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HIKE 10

Temescal Canyon

Location: Santa Monica Mountains (Pacific Palisades)

Highlights: Pseudoaerial coastline views and shady riparian and oak woodland

Distance: 2.8 miles (loop)

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 850'/850'

Hiking Time: 1½ hours

Optional Maps: Trails Illustrated Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or USGS 7.5-minute Topanga

Best Times: All year

Agency: SMMNRA

Difficulty: Moderate

Trail Use: Good for kids

Spring lingers long on the coastal slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains, which are frequently bathed from May until July in the sopping-wet breath of the marine layer. This is quintessential coastal sage-scrub and chaparral country, a particular habitat that is fast succumbing to urban development all over Southern California. All through spring and early summer, you can enjoy the scents of sage and wildflowers on the trails of Temescal Canyon, part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Topanga State Park. With an early start on a foggy morning, you may find yourself punching right through the mist as you ascend into the bright, sunny world above.

To Reach the Trailhead: Begin at Temescal Gateway Park, just north of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road in Pacific Palisades, 1 mile north of Pacific Coast Highway by way of Temescal Canyon Road. Park for a fee inside the park from sunrise to sunset. Pets are allowed on the short paths in Temescal Gateway Park, but they are prohibited on the outlying trails ahead, which enter Topanga State Park.

City views from Temescal Ridge

Description: This hike traverses the Temescal loop clockwise, climbing the scrubby west wall of Temescal Canyon on the way up and then making a nice, easy descent down through the canyon. To do this, head north up the road past several buildings that comprise the former Presbyterian conference grounds. Stay left onto a dirt path and climb to a signed junction where you can pick up the Tem-escal Ridge Trail on the left. The narrow trail immediately starts a vigorous ascent up the scrubby canyon slope to the west. After several twists and turns, the trail gains a moderately ascending crest and sticks to it. Pause often so you can turn around and look at the ever-widening view of the coastline curving from Santa Monica Bay to Malibu.

Ahead, two short trails (the Leacock and Bienveneda Trails) strike off to the left toward the end of Bienveneda Avenue. Ignore those paths and continue a junction (1.3 miles from the start) with the Temescal Canyon Trail on the right. At this juncture you have the option of making a side trip north 0.4 mile to a wind-carved, sandstone outcrop known as Skull Rock. To stay on the loop route, turn right and follow the Temescal Canyon Trail into the shady bottom of Temescal Canyon.

At the bottom you cross Temescal Canyon’s creek on a footbridge. Above and below that bridge are small, trickling waterfalls and shallow, limpid pools. You can poke around the creek a bit for a look at its typical denizens—water striders and newts. When you’ve finished sightseeing, continue down the canyon trail back to the conference buildings, a mile away. That final stretch follows the canyon bottom and then contours along a slope behind the buildings. Lots of live oak, sycamore, willow, and bay trees, their woodsy scents commingling on the ocean breeze, highlight your return.