The trail to Eagle Rock from Trippet Ranch, by way of East Topanga Fire Road, is the most popular and visible trail in the park. The trail sits upon the local mountain ridge, such that hikers are served a continuous set of open, overlooking views of the surrounding forests, fields, and distant rocky crests that permeate the park.
Once one completes the first 1/4th to 1/3rd of the trail, the ocean can be seen in the distance for most of the hike. Indeed one of the major motivations for putting one’s feet squarely on this behemoth, sandstone-conglomerate pinnacle is to swoon over the grand interactions between the ocean and the mountains, with it all momentarily inferior to your vantage.
The first 1/4th of the hike is through coastal live oak forests, where mule deer tend to congregate at dusk; and there are a few trails directly off this well worn path, that meander through these trees without leaving it altogether.
Another notable feature of the trail is that is unrelenting in its ascent. There is only one area of reprieve from the tireless upward slope of the trail, which thankfully comes directly before the Eagle Junction. At that point, you are again tasked with another grueling battle with gravity, as you alight the fire road and take on the Backbone/Eagle Springs trail up to the main attraction.
Where Does the Trail to Eagle Rock Start?
The trail to Eagle Rock in Topanga State Park starts at Trippet Ranch. The trailhead is at the end of the parking lot on the right, when first driving in. You can also hike to Eagle Rock from Trippet Ranch, via the Musch Trail, which starts in the large field adjacent to the parking lot. I cover that in a different article.
Trippet Ranch Parking
In order to access the trailhead, one must park at the Trippet Ranch parking lot inside the park, or park on the side of Entrada Road, right before the park entrance, and hike into this parking lot. Entrada Road is the connecting road between the park and N Topanga Canyon Blvd. (CA-27).
First timers don’t get fooled by the first parking lot you see on the left, when you first turn onto Entrada – that’s the Dead Horse Trail lot and a different story for a different day. You’ll need to keep ascending the steep (but paved and maintained) Entrada Road for a bit longer to get to the park entrance. Just watch for the brown Topanga State Park sign that guides you to turn left to stay on Entrada, as you near the top of your ascent.
Eagle Rock Trailhead
When you’re in the parking lot, walk to the furthest point away from the park entrance. You should be facing a tree covered picnic area with a small fence surrounding it. On the right of that area is the trailhead, and you should see a brown park sign with destinations and distances printed on it.
Google Map Marker of Eagle Rock Trailhead
I will drop a marker near the Eagle Rock trailhead on the map below:
Accessing East Topanga Fire Road
Going forward, the picnic area should now be on your left, and you will encounter a fork in the road: hiking leftward leads to a small, white bricked museum and nature trail, while hiking right and up the hill is the fastest way to E Topanga Fire Road, which you’ll want to do.
Roughly a minute up this hill, another fork in the road will be present. Veering rightward leads back to the road before the park entrance, so don’t choose that. Continuing on the leftward trail gets you that much closer to the fire road.
After two or three minutes of further ascent, you will come to the last fork, which has another brown park sign, directing you to several park destinations. Going rightward leads to the Parker Mesa Overlook, and leftward leads to Eagle Rock, and thus the latter will be your choice. You are now on E Topanga Fire Road.
E Topanga Fire Road To Eagle Rock
Hiking approximately 1.5 miles on E Topanga Fire Road, you will encounter the Eagle Junction, and there will be a 3-way fork. The leftmost path is Musch Trail, which leads to Musch Meadow and Musch Trail Camp. This way also allows you to return to Trippet Ranch parking lot, if you want different scenery on your return.
Veering slightly leftward – the path that goes up the mountain – is the correct path to take to continue to Eagle Rock. The path is now called the Backbone Trail or Eagle Springs Road. The other, rightward path leads you the long way to the Hub Junction, where you can access Cathedral Rock or loop back around to Eagle Rock for a longer hike.
Video of Eagle Rock Trail
Eagle Rock Trail, Topanga State Park – Specs and Parameters
Distance
From Trippet Ranch parking lot to Eagle Rock, the distance traveled will be around 1.8 miles as measured by the Strava app on an iPhone. This implies a 3.6 mile round trip.
However, returning to Entrada Road via the same path, save bypassing the parking lot by utilizing a trail right above it, logs one in at 3.94 miles on Strava. (Data captured during a time I parked on Entrada Road to avoid the parking fee.)
