EISPIRATEN

On Wednesday, I hiked with my crazy wild Wednesday group on our annual Valentine's Day hike to Topanga Lookout via the Topanga ridge route. We planned a carpool shuttle and started at Stunt Road. The first half of the hike was mostly on a fire road. Then we ascended a steep ridge with lots of cool rock scrambling and awesome views. Once we reached the lookout we took a break to admire the graffiti and take a group shot. Last year when we did this hike it was raining and the lookout was very slippery. We were so happy that it was a dry, beautiful day to do our traditional summit poses.
Stats: 8 miles, 1700' gain.

View from Topaga Lookout
A few of the WWW (wild women of the Wednesday) posing with our leader Paul.

The descent back to our cars.

The ridge looks really fun.

tekewin wrote: ↑The ridge looks really fun.

Tekewin, this type of hike is right up your alley! Lots of cool rocks to climb on that ridge and its very steep.

That ridge route is a nice little outing. Not your typical trail walk.

Did the route on Sunday, the route like many, looks worse then it is. Most of it is pretty tame and there is a bypass trail for most of the ridge just off the crest of the ridge. There are lots of cool rock outcroppings especially towards the top. The last section of the ridge is on an abandoned road that went to the next outcropping after the Lookout. I went directly up the ridge to the top of Saddle Peak and then took the trail back down to the car parked at the bottom. Area was very busy and met two parties on the ridge going down. I've hiked all of this area except the ridge so that now allows a nice moderate loop for the future.

David, nice to see you checked out Topanga Ridge. Its a fun hike. We usally do this huge loop that includes Calabassas peak. We do it the fun, hard way. Some people just park at the parking lot by the lookout and do the short version.