Day Hikes In the Santa Monica Mountains: From Los Angeles To Point Mugu, Including The Entire Backbone Trail

by Robert Stone

Overview

The 50-mile-long Santa Monica Mountains parallel the coastline in Southern California, dividing the Pacific coast from the interior valleys. The majority of the range is located within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world's largest national park at 150,000 acres, including three major state parks.

Included in this new guide are 138 day hikes, with an additional section of 13 hikes that traverses the full length of the 68-mile Backbone Trail in day hike segments.  There are a variety of hikes to accommodates every level of hiking, from short strolls along boardwalks to all-day coast-to-peak hikes. Also included are clear trail descriptions, ample maps, and an index.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781573420655
Publisher:	Day Hike Books, Inc.
Publication date:	03/20/2012
Series:	Day Hikes Series
Edition description:	1st Edition
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Since 1991, Robert Stone has been writer, photographer, and publisher of Day Hike Books. He is a Los Angeles Times Best Selling Author and an award-winning journalist of the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers, the Outdoor Writers Association of California, the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association, and the Bay Area Travel Writers. Robert resides summers in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and winters on the California Central Coast.

Read an Excerpt

Hike 1 summary: Beacon Hill Loop: Griffith Park in Los Angeles. "Beacon Hill is the easternmost summit of the 50-mile-long Santa Monica Mountain Range. An illuminated beacon once resided on the top of Beacon Hill, warning aircraft of the mountains next to the Glendale Grand Central Airport, the main airport for Los Angeles and Hollywood during the 1910s and 1920s. From Beacon Hill you can see it all—from the Pacific Ocean, across the Los Angeles Basin, and to the San Gabriel Valley and Mountains.
Beacon Hill is located in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, the largest municipal park in the United States. This hike begins near the park's historic 1926 merry-go-round, then climbs up Fern Canyon en route to the 1,001-foot summit. The trail forms a large loop around the base of Beacon Hill along the southeast corner of Griffith Park. An additional one-mile loop leads to Vista View Point, which offers a bird's-eye view of Hollywood and the Griffith Park Observatory."

Table of Contents

(1) Introduction and master map of all hikes (2) Griffith Park and Hollywood Hills (3) Beverly Hills to Santa Monica / East San Fernando Valley to 405 Freeway (4) Santa Monica and 405 Freeway to Topanga Canyon (5) "Dirt" Mulholland Drive / East San Fernando Valley to Topanga Canyon (6) Will Rogers State Park / Topanga State Park (7) Topanga Canyon to Malibu Canyon (8) Cold Creek Area (9) Malibu Canyon Road/Las Virgenes Road to Kanan Dume Road/Kanan Road (10) Kanan Dume Road/Kanan Road to Point Dume (11) Point Mugu State Park (12) The Backbone Trail—East to West (13) Index. Each hike includes a summary, driving directions, hiking directions, and a map.