Elevation Profile
The trail starts at an elevation of 1,055 feet above sea level, and continues up to approximately 1,909 feet, again, as measured by Strava. Total elevation gain is 854 feet.
This is not an lazy hike and can be a bit challenging in the summer time. I remember doing it several years ago when the temperature was 95 -100F, and right at 1.7 miles in, I was starting to lose my vision when I stopped a few moments to rest. In the winter time though, it feels relatively easier.
Immediate Water Requirements
For temperatures in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, and a leisurely pace (under 2.5miles/hour), I can hike this 3.6 mile loop using approximately 500+ milliliters of water, as long as I’m fully hydrated before starting. That’s about 7.25ml per kg, or 3.3ml per lbs.
Full hydration means taking in around 500mL of water 2 or 3 hours before hiking, then another 250mL about 15 minutes before starting.
For longer hikes, quicker hiking, hikes with planned meals, or higher temperatures, certainly I bring more water. As temperatures rise above 80F°, my immediate water requirements can at least double from this baseline.
Personal Fluid Loss on the Trail
It should be noted that everybody has their own sweat rate, that’s not predicable, due to the high variability from person to person, and situation to situation. Read my article about sweat and electrolyte losses when hiking at higher temperatures, which also instructs you on how to calculate your personal sweat rate. I also wrote an article about general fluid requirements and hiking here.
Post Hike Fluid Replacement
After the hike, to several hours afterward, you will still need to take in more hydration to replenish what you lost during the hike. For every pound you lost due to sweating, you will have to slowly drink a bit more than a pound of water (16oz), until your urine color is no longer dark. Remember to eat and replenish electrolytes also, to avoid hypervolemic hyponatremia.
Trail Features and Conditions
- The trail is wide enough to accommodate a large, light duty truck. You can walk side by side with a hiking partner, or partners. The trail is good for groups, and hike meet-ups.
- The moderately steep sections can have dry, powdery dirt on it, and loose gravel 1/8th to 1 inch in diameter. Be sure to wear dedicated hiking shoes so as not to slip. I’ve gone over which hiking shoes work best for me on these Topanga State Park, or similar trails.
- After it rains, water-worn fissures in parts of this trail become micro washes, so it can also be wet, muddy and sticky. Generally you will only see rain in the winter months, and these spells are few and far between.
- Aside from constant upward slope if the trail, there are no natural, rock-made steps, or those made by man, like the Musch Trail has, and thus no extreme knee bending is required. The only exceptions here are a particular side trail, up a tall outcrop of rock, at the half-way point in the hike, which I will highlight in the video below. Further it should be noted that the walkway between the Backbone Trail and the walkable surface of Eagle Rock is momentarily steep, as are parts of this surface, were to ascend to the top reaches of the rock.
Climbing an Outcrop on the Side of E Topanga Fire Road
Sun Exposure
Most of this trail is fully exposed to the sun, with little shade, other than at the beginning of the hike, and a section on the Backbone/Eagle Springs trail near Eagle Rock, where a tall area of rock and hillside is shading the path it’s been cut from. It’s advisable to wear sunscreen, especially in the summer, when the light travels through less of the atmosphere to shine directly down onto you from above, avoiding many of the shading obstacles its winter position negotiates.
The Environmental Working Group publishes an annual guide, and best sunscreens to use for the current year, which gives you the safest options for your health and the environment, based on their expertise regarding ingredient toxicities. I’ve further looked through a bunch of them, with the best ratings, to find the ones that are easy to buy online. If you want a clickable list of those, check out my top ten EWG sunscreen list, and my top ten EWG facial sunscreen list.
Common Wildflowers Seen on the Way to Eagle Rock from Trippet Ranch
The most common wildflowers seen on E Topanga Fire Road are black mustard (tall invasive plants with small yellow flowers), bush sunflowers, purple nightshade, sticky monkey flower, morning glories, Italian thistle, cobwebby thistle, purple sage, yellow bush lupine, Menzie’s goldenbush, golden yarrow, and caterpillar phacelia.
There are also Toyon bushes, California sagebrush, and chaparral dodder.
In the shady parts of the Backbone Trail, near Eagle Rock, there is a unique wildflower called the large flowered phacelia, which, as its name implies, has large purple flowers.
The best time of the year to see the Topanga State Park wildflowers is in the Spring.
