Red Rock Canyon Trail Hike

Write-up by one of the participants:

It was a mild and beautiful morning as 18 hikers set out on a 6-mile trek in one of the more spectacular areas of the Santa Monica Mountains. Only the unique monolithic rock formations of Red Rock Canyon were able to dwarf the majesty of the giant old oaks as the group hiked through ample lush greenery and bountiful remaining wildflowers. As the day grew warmer, the group found a large naturally carved shady rock grotto to rest, cool off and eat lunch before making the hike back to cars.  At one notable point during the hike, the group was attacked by a ravenous Garter Snake. One courageous hiker through himself to the ground to block the path of the slithering beast before the rest of the unaware troops could be harmed.

Date: July 11, 2010
Time: 9:00 am
Near: Calabasas, CA
Distance: 6 miles round trip
Elevation: 1500 feet
Hike Time: 4 1/2 hours with lunch
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Type: Fire road/trail
Hike Type: Out and Back
Lat/Lon: 34.11200°N / 118.651°W
Highlights: Beautiful mountain and canyon views, sculpted and unusual tilted rock formations

Summary: This hike includes some wonderful sculptured sandstone formations in colors ranging from chalk white to a dark red. Many of the formations have caves and arches. The first part of the hike has spectacular views of the Santa Monica Mountains to the south, as well as Red Rock Canyon to the north. Once you drop into the canyon, the trail meanders amongst the amazing formations.  Most of the park is a mixture of sandstone and conglomerate rock, uplifted and tilted.  Fossil remains from sea creatures can be found near the trailhead.  We will hike Red Rock Canyon Rd and Red Rock Trail.