Recommended ICO Hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains  

By Shirley Hickman 

All of the following suggested sites in the Santa Monica Mountains are recommended as destinationsfor ICO hikes.

Be sure to scout the trails prior to leading ICO hikes!

Malibu Creek State Park      MAP

Make a reservation at Malibu Creek State Park when you order a bus. Click on:

• Field Trip Application Information [PDF: 62KB]
• Field Trip Application [PDF: 101KB]

Directions: 101 Freeway

South on Las Virgenes Road to just past Mulholland Highway
Right into Malibu Creek State Park

            or

West on Pacific Coast Highway
North on Malibu Canyon Road
Left into Malibu Creek State Park

Hikes:

Tapia is part of Malibu Creek State Park. For a one-way, 4 mile hike, have the bus meet you at the Malibu Creek State Park parking lot. Eat lunch at the Rock Pool and then hike back to the bus.

For further information about this park, contact 
John Abel at (310) 456-8384.

Solstice Canyon Park       MAP                      TOP

Reservations are made from the list of hikes in the ICO newsletter. Only one bus can go to Solstice on any one day. ICO leaders need to check the ICO Newsletter to see if a trip is already scheduled at Solstice before scheduling a new trip. They should also check the Newsletter the month prior to the trip; if more than one trip is scheduled the leaders should consult and arrange a different destination for all but one group.

Directions: Pacific Coast Highway past Malibu Canyon Road and Puerco Canyon Road. 
North on Corral Canyon Road into the park

Hikes:

Temescal Canyon Gateway Park        MAP      TOP

To make a reservation, telephone Ranger Joyce Whitehead at (310) 454-1395, ext.103. Leave a message including your name, contact information, and the date when ICO will be leading a hike. Joyce will alert Maria, whom you should call at (310) 844-8103 when you arrive at the park. Maria will give you passes for the bus and other vehicles. An alternative is to park south of the Temescal Canyon Gateway Park next to Pacific Palisades High School.

Directions: 405 Freeway  
West on Sunset past Will Rogers Historic State Park
North on Temescal Canyon Road into the park

            or

Pacific Coast Highway  
North on Temescal Canyon Road into the park

Hike:

Topanga State Park         MAP                            TOP  

Make a reservation at Topanga State Park when you order a bus.
Topanga Field Trip Application [PDF: 173KB]

Mail to:
Topanga State Park
20825 Entrada Road
Topanga, CA 90290

Or fax to: (310) 455-7085
If you need to contact someone for further information, you may phone Ranger Danny Duarte at (310)455-2465 x 3
or email him at dduarte@parks.ca.gov

On the bus request form, specify if the group will be meeting at the Trippet Ranch Trailhead. Dead Horse Trailhead, or Los Leones.

Directions: 101 Freeway  
South on Topanga Canyon Boulevard  
Left on Entrada Road  
Left into the park

            or

Pacific Coast Highway  
North on Topanga Canyon Boulevard
Right on Entrada Road  
Left into the park

Parking: If the participating agency is located outside the city of Los Angeles, go to Useful Forms (or CLICK HERE for the PDF form) to find the form needed to reserve a bus parking space. Bus reservations for agencies located outside the city of Los Angeles must be made two weeks in advance.

If the participating agency is located in the city of Los Angeles, call the park rangers at (310) 455-2465, ext.106 to notify them that a bus from Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) will be coming. MRCA buses do not need to pay a parking fee and do not need to submit the reservation form.

Hikes:

Will Rogers State Historic Park      MAP           TOP  

Make a reservation at Will Rogers State Historic Park by contacting Carlos Matamoros.
E-mail: cmatamoros@parks.ca.gov
Phone: (310) 454-8212 X106
Place a sign on your car saying ICO – Sierra Club.

Directions: 405 Freeway  
West on Sunset  
Right on Will Rogers State Park Road into the park

            or

Pacific Coast Highway  
North on Temescal Canyon Road  
East on Sunset  
Left on Will Rogers State Park Road into the park

 Hikes:                          

Griffith Park
Directions: From the 101 Freeway, take the Vermont exit and head north until you reach the end of the road in Griffith Park. Pass under the tunnels. There is no bus parking at the Observatory. The bus leaves off the students and parks at the Greek Theatre. Parking at the Merry Go Round is plentiful.

Hike:
Ages: All
Miles: 3

Mt. Hollywood Loop
There are a couple of different places to pick up this trail. You can start from the Observatory and end up there, or you can take the back way up and follow the access road (paved) for a mile until you reach an offshoot of the trail, and then follow it and its offshoots until you get back down off the trail.

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Bibliography

Note: Most ranger stations at the parks can supply trail maps.

Internet Sources:

Hikes in Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, California

http://www.localhikes.com/MSA/MSA_4472.asp

Hundred Peaks Section Peak List

http://angeles.sierraclub.org/hps/hpslist.htm

HPS Trip Archives

http://angeles.sierraclub.org/hps/archives/hpsa.htm  

Books:

McKinney, John. Wild L.A. : A Day Hiker's Guide. Santa Barbara, CA: Olympus Press, 2003.

Schad, Jerry. Afoot & Afield in Los Angeles County . Berkeley , CA : Wilderness Press, 2003.

Schad, Jerry. Top Trails Los Angeles . Berkley , CA : Wilderness Press, 2004.

Stone, Robert. Day Hikes Around Los Angeles : 82 Great Hikes. Day Hike Books, Inc, 2003.

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Contact ICO
View the About ICO page for contact information.