santa monica mountains

We drove through the mountains in Santa Monica a few times and it was always a treat. Stop and take some pictures or just find somewhere to hangout in the mountains over looking Santa Monica and the ocean. The mountains are visible from most places in Santa Monica

I have been using the series of trails for years. There are all types of terrain for a variety of interests and fitness levels. The views from certain sections are great with views of the Pacific. It is possible to hit the same or different paths and see new items every time. However , a couple of important points. For some reason there are dog owners who think it is a cool to leave their dogs off lease and roam on their own. This is not a good idea or safe. Dogs can get lost, get hurt and create a waste nuisance on the trails. These owners rarely pick up after their dogs. Also some dogs are frightening to people. Seeing a dog off leash can be scary for some and even dangerous. I have witnessed this several times where a unleashed dog threatens people or another dog. It is also against the law to have an untethered dog in the mountains. Be considerate about this and do not leave your dog running around.

The SM Mountains are great, they are wide open and not too overrun. We bring the dogs all the time and they love it. Go see the missile launch place..

This is a very scenic drive. We travelled West and ended with a ride thru Pepperdine campus. It is beautiful.

Saddle Peak gives you a 270-degree view of the LA basin and the ocean. It's an unmatched view from anywhere else in the mountains.

I'm from the mountains of Tennessee, so being able to see the mountains of California was wonderful. They are unique and beautiful in their own way. The mountains are great to see as a backdrop while on the beach, but it is also an adventure to go INTO the mountains like we did. It was a nice change to be able to escape in the peaceful mountains and get away from the crazy busy tourist attractions we had been visiting near the ocean. There are a lot of very scenic drives that you can take. We also noticed a lot of walking trails through the mountains if you're into hiking. There were also a lot of mountain bikers and motorcycle riders on the roads in the mountains. I highly recommend taking a scenic drive in a convertible like we did! The Pacific Coast Highway will lead you beside the ocean & mountains and then you can make a turn to drive up into the mountains. We took Mulholland Highway (NOTE: Mulholland Highway, not Mulholland Drive) and it was one of the highlights of my trip! A narrow, winding, curvy road with lots of hills and blind curves. It was filled with sports cars racing through the mountains. It looked like something straight out of a movie! And best of all? It's FREE! If you do take a scenic drive on Mulholland Highway....just be careful that you don't drive too fast because there are some tricky curves and we noticed several places with loose gravel in the road.

Great place to go and hang out for a few hours or more. Husband and I are visiting from overseas and were recommended to visit Santa Monica beach. We parked right at the beach for $8 all day. Parking was very busy (Sunday). Beach busy but not too busy with people of all ages. It's a sandy beach so people were making huge sand castles and sun bathing etc. up on a pier nearby there are many restaurants, street vendors and performers, as well as lots of washrooms and a funfair and rides. We used the indoor carousel ride with our baby, $2 for adults kids are cheaper-fun. Walk to the end of the pier for good photo ops. Walk along ocean drive or right along the waterfront for lovely views. Great place to visit if you are seeing the area. Downtown Hollywood is about 30 mins drive away.

A truly beautiful and historic place. The wealth of good hikes in Southern California is under-appreciated, and those in the LA area get especially short shrift. The SMMs offer some of the most iconically Californian views available to casual hikers, and if you're overwhelmed by the congestion and sprawl for which LA is always derided, this is a nice reprieve.Many trails are easily accessed from the freeway and reasonably well-maintained roads in the mountains. Charmlee Wilderness Park is a good bet if you're less experienced or short on time - very beautiful trails with great views of the ocean and surrounding hills, on-shore whale-watching opportunities at the right time of year (we saw Grays in late December), and only 15 minutes from the 101. My pictures are from this area.This website is helpful for LA and beyond:http://www.modernhiker.com/area-maps/santa-monica-mountains/

I've noted previously here on TripAdvisor that my family pioneered Santa Monica in 1875 and that we've lived here along the bay since. In addition to the endless joys of Santa Monica beach life, is the amazing availability of recreational opportunities in the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains. There are dozens of great trails from easy to high-moderate whose trailheads begin at nearby Will Rogers State Park and go north and westward to Sycamore Canyon off the Pacific Coast Highway and beyond. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy oversees this huge swath of parkland and uses LAMountains.com for info - a website with a disappointing chock-a-block array of links that are anything but intuitive or simple to use, but that aside, if you poke around you'll find a variety of trails that lead to awesome views of the bay. From Santa Monica, I recommend the following trailheads: Will Rogers (easy), Bienvenida (easy),Westridge (easy) and for variety of efforts and views (and a waterfall), the Santa Ynez Canyon Trail. But for the more ambitious bring your mountain bike or consider the Mishe Mokwa trail which takes you to the peak of the highest mountain (3114') in the range where you can sign the book at the very top. I will always return.

A great way to blow the cobwebs away from the long flight the day before. The views from up the hill over Santa Monica & LA were stunning.

Many great traisl in the many canyons, well groomed, fairly well marked, Some are quite demanding (hills), all have good parking at their base.

Great vista views and coming together with nature..Thank goodness it has been preserved. It is an excellent place to hike

I wanted a less urban hike while visiting LA, and Solstice Canyon trail was it. Not too challenging, great scenery, and lots to explore. Two burned-out ranches along the trail remind you that this is wildfire territory. Most interesting was Robert's Ranch about 1.5 miles up the trail from where we parked. Nice ocean views along the trail. No admission fee to this recreation area.

The Santa Monicas are great for road and mtb cyling. As a part of California's transverse ranges, they are unusually steep with many canyons carving through the range.The range starts east of Hollywood and traverses some 40 miles until they are unmercifully chopped off by the Pacific Ocean. This sudden end of the range results in locations with incredible ocean views, and canyon roads with thrilling descents down to Pacific Coast Highway.The best cycling is west of the I-405, where Mulholland Highway (as oppose to Mulholland Drive) traverses across the range, ending up at Pacific Coast Highway.In either type of cycling, you will see many other cyclists taking advantage of the area. Motorists in the area are used to cyclists on the road, which is good for safety.To find good routes in the Santa Monicas, post a query in the Southern California section of BikeFourms.com

Most travelers who visit the Los Angeles area see the Santa Monica Mountains as the backdrop to Hollywood and the beach. But if you're a relatively fit person who enjoys serenity and you seek a fresh perspective of Southern California from downtown to Catalina, ditch the throngs of tourists on Venice Beach. Escape the carnival atmosphere and conspicuous consumption of Hollywood and Sunset. If you're a roadie or a mountain biker, rent a quality bike from Helen's Cycles in Santa Monica, Google the best road or mountain bike rides in the Santa Monica Mountains, pick the distance and difficulty that appeals to you and head for the hills. If you're a hiker or trail runner, get some water, Google Las Liones Trail and head up, up, up... to Temescal Overlook. Once there, you'll enjoy an expansive view of Los Angeles from downtown to Orange County, from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Malibu. If it's a relatively clear day, you'll see Catalina and, likely, even little San Miguel Island a bit north. What you won't see or hear are crowds of people. If you're more adventurous or want to venture a bit further out, Google the Backbone Trail, which runs the length of the Santa Monica Mountains, and hike, run or bike one or more of it's many sections that can be accessed from various canyon roads. Will Rogers State Park contains the closest and easiest portion to access, but every section is unique and beautiful.