John McKinney

Los Angeles County, A Day Hiker’s Guide reveals that the green spaces and tranquil places of Los Angeles are closer—and more accessible—that most people know. The author—a native Southern Californian—shares his favorite respites from city life: quiet canyons, peaceful forests, mountaintop retreats and lovely beaches. 

Book Details: ISBN: 0-9786575-0-0 336 pp.; 6 X 9 2007 $16.95 $14.50

Mishe Mokwa Trail

Sandstone Peak, highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains, is one of the highlights of a visit to Circle X Ranch, 1,655 acres of National Park Service land on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The park boasts more than 15 miles of trail plus a much-needed public campground.

Half a century ago the land belonged to a number of gentlemen ranchers, including movie actor Donald Crisp, who starred in How Green was My Valley. Members of the Exchange Club purchased the nucleus of the park in 1949 for $25,000 and gave it to the Boy Scouts. The emblem for the Exchange Club was a circled X--hence the name of the ranch.

Malibu Creek Trail

Before land for Malibu Creek State Park was acquired in 1974, it was divided into three parcels belonging to Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan and 20th Century-Fox. Although the park is still used for moviemaking, it's primarily a haven for day hikers and picnickers.

Today the state park preserves more than 7,000 acres of rugged country in the middle of the Santa Monica Mountains. Malibu Creek winds through the park. The creek was dammed at the turn-of-the-century to form little Century Lake.

The trail along Malibu Creek explores the heart of the State Park. It's an easy, nearly level walk that visits a dramatic rock gorge, Century Lake and several locales popular with moviemakers.

Getty View Trail

Here’s how to see the Getty Center without reservations, without cost, and without crowds: Take a hike on the new Getty View Trail.

While you won’t see any art en route, you will get an inspiring view of the world’s most expensive art facility from a ridgetop above Sepulveda Pass. You’ll also get a bird’s eye views of two of the world’s priciest neighborhoods—Bel-Air and Brentwood, as well as of the freeway that separates them.

In 1769, Captain Gaspar de Portola, commander of the first Spanish land exploration of California, marched through Sepulveda Pass into the San Fernando Valley. Today, the San Diego Freeway extends through the pass, which connects the Los Angeles Basin and the city’s westside with the southern San Fernando Valley.

Sunset, Temescal Canyon, Temescal Ridge Trails

Park agencies in the Santa Monica Mountains have combined forces to open a number of “gateways” to the mountains. For hikers (particularly those of us accustomed to beginning hikes at the end of dirt roads greeted by trail signs nailed to trees), these gateways are deluxe trail heads indeed: restrooms, picnic grounds, water fountains, native plant gardens and more.

I have a particular fondness for Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades. Not only does this park have it all, park pathways quickly leave it all behind.

Temescal Canyon is an ideal Santa Monica Mountains sampler. You get an oak- and sycamore-shaded canyon, a seasonal waterfall and terrific views from the ridge crest.