The world is your playground. The trails are just maps holding potential adventures. Enjoy it.
[7.27.15] My friend and I planned a hike to Malibu to cliff jump, but since the weather was gloomy and humid, we opt to stay away from the bugs and went about hiking Temescal Canyon. I’ve never been hiking without an exact trail/ destination, but this time, we drove around looking for the entrance (my friend had been years ago), parked the car, and just started walking.
There was no trail name at our trailhead… we just walked. It’s always nice exploring a new area, even though I’ve been on the mountain right next to it so many times (Los Leones Trail), I’ve never seen this part of the mountain. The nice thing about canyons is there is so much more depth to the trails, but of course the views are usually not as nice. Temescal Canyon, though, had beautiful views of Santa Monica and West LA. It was almost completely empty, with the exception of one or two passersby here and there. It was almost like the entire canyon was just for us.
We were able to explore all the gigantic rocks, climb around boulders, take mini detours, and just play. There was just one huge rock that actually had a rope for people to rock climb… but the rope didn’t look safe and sturdy enough and we weren’t going to risk injuries as inexperienced climbers just for the adventure high — I think we had enough fun for one day.
Since we were short on daylight and didn’t prepare much, we kept the hike short at about 2 miles or so — I know, I know, that’s super short. The trails seem multiple and endless here and I would recommend this to any beginner hikers. The only thing I did not like about this hike is that it starts off mostly going downhill (even though it’s not a strong elevation); I’m used to going up first, getting the hard part over with, and then descending and taking it easy.
Hike summary:
⊗ Mountain: Temescal Canyon of Topanga State Park; Trail: Unknown
⊗ Distance: 2.43 miles
⊗ Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
⊗ Elevation Gain: 417 ft
⊗ Difficulty Level: super easy, just be careful if you’re climbing rocks
Let me know if you need help finding the parking area / trail head.
<3 Never Stop Exploring <3
Tiff, the owner and author of Follow Tiff’s Journey, is a California/ Colorado-based adventurer and outdoor connoisseur who divides her heart between the Eastern Sierra Mountains and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Despite her fear of heights, she’s become a seasoned mountaineer, ultralight hiking and backcountry camping enthusiast, expert road trip planner, and a fervent explorer of alpine lakes, natural hot springs, and sandstone canyons.
With 10 years of experience exploring the outdoors, her blog is your go-to source for all things wilderness, offering invaluable insights and pro tips, essential gear recommendations, and awe-inspiring stories from her adventures.
Join Tiff on her quest to share the wonders of nature and inspire others to follow their own path in the great outdoors.