At a saddle in the Santa Monica Mountains 2,340 feet above the Pacific Ocean and 3 miles from the coast, the Backbone Trail crosses Stunt Road, creating a high trailhead for nearby destinations. Topanga Lookout, the former site of a fire tower, stands above Red Rock Canyon and continues to offer fine views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Calabasas, and the Santa Susana Mountains. This hike to Topanga Lookout is 2 miles round trip with just 160 feet of elevation gain.

Just beyond the gated trailhead, the paved Topanga Tower Mountainway crosses a junction with Fossil Trail, a 0.6-mile section of the Backbone Trail that connects to the top of Hondo Canyon Trail. Continue past this junction up the paved road toward the radio towers atop Topanga Mountain. When a wide dirt trail breaks off to the left, follow it along the ridge uphill and then down to the lookout.

The trail toward Topanga Lookout

A large graffiti-covered concrete foundation marks the site of the old fire tower. It is clear why this site was chosen to look over the mountains. The views are wide and far. Take them in before returning the way you came. Across the road, the Backbone Trail finds its way up to Saddle Peak. This neighboring 2-mile hike also offers great views. No fee or permit is required, so get out and enjoy.

An alternative route to the lookout can be found at the junction of Calabasas Peak Motorway and Red Rock Canyon Motorway. This unmarked trail starts in between the two fire roads and climbs the ridge to the overlook.

A view of Calabasas Peak from the trail to Topanga 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. The trailhead is on the left just past the intersection.

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 Topanga Lookout 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

 

Topanga Lookout 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.
	Needles Lookout in Giant Sequoia National Monument This 5-mile hike visits a fire tower with unbeatable views of the region.

More Info

 

The official NPS webpage for the Backbone Trail