If you want to see wildflower pics, I have an article that goes through all the wildflowers for each trail in Topanga State Park.
Trail FAQ
Can You Ride a Mountain Bike on the Trail to Eagle Rock?
Yes. This trail is authorized by the park for mountain bike use. Just be careful of hikers when coming around corners!
Can You Take Your Dog on the Trail to Eagle Rock
No. Dogs aren’t allowed on the trails in Topanga State Park. They are allowed in the Trippet Ranch Parking lot, so if you want to picnic with your dog in the picnic areas around the parking lot, that’s okay, according to a Topanga ranger I asked a few years ago. I’ve written about other trails in the area that are okay for hiking with dogs.
Are There Bathrooms on the Trail to Eagle Rock?
No. There is a running water bathroom (4 rooms) at Trippet Ranch parking lot near the Eagle Rock trailhead. If you return from Eagle Rock, by way of the Musch Trail, on your way back to the parking lot, there is a running water bathroom (2 rooms) at the camp ground on that trail.
Is There Poison Ivy or Poison Oak on the Trail to Eagle Rock?
No. This is a wide, climatically dry, sun exposed trail. There is no poison ivy or poison oak on this trail. Even if there was, the trail is so wide, it would be avoidable. Poison ivy and oak are more along the damp forested areas on the Musch Trail, and I believe the Santa Ynez trail as well, though I haven’t been on that one for a couple years to say definitively.
Are There Snakes on the Trail to Eagle Rock?
There can be, but encountering one is very infrequent. I’ve come across one Pacific Rattlesnake near the trailhead at the first fork you encounter, along the side of the trail. In fact, most of the Pacific Rattlers I’ve seen in Topanga have been near the Trippet Ranch parking lot, on the trails directly around it. I’ve also encountered one not directly on the E Topanga Fire Road up to Eagle Rock, but when walking a ways off this trail, in the chaparral alongside of it.
Can You Smoke on the Trail to Eagle Rock?
No. Topanga State Park is a risk zone for wildfire and is super dry, especially in the summer and fall.
Are There Waterfalls on the Trail?
No. There are no water features of any kind on E Topanga Fire Road, or the Backbone Trail near Eagle Rock. Supposedly there are waterfalls on the Santa Yanez trail, but I’ve never seen them with dozens of hikes on that trail (though I’ve never gone all the way to then end admittedly).
Did the Recent Arsonist’s Fire Affect the Trail to Eagle Rock?
One can see extensive fire damage on the mountainside next to the trail on the ocean side, around the last 1/3rd of the trail. There is also fire damage in the area sandwiched between the Backbone Trail and Musch Trail, near Eagle Junction.
The smaller annual plants, like the the Morning Glory and the Wild Cucumber, are making their way back and re-greening the Spring hillsides in those areas though. The larger bushes, like the Toyon and the California Sagebrush, that are a staple of the Topanga chaparral will likely take a long time to regrow.
How Long Does It Take to Hike From Trippet Ranch to Eagle Rock?
My last hike, from the trailhead at Trippet Ranch to Eagle Rock, then back down the same way to Entrada Road, took 1 hour and 24 minutes (moving time, not counting the time spent taking pictures, resting at the top, etc.), covering a distance of 3.94 miles. So without stopping you can probably get there in 45 minutes or so. Dividing the 1.8 mile distance by my average moving pace of 2.8 miles per hour, I get 39 minutes, for my last hike.
Are Drones Allowed in Topanga State Park?
No, drones are not allowed at Topanga State Park. The park has posted a large sign at its entrance building, at Trippet Ranch, that says drones are prohibited. There is also a sign at Eagle Rock that says drones are prohibited.
However, recreational drones seem to be allowed in state parks unless prohibited by a District Superintendent’s Orders. Currently the only posted order for Topanga State Park (Angeles District) has to do with bicycle allowance in the park.
The Tehachapi District (not part of Topanga State Park) however does have a posted order for no drones, due to many reasons, including fire risk.
Drones can disrupt wildlife, altering behaviors that have to do with mating, sheltering, and foraging for food.
Other Trails in Topanga I’m Covering
Check out my main Topanga State Park page where you can find other trail guides, including guides to short hikes, and shady hikes, and where to hike nearby with your dog. I also have articles on the best picnic areas in the park, and guides to the hike-in camping at Musch Trail Camp.
Happy hiking and see you out there…