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Hiked into La Jolla Valley trail camps, 5 miles, 1500’ (or 1100’ depending on app).
Uphill to 2.6 miles then pretty much flat(ish).
The camp is in the trees in the valley, no cell service.
Peaceful and pretty.
No water.
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Great fathers day bike with my family. Just over 3 miles. Get there early! (Before 8am).
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Great 9.7 mile loop on fire roads and trails. Lots of birds, rabbits and quail.
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If I were you, I would avoid the Rivas Ridge trail. Unfortunately, it just isn’t maintained and while it’s possible to do, its pretty overgrown (wear pants) and not very enjoyable. You will be ducking underneath low hanging trees and shrubbery while dealing with pretty loose dirt most of the time. Really love hiking Will Rodgers, but disappointed in their trail maintenance on some of the less popular trails.
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Hiked this many times. Never the same. Not for the faint of heart. Bushwhacking, crawling, wear long pants and sleeves and gloves. Maybe even bring a saw! But so wild and beautiful.
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This trail has some crazy elevation gain going up Danielson and going down Western Ridge Trail. Along Western Ridge the trail frequently disappears and your left scaling down rock faces.
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Great hike for families with kids. 2.25 miles from the parking lot to the ocean overlook. Take water - and watch for rattle snakes!
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This hike has the best views and the most elevation change of other hikes we have attempted in this area. Sandstone Peak and Tri Peaks.
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I nice well paved trail with some good views of the ocean and valley. The two star drop is the sheer number of people. Go early or midweek.
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Very scenic views of the Pacific Ocean. Can be windy and watch your footing on the downhills
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I wouldn’t want to do this as a summer hike but it was quite pleasant in winter. You’ll likely see rock climbers and the views along the ridge are wonderful. I managed to hit the ridge as the marine layer came in and eventually spilled over which provided some great drama for the photos.
The only downside is that it is a very heavily trafficked trail.
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This is a straightforward and accessible hike for just about anyone who can manage a wide, even-keeled fire road. Great views. Inclines are gradual and far from punishing. Good hike for all levels, with options to extend it further for folks who want more miles and a longer work out.
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Quite a surprise tis trail I wasn’t expecting it to be as fun as it was,parking was fine,a nice bit of shade,on shores,epic views all round,beautiful array of birds,blue jays,squirrels,Keeping my doddle aware of his new surroundings,popular Trail can get a little crowded,Mask UP and happy hiking
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Fun easy loop echo cliffs,peak,inspiration point,balancing rock (register box) worth a close up a short scramble from split rock (easy) get back on trail to complete the loop,sunscreen,hat,layers as it can get pretty windy,2L of h20 was more than enough,Plus I recommend going counter clockwise on tis loop.Have fun and Happy Hiking
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Parking was good not that crowded followed the trail to boney mountain quite a few ups and downs,rock climbs plus you need to stay focused on the trail it thins out get tight,up hill rocky ascents,great views ocean was glassy great views of the channel island.careful when going down scrambling of rocks,hunker down and grip the branches rocks etc,trekking poles you don’t need on tis hike,happy hiking
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Ok for a quick one after a nice Malibu Seafood lunch to get some lovely views of the ocean. But it’s extremely dry up there today, with some extended brush encroaching the trail to get through.
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I ascended on the Eastern she de of the loop, which was a fun hike. Steep and narrow towards the top, through tunnels of Manzanitas. In mid November with sunny skies and 63 degrees, it was perfect weather for shorts and a tee. The descent on the Western ridge trail was rough. Steep, loose, and overgrown, it was barely more than a game trail. In fact, I lost the trail several times following game trails. Stick to the Eastern side of the loop.
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It was a typical Topanga hike. Not much shade. Hot August hike. Breeze was nice and we would have seen the ocean if there wasn’t fog.
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Good hike, very exposed all along hike and it gets hot here.
Dusty.
Mountain bikes like it here.
Some horses too
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While a very popular, high volume, trail, you can make this trail fresh with no one around by going for a night hike. The trail was sparsely populated as we passed groups heading down in the evening. We made it to the peak at sunset (~6:50p 9.17.20) and were greeted by a very unafraid fox stalking our TJs trail mix in the dark (please do not feed!). The night time view was fantastic of SM and LA. On our way down in the dark we came across a Skunk tail in the bushes (no smell) and the sounds of a Great Horned Owl. The crickets were in full song and we had to talk over them. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a fresh take on a highly traversed trail.
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Great mountain biking from the highlands up trailer canyon up to eagle rock. Great hill challengers and fun downhills.
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The Will Rodger Trail section of this hike is quite rugged. Just stay along the creek no matter what. Trail comes in and out. Don’t get fooled by offshoots. Would not go if it’s rained recently. When you get to the small waterfall/dam you need to ascend or descend via a rope on the side. Recommend clockwise and not near sunset without a head lamp. Lots of canopy makes it dark around dusk. Hiking boots highly recommended, there will be water and mud. This is not your typical SM dusty fire road.
