Sandstone Peak and the Mishe Mokwa Trail in particular are revered by many as one of the “must-hike” trails in Southern California. Casey over at Modern Hiker describes it as “the Hike That Got Me Hiking.” It was Kolby “Condor” Kirk’s 6th hike in his 100 hikes goal, back when he really getting into hiking. This trail is located in the Santa Monica Mountains near the border of Los Angeles and Ventura County, and with views of the valley, the Pacific Ocean, and the mountains to the east, not to mention Balancing Rock, Split Rock and other interesting it is a pretty special area.
Time: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 1,686 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Year-round
The Sandstone Peak trailhead parking is about one mile past Circle X Ranch on Yerba Buena Road. The landmark on Pacific Coast Highway is the famous seafood roadhouse, Neptune’s Net — where we would stop for lunch after our hike. The road up to the trailhead is narrow and very crooked. We took our time and saw more bicycles than cars.
The gravel parking lot has plenty of parking. Near the entrance is a sign with details on the area and the requisite warnings about wildlife and safety. The trail begins at the gate, and proceeds promptly and steeply up hill.
After about 0.4 miles you reach the first of many junctions. To the left, the trail heads directly to Sandstone Peak — a little over a mile away. To the right is the Mishe Mokwa trail. This trail also takes you to Sandstone Peak. It is a longer route, but it turns the hike into a loop with some really interesting things to see and lots of options for add-on adventure. We headed to the right.
The trail winds along the side of the mountain, with views extending across the valley and often much further. In another 0.2 miles we reached another junction. This is where the Backbone Trail joins the Mishe Mokwa Trail. We stayed to the left and followed the trail along the backside of the mountain.
At about the 1.5 mile mark, look across the valley and you’ll see the remarkable Balancing Rock. This huge boulder looks like a gentle breeze could topple it, but it’s been there for ages. It’s remarkable.
The trail winds along the side of the valley, eventually reaching a shady low-point at Split Rock. Another great boulder, this one split into three pieces. One of the cracks is big enough to walk through. There is a picnic table, and it’s a great spot for a break.
Optional Side Trip #1 – Balancing Rock
Just beyond Split Rock you’ll see a sign for the trail to Balancing Rock. This is an out-and-back side trip that will take you up close to that giant, tottering boulder. We decided to take this another time. We continued on the Mishe Mokwa trail, climbing gradually higher and higher.
Optional Side Trip #2 – Tri-Peaks
At about the 3 mile mark you’ll come across a couple of junctions with signs to Tri-Peaks. This out-and-back option adds a fair climb and another mile to the trip. It was hot, and we decided to stick to our original plan: bag Sandstone Peak.
Inspiration Point
At 3.5 miles, look for the sign to your right to Inspiration Point. This is a very short spur that really doesn’t add much to the length of the trek, and provides some truly inspirational views.
Continuing on, we climbed in full exposure. It was getting hotter than we expected. We were grateful when we reached the final spur that took us to the top of Sandstone Peak. We ascended these steps, then picked our way along the ridge line. The trail is sometimes difficult to find, but we aimed for the summit, and soon were there. The last bit we even used our hands here and there as it’s fairly steep.
Sandstone Peak
The views from Sandstone Peak are phenomenal.
The Summit Register
Most of the popular and prominent peaks in Southern California have a small notebook stashed near the peak in a waterproof canister. It’s customary to sign the summit register to record your ascent of said peak. For many peaks the Sierra Club regularly replaces these notebooks, which on popular trails can fill up quickly. The historical registers are sent to the Bancroft Library in Berkeley for archival, and are available for viewing.
The summit register atop Sandstone Peak looks like an old-fashioned brass-covered mail slot, built into the memorial to Herbert Allen, the namesake of Mount Allen, the real name of what everyone calls Sandstone Peak. Confused? It may be the heat.
Speaking of the heat, and summit registers, it’s always entertaining to see what other hikers scrawl in the trail register. It’s customary to leave a little message to mark the occasion, as well as the date and your name. On this particularly hot day, the entries were muy caliente!
