Sunrise Over Los Angeles, Temescal Ridge Trail

I consider the Temescal Ridge Trail one of the very best hikes in Los Angeles. This photo was taken back on an early Saturday morning back in April 2007, just a few minutes before sunrise.

Completely hidden in a thick blanket of fog, Temescal Canyon - as well as the surrounding ridges - are all within the city limits of Los Angeles. Here's a link with additional photographs and information.

This photograph remains one of my very favorite from our five years living in Los Angeles.

All part of the Creator's handiwork; all part of experiencing Los Angeles.


.יְהוָה--בֹּקֶר, תִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי;    בֹּקֶר אֶעֱרָךְ-לְךָ, וַאֲצַפֶּה

"In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

© 2014 www.experiencingla.com



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Best Hike in Los Angeles: Upper Temescal Canyon Ridge

What's the best hike in Los Angeles?

Depends on what you're looking for. 

I think an strong argument could be made for the Temescal Ridge Trail being among the very best hikes in Los Angeles.

This past weekend I was back in town. I friend and I decided we'd try a sunrise hike. We were at the trailhead around 5:30am. 

While the rest of the city was blanked in a very thick marine layer, we were able to get just above the fog in time for the sunrise. The Temescal Ridge trail is part of Topanga State Park; the trailhead is located in the Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades (see map and directions at the bottom of this post), just 10 minutes north of the intersection of Sunset Blvd and the Pacific Coast Highway. 

No one else was on the trail. In fact, despite being a Saturday in May, a few minutes from the rest of the city, we didn't see anyone else for the first hour and a half we were out. 

Sunrise was at 5:48am. Pretty spectacular. 

Equally as impressive were the peaks from the adjacent ridge that were just slowly becoming visible as the fog receded ever so slowly. 

Another view from the same spot. I didn't have my "good" camera with me - these photos were all taken with my iPhone. 

After another couple minutes, the ridge to the south became visible. 

My buddy Jim and I ended sticking around at this one spot taking photographs for about 30 minutes. 

Really spectacular. I've been on this trail numerous times, and have blogged about several times in the past. Here are are a couple previous posts: Celebrating June Gloom and Beyond June Gloom.

As the minutes passed . . . 

. . . our views changed again . . . 

. . . and again. Wow. 

As I've blogged in the past, a reminder of the brevity of our lives and what Scripture calls our "brief stint" we have here on earth. 

There are some power lines along part of the ridge. Yeah, yeah, I know - kinda ugly. (Of course, no one complains about having access to electrical power.)

But even then, the views with the fog coming over the ridges were great. 

Here are two other views from the same trail, at different times: 

First with much denser fog. This photograph was taken at the exact same trail, just a different day.  Amazing conditions. 

Second, on a late Fall afternoon. Exact same trail: no fog, very clear conditions. Great views of the entire L.A. Basin, all the way to downtown Los Angeles. Pictured above is a close up of Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey and El Segundo. Quite spectacular. Here's a link to a previous blog post with similar photos from this hike. 

We walked about three miles up, turning around at the Rogers Road junction - which could have taken us to Will Rogers State Park. Maybe another day. Above, stopping to take a picture ...

... of the deer we spotted along the way.  

I mentioned how underused this trail is: it was a Saturday morning in May - and we saw only one mountain biker and two other hikers during the 2 1/2 hours we were out. For some reason this hike hasn't received nearly the same press as the nearby Skull Rock Loop Trail or the Paso Miramar Overlook.   

So why is this trail (imo) among the best hikes in Los Angeles?

Positives: 

- Easy access to the trailhead on city streets - just 10 minutes north of Sunset and the PCH.

- Free parking and clean restroom at the trailhead.

- Trailhead starts relatively high up at 1700 ft elevation. You're already very close to "the top" when you start, making for an easy to moderate hike along the ridge (great for beginners!). 

- Depending on local conditions, you're often just above the coastal fog. 

- On clear days, great views of the entire city and ocean. 

- One of the least crowded hikes in Los Angeles. There are times when I've hiked here on weekdays and have not seen a single other person. 

- It's a fireroad (vs a narrow trail), making it open to both hikers or mountain bikers. A wider path also means less problems with poison oak, ticks, bugs, or other critters. 

- Just a few miles from the beach, with ocean breezes and mild year-round climate. 

Negatives (if any):

- as it's a ridge (vs a canyon) there is little to no shade anywhere. You might want to avoid it between 11-3pm during the hot summer months.

