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 Reporter |
Summary: Just when I thought I'd seen it all in the Santa Monica Mountains this hike is a real gem and even reminded me of views in the Grand Canyon at times. Another spectacular section of the Backbone Trail this hike includes staggering views of pink colored sedimentary rock formations. Proceed over the creek near the Topanga trailhead and up steadily thru beautifully shaded live oaks and a sloping green meadow. Before long you will come to a wonderful pink gorge down on the right and you can take a side path down to it past a small waterfall. Once back at the main trail you will begin switch backing up the steep south slope of Hondo Canyon thru a lovely oak forest and then a deep chaparral forest. Along the way you will enjoy breathtaking views of sedimentary rock formations known as the Sespe Formation. If you are feeling adventurous keep on hiking all the way up to Saddle Peak which has ocean views and adds another mile or so to this route. Trailhead: The trailhead with street parking is off Old Topanga Canyon Road 0.4 miles just before the junction with Topanga Canyon Blvd. The Hondo Canyon trail is part of the Backbone Trail. If you want to do a car shuttle a good idea would be to hike downhill from the upper traihead which is located located at mile 0.60 on Saddle Peak Road (0.6 mile east of Stunt Road). (Lat:34.0927126060473 Lon:-118.608010294907) Trail Guides for Hondo Canyon: Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Horses, Ranger Contact: California State Parks, (818) 880-0350 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Eric Altizer, who has posted 13 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 5 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by EZ REM on 10/4/2009 Just hiked it today. Found the trail head marked with "Backbone Trail" very easy. Was a gorgeous day! The first curve of the trail we saw a family of deer. With the little one. Took our time and enjoyed the scenery especially on the rock face a third of the way up. Can't miss it. A bushy tail squirrel followed a bit later up the trail as we met a GeoCacher hiker along the way. For those who do not know (we didn't) GeoCaching is a huge community of "treasure hunters" by GPS coordinates. The "treasures" are hidden along trails and interesting sites to boost the environmental awareness for these places. We had a blast exploring and helping him find his "treasures". Was a great day and turned out to be 5 hours as we took our time! RECOMMEND!!
Reviewed by Gwyn on 9/13/2009 Great day today for a nice long hike. Getting here was pretty easy, and parking a cinch, since it wasn't at all crowded. A little overcast so the weather was perfect. Took Joseph's advice and started at Old Topanga Rd up to the Lois Ewan Overlook then back. Be prepared to sweat. This way is all uphill (4.3 miles). The trail is very easy to follow and mostly shaded. I wish some of the shrubs, poison oak, branches weren't in the way sometimes. Had to dodge alot of them. Next time I would probably wear longer shorts or pants because I got a few scratchs from the infringing shrubs along the way. Took 4 of us about 2hrs to get to the overlook then down about 1hr 45 min. Took one 15 min break. Beautiful views. Would definitely come ba 
Reviewed by vtashore on 7/13/2009 Hiked with my wife and 2 boys (5 and 10 yrs.) on July 12th. Trail was very hot and very dry. No running water anywhere along the canyon, but LOTS of poison oak, starting to infringe on the trail in places. Not much of a payoff for my boys who like water crossings and broad views, but the top of the hike was nice and shaded at least.
Reviewed by Joseph on 6/24/2009 My fiance and I did this hike today. Great hike. But it's especially great if done a particular way. First off, start at Old Topanga Rd. From bottom to top this hike is 3.6 miles. (we're still wondering where the 2.12miles came from). Right before the road at the end turn right onto the Fossil Ridge Trail for some really neat finds. (This will add 0.6 miles to your hike) Then make a left and walk a tenth of a mile to the Lois Ewan Overlook. This is a great reward for 4.3 uphill miles. Then its back on down the trail for a grand total of 8.6 miles and a great workout. 
Reviewed by PI on 5/30/2009 Great hike.
Reviewed by greg on 5/21/2009 Oh I didn't see a waterfall
Reviewed by Greg on 5/16/2009 Yes, The backbone trail post sign is near a concrete bridge and a horse Xing sign like Yang said below. It was a nice cool day. Go when it's cool. Need plenty of water. We hiked from Old Topanga to Stunt Road and total miles was around 7.5 miles. Many Wildflowers, Poison Oak, Lizards. It may be a big elevation gain but it's not much of a climb. It's a gradual assent. Just watch out for Poison oak. Trail is easy to follow. We went out and back. It took us 4.5 hours with 1.5 hours of stopping. There were many flies that were annoying and bit us. I would give it 4 stars if it wasn't for the flies.
Reviewed by Alex on 3/16/2009 My girlfriend and I just moved to Woodland Hills so this was our first hike we did...and we loved it! The directions to the trailhead was perfect, especially to us newcomers. Took us about two hours to hike from Old Topanga Canyon Road to the top, including the additional .6 miles to Mulholland Raceway/Stunt Road that SC suggested. Then about an hour and a half down. Extremely beautiful though. We went on a sunny day (few clouds) and by the time we reached the top, we were literally in the clouds. we had about 150-200 feet of visibility. just an absolutely gorgeous hike and great workout. would definitely do again. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||