hikespeak

Summit to Summit Motorway is a 3.2-mile road along a ridgeline between the high points of Old Topanga Canyon Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard (hence the name Summit to Summit). Less than half a mile of the road is paved and the rest is packed dirt perfect for hiking, biking, or jogging. At the northeast end, Summit to Summit Motorway finishes across from Top of Topanga Overlook, a park with views across the San Fernando Valley. ...Read more.

Summit Valley Edmund D. Edelman Park preserves 652 acres at the top of Topanga Canyon that were saved from development. Hikers can explore a couple loops through the main area of the park. For a short 1.65-mile hike with 190 feet of elevation change, try Edelman North Loop, which goes along the valley floor before circling back along a wildflower-covered ridge. ...Read more.

Also known as Calabasas Peak Trail, Calabasas Peak Motorway is a 3.8-mile long dirt fire road that passes below the summit of Calabasas Peak. Hikers on the trail can examine interesting sandstone rock formations on and around Calabasas Peak and enjoy broad views over a scenic part of the Santa Monica Mountains between Topanga and Agoura Hills. One way to reach the summit of Calabasas Peak is to hike from the northeast end of Calabasas Peak Motorway where the fire road meets Old Topanga Canyon Road at the top of the valley west of Topanga. ...Read more.

Viewridge Trail doesn't look like much at first glance – a one-mile long single track connecting two roads. However, there is a loop beyond the end of Viewridge Trail that reaches an overlook on sandstone outcroppings with panoramic views over Topanga and the middle of the Santa Monica Mountains. This addition elevates Viewridge Trail, and the trail it reaches called Summer Hill Ranch Road, into a very worthy hike in Summit Valley Edmund D. ...Read more.

Tuna Canyon Park preserves 1,255 beautiful acres in the mountains between Topanga and Malibu. Despite being relatively unknown and under-visited, the park delivers some of the grandest ocean views to be found anywhere in the Santa Monica Mountains. From ridges 1,500 feet above a silken Pacific Ocean, Tuna Canyon Park looks east toward Santa Monica Bay and west up the coast of Malibu. ...Read more.

Parker Mesa Overlook is one of the best vista points in the Santa Monica Mountains, serving up panoramic views over Santa Monica Bay from a 1,525-foot oceanfront ridge in Topanga State Park. The overlook is located along East Topanga Fire Road, a north-south running ridge trail spanning between Trippet Ranch, the park's main trailhead in the north, and Paseo Miramar in the Pacific Palisades to the south. ...Read more.

With its unique craggy surface and panoramic views, Eagle Rock is one of the most exciting hiking destinations in Topanga State Park. There are several ways to get to the 1,957-foot summit. For hikers leaving from the park's main trailhead at Trippet Ranch, Musch Trail is an excellent route. The narrow trail is half a mile longer than the more traveled Eagle Springs Fire Road, and is off limits to bikers as it cuts through sagebrush terrain. ...Read more.

Temescal Peak rises over a wide region of the Santa Mountains triangulated between the Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Calabasas. The peak sits on Temescal Ridge, which runs north to south between Santa Ynez Canyon and Temescal Canyon in Topanga State Park. Only seventy vertical feet separate the summit from Temescal Ridge Trail, a service road running down the ridge, making the final climb to the top a near effortless ascent. ...Read more.

Skull Rock sits on the shoulders of Temescal Ridge north of Temescal Gateway Park, delivering broad views over Santa Monica Bay. The head-shaped sandstone formation can be reach as an extension of Temescal Canyon Loop, bringing the hike to 3.8 miles. Skull Rock can also be reached via trailheads farther up Temescal Ridge. The nearest trailhead, located in the Palisades Highlands, provides a scenic 1. ...Read more.

The craggy sandstone summit of Eagle Rock rises over Topanga State Park, delivering panoramic views of the Santa Monica Mountains. The shortest trail to awesome prominence is a four-mile hike from Trippet Ranch to Eagle Rock. For a more challenging trek, explore this 7.4-mile round trip hike ascending 1,400 feet from Santa Ynez Canyon to the 1,957-foot summit of Eagle Rock. ...Read more.