak. Just 0.7 miles from the start, turn left at the junction with a trail heading to the summit. Straight ahead the Backbone Trail continues down to Piuma Road (and further to Malibu Canyon Road), and hikers can take this section of the Backbone Trail to reach Saddle Peak from Stunt High Trail.

Looking back down the Backbone Trail toward Topanga Mountain

After a short distance, make another left, heading up hill to the 2,805-foot summit. Straight ahead is a lower overlook that faces south and also offers great views of Malibu. Saddle Peak is the sixth tallest point in the range. From here, one has an excellent view east toward Santa Monica Bay and downtown Los Angeles Enjoy the views before returning the way your came. No fee or permit is required, so get out enjoy!

Looking southwest from the lower lookout

To get to the trailhead: From the PCH, turn inland on Las Flores Road (Across from Duke’s restaurant), drive 3.4 miles up this narrow twisting canyon and turn right onto Rambla Pacifico St. After 0.6 miles make a sharp right onto Schueren Rd. and take that for 1.8 miles to the intersection with Stunt Road. Turn left and park along side the road. The trailhead for for Topanga Lookout is across from the trailhead for Saddle Peak so there will be likely be a few vehicles parked.

From the 101 Freeway, exit Las Virgenes Road and head south toward Malibu. After 2.8 miles turn left, (east) on Mulholland Highway. After 4 miles, turn right on to Stunt Road and drive 4 miles to the top of the road intersection with Schueren Road.

Use the map below to create your own directions:

View Saddle Peak GPS in a larger map
Or view Los Angeles Hikes in a larger map

Photos

 

                         

These photos were taken in March of 2010. Click to enlarge.

Video

 

Saddle Peak Panorama from Seth Smigelski on Vimeo.

Nearby Trails

 

	Stunt High Trail to Saddle Peak This 8.2-mile hike combines Stunt High Trail and a section of the Backbone Trail to visit the 6th tallest summit in the Santa Monica Mountains.
	Calabasas Peak This 3.6-mile hike travels an easy-to-follow fire road, climbing 1000 feet to panoramic views of the Santa Monica Mountains and San Fernando Valley.
	Red Rock Canyon The trails in the beautifully sculpted Red Rock Canyon are 2.5 and 5.2 miles in length.
	Hondo Canyon This fairly well maintained section of the Backbone Trail crosses fields of grains and forests of Bays, climbing 1500 feet over 3.8 miles.
	More trails in the Santa Monica Mountains Explore other destinations in the range.

Similar Trails

 

	Temescal Canyon This 2.6-mile loop offers a variety of scenery and decent exercise, despite its relative brevity.
	Ocean View Trail – Canyon View Trail Loop This 3-mile loop demands more effort than the Zuma Canyon Trail and provides great ocean and canyon views.
	The Grotto This 3-mile out and back visits a remote grotto in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
	Westridge Trail to San Vicente Peak This 7.4-mile hike travels a scenic ridge between a Brentwood neighborhood and a summit that was once used as a Nike Missile site.

More Info

 

The official NPS webpage for the Backbone Trail