Probably my favorite trail in the Santa Monica mountains. A 4 mile out-and-back with about 700' of gain climbing to the ridge above Trippet Ranch in Topanga Canyon. In just minutes you can completely forget you're so close to an urban metropolis.
1 Trailhead in the Palisades Highlands. No dogs and no bikes, I wish all trails were that way!
2 Tight single track, much of it with overhead foliage. Awesome running.
3 A short detour to a (almost always dry) waterfall.
4 Though the detour here is umaintained, it's easy to follow once you've done it once or twice.
5 Almost always guaranteed to have a deer sighting on this trail.
6 Beautiful single track.
7 The "waterfall", or at least where it would be in a wet year. It might be almost 10 feet high if it was really flowing.
8 Today, there is just a trickle off the moss.
9 Back on the main trail up the canyon.
10 Love the tree cover.
11 More great single track.
12 Deer are a given almost every time out on the trail.
13 More deer.
14 Nearing the end of the canyon.
15 Starting the steep climb out of the canyon. The 700' of gain on this trail is almost entirely in the second mile.
16 A view back down the canyon from about halfway up to the ridge.
17 More stairs.
18 A prominent rock point almost up to the ridge.
19 Almost to the ridge, looking back down the canyon.
20 The view down the canyon and all the way out to the ocean in the distance.
21 The ridge above Trippet Ranch in Topanga Canyon. From here, there are several trail options to extend the run.