101 Hikes in Southern California. Jerry Schad
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HIKE 11
Will Rogers Park
Location: Santa Monica Mountains (Pacific Palisades)
Highlights: City, ocean, and mountain views in a single stance
Distance: 2.0 miles (loop)
Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 350'/350'
Hiking Time: 1 hour
Optional Maps: Trails Illustrated Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or USGS 7.5-minute Topanga
Best Times: All year
Agency: WRSHP
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Use: Suitable for mountain biking, dogs allowed, good for kids
Drive up a short mile from the speedway known as Sunset Boulevard toward Will Rogers State Historic Park, and you’ll instantly leave the rat race behind. Especially on weekdays or early on weekend mornings, this quiet spot is perfect for getting some exercise and taking advantage of multimillion-dollar views of Santa Monica, West L.A., and downtown L.A.
Newspaperman, radio commentator, movie star, and pop-philosopher Will Rogers purchased this 182-acre property in 1922 and lived with his family here from 1928 until his death in 1935. Historic only by Southern California standards, his 31-room mansion is nevertheless interesting to tour. Your main goal, however, is to reach Inspiration Point, a flat-topped bump on a ridge overlooking the entire spread.
To Reach the Trailhead: Drive 1.5 miles east on Sunset Boulevard from the commercial district of Pacific Palisades (Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road) to reach the Will Rogers Park entrance road. Or take Sunset Boulevard 4 miles west from I-405 to reach the same entrance. The park is open daily, except certain holidays, 8 a.m.–sunset and charges a parking fee.
Santa Monica Bay
Description: You may want to obtain a copy of the detailed hikers’ map, available at the gift shop in a wing of the home. Printed on the map is one of Will’s memorable (if not apropos) aphorisms, “If your time is worth anything, travel by air. If not, you might just as well walk.” To reach Inspiration Point, follow the main, wide, riding and hiking trail that makes a 2-mile loop, starting at the north end of the big lawn adjoining the Rogers home. Or use any of several shorter, more direct paths (mountain bikes and leashed pets are only allowed on the main, looping trail).
Relaxing on the benches at the top on a clear day, you can admire true-as-advertised, inspiring vistas stretching east to the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains and southeast to the Santa Ana Mountains. South past the swelling Palos Verdes Peninsula you can sometimes spot Santa Catalina Island, rising in ethereal majesty from the shining surface of the sea.
Will Rogers Park serves as the east terminus of the Backbone Trail, which skims some 65 miles along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains. Its west end lies in Point Mugu State Park (described in Hike 3).
HIKE 12
Malaga Cove to Bluff Cove
Location: Palos Verdes Peninsula
Highlights: Boulder-hopping beneath sea cliffs and past small tidepools
Distance: 2.0 miles (loop)
Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 200'/200'
Hiking Time: 2 hours
Optional Map: USGS 7.5-minute Redondo Beach
Best Times: All year
Agency: PVESP
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Use: Good for kids
When the tide is not too high, curious hikers can thread their way along a narrow strip of rocks between the ocean and the sea cliffs at the northern end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Watch for sea life in small tidepools and debris from an old shipwreck. While young children may love this trip, folks uncomfortable hopping along slippery rocks will prefer exploring elsewhere.
Near Bluff Cove
To Reach the Trailhead: From the 110 Freeway, exit west on the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1). In 0.6 mile, turn left on Normandie. Then in 0.5 mile, veer right onto Palos Verdes Drive North. Follow this scenic winding road for 6.7 miles, then keep left onto Palos Verdes Drive West. In 0.2 mile, turn right onto Via Almar. In 0.5 mile, turn right again onto Via Arroyo, and in 0.1 mile, turn right yet again onto Paseo del Mar, where you will find a large parking area.
Description: Walk to the east end of the parking area, where you will see a trail just beyond a gazebo overlooking the Pacific. Follow the trail down to Malaga Cove. This hike leads left (southwest) along the rocks beneath the sea cliffs. If the tide looks too high or the surf is excessive, consider diverting right instead and taking a stroll along Torrance Beach.
Otherwise, pick a path over the sedimentary rocks. Surfers flock to the cove to test their skills on the waves. Look carefully for small sea anemones, snails, and hermit crabs in the tidepools. In 0.3 mile, watch and sniff for a natural mineral spring emerging from the rocks near the ocean’s edge. Continuing along the rocks, watch for rusted metal debris from an unknown wreck. The famous 1961 wreck of the Dominator freighter is located south on the peninsula near Rocky Point.
After a slow mile of picking your way through the rocks, reach Flat Rock Point, another popular spot to view tidepools. Bluff Cove lies on the far side of the point. Your goal is to reach Paseo del Mar above. An extremely steep and potentially hazardous trail leads straight up from Flat Rock Point. A safer choice is to continue along the cove to find a graded path on the left. In either event, once you reach Paseo del Mar, turn left and walk a half mile back to your vehicle, enjoying the elaborately landscaped mansions along the way.
HIKE 13
Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyons
Location: Simi Hills (east of Thousand Oaks)
Highlights: Classic green or golden California grassland dotted with oaks
Distance: 10 miles (loop)
Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,200'/1,200'
Hiking Time: 5 hours
Optional Maps: Trails Illustrated Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or USGS 7.5-minute Calabasas
Best Times: October–June
Agency: SMMNRA
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous
Trail Use: Suitable for mountain biking, dogs allowed
The Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyons park site, a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, serves as an important wildlife corridor between the interior Transverse Ranges in the north and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south. Self-propelled travelers by the thousands have discovered the place, but there’s plenty of room for visitors to spread out. The long, leisurely loop route described here visits the two canyons, both surprisingly serene and pristine despite extensive suburban development in the surrounding region. Deer, bobcats, coyotes, rabbits, owls, and various birds of prey can be spotted in both canyons, especially in the early morning.
Valley oak
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