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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Ten Favorite Posts from ExperiencingLA.com

Here's a collection of some favorite posts from ExperiencingLA.com - ten to be precise. Feel free to click on the link for more information, and (in most cases) more photographs. Above, is a view from the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, looking north up the coast. 

A sea anemonea, in the tidepools at  the edge of the L.A. city limits, just north of the Pacific Coast Highway and Surfview Drive. Best time to go is at low tide. 

Randy's Dounuts, at Manchester and La Cienega (just off the 405) in Inglewood. One of the best examples of mid-century "programmatic architecture" - as well as yummy donuts. 

The Crossroads of the World center, located on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, three blocks south of Hollywood Blvd. Opened in 1936, it is described as America's first outdoor shopping mall. 

My wife and I with our kids and their three cousins. This was taken a couple of years back at the Los Angeles Live Steamers in Griffith Park.  

A walk around Bungalow Heaven, a beautiful historic neighborhood in Pasadena. This is one of dozens of "urban hikes" I took around Los Angeles -- although it's a real stretch to classify this neighborhood as "urban."

Topanga State Park, a 17 square mile park - located entirely within the Los Angeles City Limits. It's considered the world's largest wildland within the boundaries of a major city.

Olvera Street, located downtown and considered the "oldest street in Los Angeles" Great memories coming here as a kid; great memories coming here with my kids. 

The contrast of costal fog and ridges of the Santa Monica Mountains on an early morning hike. This is from the Paseo Miramar Trail located in the Pacific Palisades district of Los Angeles, looking east at sunrise. 

An evening at the Getty Center just off the 405 Freeway, our last month living in Los Angeles. 

Really, these are just a sample of some of our favorite posts. Have fun exploring others on this site.

In the next day or two, ExperiencingLA.com will have had a quarter of a million visits. Seems like a good milestone to step away from this site for a couple of months - at least in terms of new posts. I'll put a "final something" up next week. 

© 2013 www.experiencingla.com



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Experiencing L.A. - Creekside in the Santa Monica Mountains

In April 2008, my kids and I decided to explore upper Santa Ynez Canyon - located in Topanga State Park. The trailhead is in the Palisades Highlands, in Pacific Palisades. 

Hiking up about half a mile, we came to a group of large rocks along the creek, which  immediately became a playground ...

... with my kids running around.

And around. And around. 



These photos were taken a little over four years ago. It's amazing how quickly my kids - now 12½ and 10 - have grown. It's just another 6 and 8 years before they take off for college. As a Christian, I'm indebted to the words of Moses: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). In the case of my 12½ year old son, I've got 312 or so weeks (6 years X 52 weeks) before he transitions off to college - I don't want to waste any of that time. 

Southern California's unique Mediterranean climate means many of the creeks and smaller streams in are seasonal - running full in the winter and spring. Dry by mid-summer. 

Not much more I can add: my kids exploring and playing. This a really a special little place. Hard to believe, but this - like the rest of Topanga State Park - is all within the Los Angeles city limits. 

Heading back home through the canyon. While creek is dry by mid-summer, the large sycamores and live oaks in the canyon make for a great summer hike. Like all canyons in Southern California, there is poison oak, so just be aware. Because I had my kids, we were extra careful - wearing long pants/long sleeve shirts while on the trail.  

We came up here a couple other times when we lived in Los Angeles. The trailhead is located at 17394 Vereda De Montura, Pacific Palisades. No major elevation gains, and a beautiful canyon. It's a neat area to explore, even with - or especially with - kids. 

Another creek hike is in Upper Temescal Canyon, which features a small (OK, very small) waterfall. The Temescal Canyon loop is a very popular hike. Meaning the trail can get crowded - very crowded - especially on weekends. 

If you're willing to forgo a hike along a creek, I suggest the Temescal Canyon ridge hike (trailhead at the top of the Palisades Highlands) - what I consider one of the very best hikes in Los Angeles. What it lacks in terms of running water, it makes up for it in some spectacular views.

Finally, if you'd like to experience a creekside hike, even in the middle of the summer, try Malibu Canyon State Park. This is also where the old MASH tv show was filmed, as well as dozens of movies and other tv programs. Here's a great link to their site. 

View Temescal, Santa Ynez, Malibu Creek in a larger map

This is honestly just scratching the surface of hiking throughout the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, part of the National Park Service.

Another great site is Hike Speak (above). Here's a link to their page on the Santa Monica Mountains, featuring over sixty - yes, sixty! -hikes from Griffith Park to Malibu. 

© 2012 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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