Bantam Trail and Castair Trail
in Trebek Open Space
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Two half-mile long fire roads cross the 62-acre Trebek Open Space, providing short hikes on the south face of the Hollywood Hills. Bantam Trail begins from Nichols Canyon Road and climbs to a ridge running down the east side of the park. Castair Trail begins from a trailhead lower down the ridge and drops into Nichols Canyon, coming to a dead-end above the road. A rugged single track descends the ridge between the two trails, offering a panoramic view over Hollywood spanning from downtown Los Angeles to Century City.
Beginning from Nichols Canyon Road, 1.3 miles north of Hollywood Boulevard, step through the black gate and start up Bantam Trail. The dirt fire road heads southeast gradually ascending out of the canyon.
A view of Castair Trail in Nichols Canyon from Bantam Trail
Views over Hollywood expand as the trail crosses the east side of Nichols Canyon, passing through low brush and grasses. Stay to the right through the junction 0.45 miles (and 150 vertical feet) from the start. Just ahead, the road reaches the ridgeline and comes to an end at an overlook with views to the east across a small canyon toward the ridge on the west side of Runyon Canyon Park. Hikers may be visible making their way along West High Way Trail on the backbone of the ridge.
Looking east up the small canyon between Runyon Canyon Park and Trebek Open Space
Looking west over Nichols Canyon
The path down the ridge below the overlook at the end of Bantam Trail
A quarter mile (and 175 feet) below is the trailhead for Castair Trail. Before heading back down Bantam Trail, venture a short distance down the ridge to a lower landing. On a clear day, Santa Monica Bay is visible to the west, and Griffith Observatory peaks out behind the ridges to the east. Turn around here for a 1.15-mile hike, or drop down the ridge to Castair Trail.
The trailhead for Castair Trail
The rugged single track descends precipitously to the top of Wattles Drive and the start of Castair Trail. The fire road heads northwest into Nichols Canyon, losing elevation as it charts a parallel course below Bantam Trail.
There are nice views up and down the canyon, similar to the trail above. Half a mile in, Castair Trail comes to a sudden stop at an imposing black gate marked “No Trespassing” and does not connect to Nichols Canyon Road. Turn around, and hike 125 feet back up to the trailhead, and then make the steep climb up the ridge to return to Bantam Trail. Both trails combined (a.k.a. the Daily Double) make a 2.5-mile out-and-back trebek, I mean trek. There is 325 feet of elevation between the high and low points of the hike. The unmaintained single track up the ridge is quite steep, but the fire roads are gradual otherwise.
Dogs are welcome in Trebek Open Space, and this is a popular dog-walking destination. Overall, there is far less foot and paw traffic than nearby Runyon Canyon Park, with similar scenery. No fee or permit is required to visit Trebek Open Space, so get out and enjoy.
To get to Bantam Trailhead: From Hollywood Boulevard, three block east of Fairfax Ave, head north on Nichols Canyon Road. The road ascends the canyon, makes a sweeping turn to the left and arriving at the trailhead after 1.3 miles. The trail starts on the outside of a grand turn to the left behind a black gate. Ample roadside parking is available.
To get to Castair Trailhead: From Hollywood Boulevard, six blocks west of Fairfax, head north on Curson Ave for 0.6 miles. At road’s end take the sharp left, and continue up Wattle’s Drive for 0.3 miles to the trailhead. Limited roadside parking is available.
Use the map below to create your own directions:
Nearby Trails
 | Runyon Canyon This 1.65 or 2.65-mile loop tours the most popular dog park in Los Angeles. Both loops offer good exercise and views over Hollywood. |
 | Mount Lee and the Hollywood Sign This 6.4-mile hike crosses Griffith Park from Canyon Drive to the top of Mount Lee directly behind the landmark Hollywood Sign. |
 | Bronson Cave This short easy hike visits a man-made cave recognizable as the Batcave from the 1960s Batman TV series and hundreds of other locations on TV and film. |
 | Cahuenga Peak from Wonder View Trail This 3-mile hike ascends 925 feet to Cahuenga Peak and the adjacent Mount Lee, home of the Hollywood Sign. |
 | Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook This 2.5-mile hike ascends a grassy slope south of Culver City, crossing a steep staircase to an expansive viewpoint overlooking the Los Angeles Basin. |
 | More trails in the Santa Monica Mountains Explore other destinations in the range. |
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It seems like the Castair Trailhead is closed. When you round the sharp left on Curson, there is a big black gate blocking the way. I have no idea why this gate is there, there are no “No Trespassing” signes or anything. I was able to walk down from the Castair Trailhead through the pedestrian gate on Curson, but I’m not sure you can get in that way.
There is one alternate trailhead, at Astral Dr. It can be reached by continuing up Nichols canyon and turning right onto Astral. The trailhead is behind a chain link gate.
Hi Toivo – I’m not sure if you will get this, but I am curious: is there any way to get around the black gate at the very top of Curson (leading onto Wattles Drive, and eventually the Castair Trailhead)? I looked at it on Google Maps and couldn’t tell if there was a pedestrian entrance, and maybe just cars can’t go through. Otherwise, where exactly was the other pedestrian gate on Curson that you mentioned above? Thanks for any info! Wanted to check out this trail this weekend by entering on Curson Ave! Tiffany
To answer my own question (in case anyone else has the same one), the gate all the way at the top of Curson, which leads into Castair Trail, is just a pedestrian gate and seems to be open during all daylight hours. After you go through, you walk a bit past some houses on Wattles Drive and then the trail starts. Very pretty!