- Because it is so underused, I recommend hiking with someone, or at least someone know where you're going, especially if you go on a weekday. Despite the fact it's surrounded by a huge metropolis, don't count on any cell phone coverage. 

View Temescal Ridge Trailhead, Pacific Palisades in a larger map

The trailhead, located just past the corner of Via Las Palmas and Via La Costa in Pacific Palisades. While ritzy Via Las Palmas might look like a gated community, it is most assuredly a public road. Continue another 100 yards on Via Las Palmas past Via La Costa, and there is a public parking lot (with restrooms and a drinking fountain) on the left. Don't forget to carry water. 

View Temescal Ridge Trailhead, Pacific Palisades in a larger map

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com

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Celebrating June Gloom: Temescal Canyon Ridge

Hey everyone! It's June! You know what that means: time to celebrate JUNE GLOOM! 

June Gloom is the terms used locally to describe the thick coastal fog that Los Angeles and much of coastal Southern California experiences in the Spring and early summer months. When we lived in Los Angeles, hiking locally in the Santa Monica Mountains was one way to actually enjoy June Gloom. 

A very accessible trail is the Temescal Ridge trail, part of Topanga State Park. The trailhead is located at the top of the Palisades Highlands in Pacific Palisades. 

Homes, mountains, fog: the photo above is looking east with Topanga Canyon in the distance. The trailhead is a few steps away from this spot. I've blogged about this trail several times before - each time it's different. 

Heading north along the trail, the fog was literally pouring over the adjacent ridges. 

It was amazing to watch. Above is the top of the Paseo Miramar ridge trail. Here's a link to some similar sunrise photos, taken a couple of years ago from the Paseo Miramar trail. 

In a matter of minutes the entire ridge was engulfed in a thick blanket of fog.

The fog allowed for some interesting photos, including the large tree several miles to the east on the western ridge of Mandeville Canyon. Normally, this tree would be completely blended in to the rest of the terrain: it's visible only because of the contrasting white fog.

Same tree - gives you an idea how far away it was. These mountains, the Santa Monicas, run from Griffith Park in the east all the way to Point Mugu in the west. They literally cut through the City of Los Angeles, separating the San Fernando Valley from the rest of the city. With the exception of the San Garbriel Mountains (barely visible in the distance), everything else you're looking at lies within the city limits of Los Angeles. 

Another view, same tree (or trees), with the fog morning for some interesting patterns. I've commented previously that the coastal fog is a continual reminder of how brief and temporal our own lives are. Seventy, or - if we're lucky - eighty, years is a blink in light of eternity. 

As a Christian, I've found that the creation - in all it's beauty, complexity, and design - points to a Creator. And, yes, I realize this perspective isn't limited to Christianity. 

Looking back east towards Topanga Canyon. The ridge that was covered in fog a few minutes earlier was once again visible.

Another view: the homes along the ridge on on the western edge of Topanga Canyon. 

Looking into upper Temescal Canyon as the fog made it's way up the canyon . . . 

. . . making for some interesting patterns. 

Swirling around, looking almost like a dragon . . . 

. . . or a hook . . .

. . . and a minute later, it was gone.  

A few last wisps of fog in the upper-most reaches of Temescal Canyon.

Thinking a bit more about our brief stint on earth, French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal comes to mind. Pascal - who only lived to age 39 - used logic and mathematics to argue for the existence of God in what's commonly known as "Pascal's Wager."

A UCLA professor summarized Pascal's Wager on her website: "If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in him, while if he does exist, one will lose everything by not believing." Or, the bumper sticker sticker version: "If you live as if there is no God, you better be right."

While mathematics was probably my weakest subject in college, Pascal's Wager certainly makes a strong argument to at least consider the implications of Christianity. And hiking along Temescal Ridge, I found the beauty of what I was experiencing an equally compelling argument to consider if there is something more than our seventy or so years on earth. 

A final photo with the same fog now creeping up towards the top of the Palisades Highlands. A few minutes later I was in my car, having gotten some exercise, nice photos, and - thanks to Pascal and the local weather patterns - something significant to reflect on. 

The trailhead, located just past the corner of Via Las Palmas and Via La Costa in Pacific Palisades. While Via Las Palmas might look like a gated community, it is most assuredly a public road. Continue another 100 yards on Via Las Palmas past Via La Costa, and there is a public parking lot (with restrooms) on the left. 

© 2011 www.experiencingla.com