From the category archives:

Santa Monica Mountains

Hiking Los Liones Trail to Parker Mesa

January 4, 2010

A 7.3 mile hike from the Pacific Palisades to a popular overlook in Topanga State Park. The first part of this hike – the Los Liones Trail – is one of the most lush riparian canyons I’ve seen in the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s gently graded, moderately shady, and definitely worth a [...]

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Hike to the Hollywood Sign

November 20, 2009

If you’re one of the few non-natives who actually stick around Los Angeles when Holiday Season hits, and you want to try to work off some of that Thanksgiving turkey, you might want to join up on a ranger-led hike to the Hollywood Sign in Griffith Park.
On the mornings of November 27th and 28th [...]

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Trails and Photos in the Santa Monica Mountains

November 13, 2009

With the Angeles National Forest still mostly closed off, the Santa Monica Mountains are the place to be this weekend. With some cooler temperatures in the forecast, it’s the perfect time to bundle up (SoCal style) and hit a trail in the mountains.

The longest stretch of the Backbone Festival is tomorrow, Saturday the [...]

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The Backbone Festival is Back

November 6, 2009

Starting this weekend and continuing through December, the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club will celebrate the annual Backbone Festival by leading free group hikes along sections of the Backbone Trail – that *almost* finished 68-mile trail through the Santa Monica Mountains from the Pacific Palisades to the Pacific Ocean.
Each section will highlight a different [...]

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Smartphone Botany

October 23, 2009

So I know I just wrote a story about someone who got attacked by a bear while she was checking something on her iPhone, but if you’re careful about when and where you use your smartphone on the trail, you can actually help out with an important project.
Invasive plants have long been a problem in [...]

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Reminder – Spirit of the Mountains Contest is This Month

October 1, 2009

A while back, I wrote about the announcement of the Spirit of the Mountains Contest – a photo-contest for the Santa Monica Mountains, with winners being published in the official newsletter of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, OUTDOORS.
Well, the contest is officially on – and the park service is accepting entries through the [...]

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Get Ready for a Busy Weekend

September 25, 2009

This Saturday is National Public Lands Day, an annual event dedicated to giving back to our public lands.
Since so many of our public lands seem to be under assault recently – whether it be from fires or shortminded politicians who STILL won’t release a list of parks they want to close – now’s a good [...]

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Hike the Backbone in Photos

August 13, 2009

This Saturday, August 15th, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Visitor Center in Thousand Oaks will let you take a virtual tour of the nearly-completed 67.79 mile Backbone Trail.
National Park Service volunteer photographer Jim Belsley will present a virtual tour of the trail with photographs and maps, with the assistance of experienced Backbone Trail [...]

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Laurel Canyon Open Space in Danger

August 7, 2009

I’m willing to bet most Angelenos have, at one point, had to drive up Laurel Canyon Boulevard to get from the city to the valley or vice versa. If so, you’ve also most likely passed what could potentially be the next addition in the patchwork of parkland that’s scattered through the Santa Monica Mountains [...]

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Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest

August 4, 2009

Point Mugu State Park

Are you an aspiring nature photographer who also happens to spend a lot of free time hiking the Santa Monica Mountains? If you read this site, the answer is probably yes … which is why you should be interested in the 2009 Spirit of the Mountains contest.
The Santa Monica Mountains National [...]

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