It’s HOT! Hotter than the crevasses of Satan’s butt cheeks.” – Summit register entry from earlier in the day
Video from Sandstone Peak and the Backbone Trail
This is my first attempt at recording video using my StickPic. I recorded a couple thoughts at the summit of Sandstone Peak, as well as on the hike down the Backbone Trail to the trailhead. It’s a little rough around the edges, so if you’ve used one of these and have some tips, let me know.
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Mishe Mokwa to Sandstone Peak Trail Map
Photo Gallery
Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.
Sandstone Peak Tips
- Bring the 10 essentials
- Take time to thumb through the summit register
- Be sure to stop at Inspiration Point
- No permits are required
- Trailhead parking is free
- The road getting to the trailhead is very windy so take your time.
More Sandstone Peak Resources
- Hike the entire trail (in reverse) in 15 minutes (video)
- Hiking Mishe Mokwa Trail to Tri-Peaks and Sandstone Peak – ModernHiker
- Hiking Mishe Mokwa Trail to Sandstone Peak: A Photo Guide – California Through My Lens
- Trail Guides and Hiking Books for the Santa Monica Mountains
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Sandstone Peak Weather Forecast
I found that this forecast underestimates the temperature for this location. I got better results from the NOAA website.
Awesome post! I really like the recap and the video addition. My stickpic story is i put my Gopro on it and didnt not push it all the way down, I was walking down some switchbacks and next thing I know the gopro was in the dirt haha. So make sure it is on secure!
I hope your Gopro was okay. I was using my trusty Canon SD780. It’s sturdy, but I don’t think it would like being dumped in the dirt. Actually, that makes me think– maybe there is a way to use the wrist band to tether it to the pole “just in case.”
Between your and http://californiathroughmylens.com/'s post, i had to do this post. Did the Sandstone peak then the Mishe Mowhawk trail. Got tiresome towards the end, but loved every bit of it.
Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you were inspired! I prefer to do the Mishe Mokwa Trail first, as it’s a more gradual incline to Sandstone, but to each his own. And sadly, that trail is now closed because it falls within the jurisdiction of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (a National Park System area). Let’s hope that gets resolved quickly so this wonderful trail can be enjoyed again.
UPDATE: I posted this comment when the parks were shut down temporarily during the government shut-down in 2013. It has long since been open.
Is the trail open yet? Just read your post and wanted to try this weekend.
Hi Pam! As far as I know, this trail wasn’t closed. Are you referring to the PCH closure?
In the last comment you wrote that trail is now closed because it falls within the jurisdiction of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (a National Park System area). But I just realized it was written a few years ago – thanks for the response. Im going to try it as soon as pch opens up.
Whoops! That comment on October 3, 2013 was during the government shut-down, when all the National Parks were closed until Congress and the President worked out a budget. It’s been open for a long while since. I’ve added a note to that comment to clarify that point.
Planning on going tomorrow. Good idea? Or bad?
Daniel, I presume you meant in the rain that was forecast? Most of the trail is going to drain pretty well, so even in wet weather the trail should be manageable. There may be sections that would get either slippery or muddy though.
Did you end up hiking it? If so, what was the weather like and how was the trail?
Did this yesterday, March 28 2015. Parked at the Mishe Mokwa parking lot and hit the MM trail at 10:30a. First hike using trekking poles and found them to be quite useful. Stayed on then trail and hit the Sandstone Peak in exactly two hours and 5 miles. Enjoyed the awesome view (ocean blocked by the marine layer) then took the “to the parking lot” trail. Pretty busy day on the trail. There were a lot Korean hikers out with a couple of the gentlemen singing acapella Korean songs that added a pleasant diversity to the hike. We took the return (almost all downhill) trail all the way into the parking lot then we realized it was the wrong parking lot. We walked along the road about a half mile up then found our parking lot. We ended up logging 7.45 miles for our hiking adventure. The MM trail offered so many different varieties of flora and terrain types making it even neater!
Is there water at the top of sandstone?
No water anywhere on that loop, sadly. BYOW! 🙂
Your trail description says no dogs but the picture of the trail sign says they are allowed on leash.
Just did this today! Great information here, I felt very prepared for the hike.