Whether the day is half over, it’s about to rain, it’s 105F degrees, you’re pressed on time, or with another hiker that is otherwise limited on how far they can go on trail, there may be times where you want to get out and hike, but just not that far. I have some ideas on a few loops, and an out and back hike that will get you through the trail, relatively quickly, at Topanga State Park.
Entrada Field and Deadhorse Loop
For this hike, park (for free) on the upper part of Entrada Road, just before the road that leads to the park entrance. Generally you can drive up to the fork at these two roads, then turn around there, come back down the hill, and park on the right side of the road that is adjacent to the Entrada field.
The trailhead is at the coordinates 34°05’31.2″N 118°35’32.5″W and looks like this:
I would suggest walking the loop clockwise, just because it’s easier to find Deadhorse Trail coming from the north most part of the trail than visa versa. Therefore, from the trailhead, walk straight down the path and cross a wide bridge that goes over a rain wash, then continue forward until you run into Deadhorse Trail, probably around 800 feet from where you first started. Take the rightmost option for Deadhorse Trail, that goes towards Trippet Ranch, and follow that path to the end (a good 1,600 feet), where you’ll see a paved road cutting through the ranch’s main field:
Take a right on this road and walk down into the Trippet Ranch parking lot.
Once in the parking lot, head for the park entrance, where the small ranger building next to the main park entrance sign sits – the one that a ranger sits in on weekends to collect parking fees. There is a small parking lot next to this building, on its outbound traffic side, and from that lot there is a trail that leads back into a small, shady wooded area. Get on the trail there and continue to follow it through the woods to the Entrada field near where you parked (or where I suggested you park). After briefly walking through this field you’ll go back into the woods, cross a small wooden foot bridge, and emerge onto the field where you first started your walk. Head left back to Entrada Road and find your car. That’s it – you’re done!
If you’d like to see parts of this trail, near the Entrada Field you can watch the very first part of my YouTube video on Topanga picnic areas, but don’t do what I did in the video, and take a right into the woods, or you’ll be doing the loop in the harder direction. If you want to picnic before or after this short hike, visit my Topanga picnic spots article on my favorite spots in this loop.
Nature Trail, E Topanga Fire Road, and Trippet Lane Loop
For this hike you’ll want to start off in the Trippet Ranch parking lot, which is $10 to park. Once in the lot look for a large shady area full of picnic tables that’s enclosed by a short wooden fence. Enter that area, and on the left there is the start of the Nature Trail.
Follow the trail up to behind the Ranch’s white brick museum, where you’ll see a clay pigeon shooting range, then continue up a small set of stairs, and back into the woods. You’ll get a bit of elevation gain on this section of the Nature Trail so pace yourself if you didn’t plan on getting sweaty! Also be careful in this area, as there are some crops of Italian Thistle that can get prickly if you rub up against them (see pictures at Topanga Wildflowers and Shady Hiking on the Topanga Nature Trail). A few moments past this and you’ll be at an intersection with East Topanga Fire Road.
Once on East Topanga Fire Road, you have the choice to either enter the deer park straight ahead, and walk some of those shaded trails, or just take a right on the fire road and start heading towards Trippet Lane and back to the parking lot (see map above). If you do go into the park, look for trails that are rightward of the path to keep you near this loop trail. Note the blue marker in the yellow path, on my map above. That’s a park bench you can rest on, or have a picnic (see my article on Topanga picnicking for the exact directions and Google coordinates for the bench). The bench looks like this:
After returning to E Topanga Fire Road from the deer park, or having never left it, walk downhill to the intersection with Trippet Lane. It’s not marked, but it will be the only major intersection in the area, and there will be a brown metal park sign with different locations and their distances on it, as reference. Continue downhill on Trippet Lane for a few minutes until you meet another fork in the road. Head right at the fork, and continue downhill to the the next fork, which will take you to the museum once more, if you go rightward, or will take you back to the parking lot if you choose the leftward path. Either way, head back to the lot and your done!
Musch Trailhead to Musch Trail Camp and Back
This one is probably the easiest to navigate since there are no real intersections or forks to guess about. Just start at Musch Trailhead and go for it. Again you’ll have to park at Trippet Ranch for $10, but you’ll have a running water bathroom both there, and at the camp. If you need to know exactly how to get to the trailhead, read my article on Musch Trail.
The elevation gain is something like 100 feet over this trail, so it’s a fairly easy walk with only a few large stepping stones in places. And it’s a little shady at first, but has sun exposure on its last 2/3rds.
If you get there, and think it might be a nice place to camp, check out my article on how to pull off cheap/easy camping at Musch Trail Camp.
Further Reading
Hey, if you like Topanga State Park as much as I do, or just want to learn about it for an upcoming trip, check out my other articles on the park. Happy hiking!