From the ocean

• Drive on Pacific Coast Highway

• Turn north (inland) up Topanga Canyon Blvd. 

• Drive 9 miles; turn right on Viewridge

• Drive .5 miles and park at the end of Viewridge

• Trailhead is on your right
  

From the valley

• Drive on the 101 Freeway, can approach from the San Fernando Valley or Ventura County

• Take Exit 27 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd.

• Drive 3.7 miles, turn left on Viewridge

• Drive 0.5 miles and park at the end of Viewridge

• Trailhead is on your right

• Widely available street parking at the trailhead on either side of the street

• Cellphone coverage and Wi-Fi are not available

• No bathroom no drinking water

• Trailhead is at the end of the street on your right

• Immediately after exiting the street, the trails split into three paths

• Take the middle trail 
This trail will hug the side of a small mountain on the left and head towards the ocean. Trail will lean to the left

• Come to a T and take the right

• Trail will now head east 

• Path goes over a bridge and an area shaded by oaks and sycamores

• You will come to a place where two trails branch out making a Y. 
Veer to the one on the right (looks like the center of a peace sign.) Note a trail indicator

• Trail heads into chaparral scrub and grasslands

• Trail exits onto Santa Maria Road, a non-county maintained single track asphalt road for cars and trucks, frequented by people on horseback

• Most important: 

  • Trailhead starts up again on the other side of Santa Maria Road, but the trailhead is not located immediately across the way. 
Consider the path just taken as a wiggly stem.  The next part of the trail will make a lollipop loop and Santa Maria Road is the base of the circular part of the candy

• Go right down Santa Maria Road, and walk about 300 yards and find a white gate and MRCA poster. Head up past this gate and back onto the trail. Trail heads upwards and and then gradually veers left around a hill on your left

  • Across the distance is a large white house on a hilltop on the right

  • Along the trail, there are three trail markers with a cute bench icon. Veer left at the first two

• The last trail marker leads to the right 

• The bench is very soon after that in full view on the trail on your right

• To finish the lollipop, head up the hill behind the bench and veer left

• Trail follows along a modest hill on the left

• Telephone poles in the distance is an indicator that Santa Maria Road is near

• Corrals and horse stables on the right is an indicator that Santa Maria Road is extremely near

• Exit onto Santa Maria Road (asphalt)  

• Turn left and walk down hill on Santa Maria Road to finish the (very rough) circle of the lollipop. Watch for traffic

• Re-enter the park trail on the right side of Santa Maria Road

  • Note: there are multiple trails that exit / enter Santa Maria on the right side. For confirmation of the correct return path, peek down Santa Maria  Road and look for that white gate where the entrance trailhead was located, then zip back to the correct trailhead on the north side of Santa Maria Road

  • Follow the meandering lollipop stem back to Viewridge

• Skill level 2.5; moderate, easy to wind up on the wrong path which increases length of trip

• Hiking path with some uneven terrain

• Bring water, a hat, sunscreen, extra jacket, closed toe shoes, portable cellphone charger and printed map

• ⅔ of the trail has no shade

• No wheelchair accessibility

• Be prepared for folks on mountain bikes or horses; for safety of everyone, step off the trail and wait quietly while they pass

• Note plants and landscape features en route; look backwards at trail changes as this viewpoint; familiarity with specific placemarkers help for orientation on return trip