I hiked another mountain today, the second in a week! Can you believe it? This one is called Sandstone Peak, the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Officially, it’s only about 3,111 feet, and the hike is about a mile and a half long; however, what it lacks in a challenge, it has double in beautiful surroundings!
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What I love about this area is that, even in the summer time, when the rest of southern California has dried up, the Santa Monica Mountains are still deep green. I think that’s because of the sea breezes. Hiking in these mountains, you get the best of two worlds: the wilderness and the ocean. Then again, on a hot hike like this one, I sure could have used some more of those sea breezes!
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This particular mountain is located near the Circle X Ranch, a former boyscout camp and now a stopping point for information and picnics. The road to get here is long and winding, but the scenery is worth it, especially in the late afternoon. The nice thing about the Circle X Ranch is that it’s only a mile from the trailhead, which is very helpful when you have to turn around because you missed the sudden turn-off to the trailhead. That being said, there are two trails that will take a hiker to the top of the peak: Sandstone Peak Trail and Backbone Trail. I think Backbone Trail is a little longer, but it has a much more conspicuous parking area. Anyway, back to the hike…
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The trail isn’t especially steep, and it’s quite pleasant to walk. However, I should point out that when you’re walking alone in mountain lion country, it can be a little unnerving. Though there isn’t much shade, the brush on all sides of the trail is very dense, and there are little lizards everywhere that like to rustle the dead leaves just to spite you! Fortunately, it was too hot for mountain lions to be up, and there were a few other hikers on the up and down. With that in mind, I was free to take in the fresh air and beautiful scenery all the way to the top.
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At the summit, there is a plaque dedicated to W. Herbert Allen, former president of the Los Angeles Exchange Club and Los Angeles Council of the Boy Scouts of America, to which he bequeathed this mountain. There’s also a register under the plaque. If you haven’t climbed a lot of mountains, then you haven’t seen these neat little notebooks. Think of them as Mother Nature’s guest books! They’re usually tucked into cubbies, boxes, or bottles, and you can sign your name in them, along with the hundreds of other people from around the world who have visited that exact location! How cool is that?!
I really want to come back to this area for some more hiking and exploring. I think I’ll make my next destination the Paramount Ranch. Stay tuned!
Skippin’ on down!
