Begin The Hike From The Visitor Center And Will Rogers’ Home, Built In 1928. Head West (Left) Past The Tennis Courts And The Temescal-Rivas Canyon Trail To A Dirt Fire Road The Inspiration Loop Trail. Head Uphill On The Gentle Uphill Grade With Views Across Coastal Los Angeles To Palos Verdes And Catalina Island. At 0.8 Miles Is A Junction And Additional Views Across The Mountainous Back-Country. Detour 0.1 Mile Straight Ahead To Inspiration Point, With Sweeping Vistas Across Los Angeles.
Topanga State Park Map Photo Gallery
Return To The Junction And Head 70 Yards North To Rogers Road Trail, The Beginning Of The Backbone Trail. Head Up The Footpath, Entering Topanga State Park. (Dogs Are Not Allowed On The Trail After This Point.) Climb North On The Ridge Between Rivas Canyon And Rustic Canyon. At 1.5 Miles, Cross Chicken Ridge Bridge And Follow The Steep, Knife-Edged Slope At An Elevation Of 1,125 Feet. At Just Under 2 Miles Is A Junction On A Saddle. The Main Trail Continues Along The Ridge And Leads To Temescal Peak (Hike 75).
For This Hike, Leave The Backbone Trail And Steeply Descend Into Rustic Canyon On The Right, Dropping Nearly 700 Feet In A Half Mile. At The Canyon Floor, Cross Rustic Creek To The Rustic Canyon Trail By A Fenced Barn, Once Part Of Anatol Josepho’S Ranch. The Left Fork Leads Up Canyon To Camp Josepho, A Boy Scout Camp (Named After Anatol Josepho, A Friend Of Will Rogers). Head Down Canyon To The Right, And Stroll Through The Dense Forest Among Pine, Eucalyptus, Oak, Bay Laurel, Spruce, And Towering Sycamore Trees. Pass An Amazing Two-Story Metal Building With Rusted Metal Parts Scattered Around It And An Abandoned Concrete House With Arches, Used As A Power-Generator Building. The Entire House Is Covered Inside And Out With Colorful Graffiti And Murals. Both Buildings Were Part Of The Murphy Ranch Complex.
The Vertical Rock-Walled Canyon Narrows, And The Path Crisscrosses Rustic Creek In The Dense Forest. Pass An Old Flood-Control Dam Built In The Early 1900s. The Canyon Widens And Curves Uphill To The Polo Field Across From Will Rogers’ Home, Completing The Loop.
Topanga State Park
1501 Will Rogers State Park Road Pacific Palisades
Hiking Distance: 14 Miles Round Trip Hiking Time: 7.5 Hours Configuration: Out-And-Back Elevation Gain: 1,650 Feet Difficulty: Strenuous Exposure: Exposed With Shady Pockets Dogs: Not Allowed After First Mile
Maps: U.S.G.S. Topanga Topanga State Park Map Tom Harrison Maps: Topanga State Park Trail Map Will Rogers State Historic Park Map
Temescal Peak, Rising To A Height Of 2,126 Feet, Is The Highest Peak In Topanga State Park. The Peak Separates The Watersheds Of Rustic Canyon, Santa Ynez Canyon, And Temescal Canyon. Atop The Peak Is A Small Mound Of Rocks, A Survey Benchmark, And A Metal Post. From The Unadorned Peak, The Sweeping Vistas Extend North To The Los Padres National Forest, East To The San Gabriel Mountains, South To The Pacific Ocean And Catalina Island, And West Across The Seemingly Endless Ridges Of The Santa Monica Mountains.
Temescal Peak Is Accessible From Several Approaches. This Route Begins From Will Rogers State Historic Park And Follows A Ridge Northwest Between Temescal Canyon And Rustic Canyon, Two Stream-Fed Drainages. From Will Rogers State Park, The Trail Heads Into Topanga State Park On The Rogers Road Trail, The Easternmost Segment Of The 69-Mile-Long Backbone Trail. The Trail Follows The Steep Ridge Nearly All The Way To Temescal Peak. Throughout The Hike Are Wide-Angle Panoramas Of The Santa Monica Mountains Stretching Across Los Angeles And The San Fernando Valley.
Other Accesses To The Peak Are From The South In Pacific Palisades (Temescal Ridge Trail), From The West At Trippet Ranch (Hike 78), And From The North Off Of Dirt Mulholland.
To The Trailhead
From Santa Monica, Drive 1.6 Miles Northbound On The Pacific Coast Highway/Highway 1 To Chautauqua Boulevard. Turn Right And Continue 0.9 Miles To Sunset Boulevard. Turn Right Again. Drive 0.5 Miles And Turn Left At Will Rogers State Park Road. The Parking Area Is 0.7 Miles Ahead On The Left, Just Past The Entrance Station. Another Parking Lot Is A Short Distance Farther, On The Left By The Visitor Center. A Parking Fee Is Required.
The Hike
Begin The Hike From The Visitor Center And Will Rogers’ Home, Built In 1928. Head West (Left) Past The Tennis Courts And The Temescal-Rivas Canyon Trail To A Dirt Fire Road The Inspiration Loop Trail. Head Uphill On The Gentle Uphill Grade With Views Across Coastal Los Angeles To Palos Verdes And Catalina Island. At 0.8 Miles Is A Junction And Additional Views Across The Mountainous Back-Country. Detour 0.1 Mile Straight Ahead To Inspiration Point, With Sweeping Vistas Across Los Angeles.
Return To The Junction And Head 70 Yards North To Rogers Road Trail, The Beginning Of The Backbone Trail. Head Up The Footpath, Leaving Will Rogers State Park, And Enter Topanga State Park. (Dogs Are Not Allowed On The Trail After This Point.) Climb North On The Ridge Between Rivas Canyon And Rustic Canyon. At 1.5 Miles, Cross Chicken Ridge Bridge And Follow The Steep,
Knife-Edged Slope At An Elevation Of 1,125 Feet. Climb To Additional Views Into Forested Rustic Canyon And Sullivan Canyon To The Right. At Just Under 2 Miles Is A Junction On A Saddle. To The Right Is The Connector Trail Into Rustic Canyon Hike 74.
Stay On The Main Rogers Road Trail To The Left. Descend Along The East Wall Of Temescal Canyon To Lone Oak, A Massive Coast Live Oak Tree With Five Trunks. The Tree Sits On A Flat With Northern Views Towards The Los Padres National Forest. Veer Left And Meander Through A Corridor Under A Tree-Shaded Canopy. Weave Through The Quiet Of The Backcountry As The Trail Dips And Rises. From 1,900 Feet Above The City, The Views Extend Across Tarzana, Woodland Hills, And The Entire San Fernando Valley. Bear Left And Cross The Head Of The Canyon. Traverse The North-Facing Slope To A Posted Junction With The Bay Tree Trail At 6.3 Miles. Stay To The Left Towards The Signed Hub Junction. Wind Along The Mountainous Contours 0.6 Miles To The Temescal Ridge Trail. Just Shy Of This Junction, A Side Path Climbs The Hill Up To Temescal Peak, The 2,126-Foot Summit Of The Hike. After Enjoying The 360- Degree Vistas, Return Along The Same Trail.
From Temescal Peak, The Backbone Trail Connects To The Temescal Ridge Trail, Which Heads South To Temescal Gateway Park And Sunset Boulevard (Hike 76) And North To Hub Junction And Eagle Rock (Hike 78).
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