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The Will Rodger Trail section of this hike is quite rugged. Just stay right along the creek no matter what. Trail comes in and out. Don’t get fooled by offshoots. When you get to the small waterfall/dam you need to ascend or descend via a rope on the side.
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1100 vertical feet in just over a mile. Very hard, very rewarding!
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One of the best hiking loops in Southern California. Start to the left to experience a more challenging experience.
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Great Sumer hike, mostly shade, avoid Temescal Cyn during the week ends..
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Classic SoCal hike in the Santa Monica mountains - with views of the Pacific, Los Padres and San Gabriel mountains.
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Love this hike! Amazing views of the ocean and mountains. Have gone back multiple times.
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Although it was difficult, it was worth it. We did the loop plus some other hiking trails along the way, making it a 10 mile hike. The trail either went up or down. There were hills filled with beautiful flowers. Tri peaks trail had some amazing boulders to rock climb, and the view was extraordinary. On the way there, we came across thousands of black bees that were living underground, which was a cool experience. On our way back to the parking lot it was already dark, and the night animals came out. We saw a baby black Diamond rattlesnake, as well as a baby scorpion, and three kangaroo mice. Plus other interesting insects.
Next time, be sure to pack extra flashlights, water, and start the hike before 12:00.
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Amazing trail to catch a nice overlook of the ocean. sunrise is the best time. You also beat the 8:00 traffic
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The trail starts on the oaks Trippet Ranch. The trail winds through the grassy hills until crossing old Topanga Canyon Road, then sans for the remaining 4 miles as your hike up Hondo Canyon to Ewen Overlook. The last mile is along the fossil Ridge Trail where your treated two rocks with imprints of scallops millions of years old. Once you reach you and overlook, make sure to take the extra mile detour on the tapanga Ridge I rode out to the Topanga Overlook which provides 360° views all the way down the back down to Sandstone Peak.
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Great workout. There are a few really pretty views once you drop into the creek
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Beautiful hike. One of my all time favorite tv shows. It was great to see where they filmed it.
Bridge across the dam to the Forest Trail no longer exists.
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Easy hike for summits on the air. You can see the 101 Freeway to the north, glimpse the ocean beyond Malibu Canyon and the beautiful Santa Monicas round about. Other SoTA peaks, Saddle, Calabasas, Ladyface and the forbidden Castro Peak visible in this green SoCal winter.
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Many things to see and tons of trails to a rock pool, century dam and reservoir, mast site and paramount ranch
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Perfect Sun morning hike. 1/2 way to a waterfall 1/2 way to the top. Beautiful views.
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Great hike with casual terrain. Excellent features to view and appreciate throughout the accent. Perfect prep/training hike for bigger planned adventures. We went up with 25lbs loaded in our packs and got killer exercise and workout. We arrived about 9:30am on a Sunday and still found parking. The trails were not crowded. The drive from LA is not long if you leave early. I would recommend this hike to anyone. If you summit all the way to the top, just be sure to bring 2 liters of water on a hot day if you’re loaded with packs.
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Very steep short hike. Great workout with gorgeous ocean and Mountain View’s . Very nice.
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Great Hike! 11.25 miles, wild flowers still in bloom. Very little shade though, pack enough water and stay on look out for those on mountain bikes. Snakes are abundant and ticks so wear long pants.
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This hike has a little of everything. Foliage cover on a narrow trail at the bottom. Huge uphill on an open fire road. Stunning vistas. Lots of flowers at the right time of year. And lots of wildlife if you’re paying attention.
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Love this area. Grew up around here, going to university in Boulder, and i still think this is one of the most beautiful places. Gotta go early in the morning though. Watching the fog burn off the valley floors from a mountain is so nice
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January of 2019, a few months after the Woolsey Fire.
I've always thought the China Flat area was so beautiful, this micro-climate of oak forest among the grass and dry brush and the area was so devastated. But there was some green on a few of the oaks so I hope most will survive. I came up the King James Court entrance. There is a gate there but it is unlocked and there is a sign saying there are hazards. Most of the hazards, as it were, are right at the beginning where there are some temporary berms preventing erosion. Since the trail up is mostly rock I don't see a lot of slippage otherwise. I did see a large boulder in the trail at one point that came off a rock wall. There were many people on the trail and it was raining lightly and also some mountain bikers.
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Enjoyed it more before they restricted access around the waterfall area. There are good ocean views from the loop at the top and some other places if the weather is clear, which in the year 2018 hasn't been often.
On the Rising Sun part of the trail I was bit by a dog (owner had it on a leash). I don't know if this is informative or just a random event, I've never been bitten on a trail before. If anything it is an indication that a) it's a busy park, and b) people bring dogs on single track trails.
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It had been 6 months since I did this last. I went on Sunday. No water at lower/upper Falls. I didn't take the rope this time, tried the other way. Got a little lost on way up, but able to backtrack & find the way. Just remember when climbing up, head to the left. Way down was a lot easier (since we knew where we were going).
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