los angeles — Blog — Sunbird Soul Adventures

Los Angeles is a top tourist spot for a lot of reasons. During the summer, we avoid going to the city because it’s “tourist season,” and I constantly see questions regarding my home city and public transportation (hint: we have none). While I’m a huge fan of nature, I do have a certain love for Los Angeles, even if that love only comes from the fact that I grew up there. Since I started traveling, I’ve done a pretty good job of exploring my home city when I do happen to go home to visit my family, and I’ve started to gain an appreciation of everything there is to do in this massive city. Basically, why people love to travel there.

Recently, I had one of my favorite members of my Van Fam (@jaredinthevan) come and visit while I was in LA catching up with the family, so I had the pleasure of playing tour guide for a few days. There were beaches, mountains, and rocks to be climbed. Oh, and ice cream. These are the places I take my friends when we’re in Los Angeles.

El Matador Beach

Shhh! This one’s a secret! Once one of the most secluded beaches in Los Angeles, El Matador has recently sprung up as a hotspot for film and photoshoots. I try not to tell people about it, but it simply had to be on this list—it’s generally the first place I take people when they come to LA for the first time. It’s known for its rock formations, and if the tide is low, you can walk all the way down to a decent sized cave. There is limited parking here, and it costs $6 to park.

El Matador is my favorite place in Los Angeles. Please, if you visit, keep it low key—don’t bring a ton of people to party, and please, leave no trace.

Vasquez Rocks Natural Park

This is a place I’ve been coming since I was a kid after my dad came here a lot when he was a kid. This is a historic film site (think, Star Trek!), as well as a section of the Pacific Crest Trail and natural area. I took Jared here to do some bouldering. We did our fair share of scrambling too, but climbing was the main purpose of the day. This area was once underwater and is home to plenty of interesting rock formations to climb or scramble up. This is also a great place to bring kids if you’re traveling with a family (believe me, it was 4 year old Halle approved!).

On weekends it does get busy, so plan ahead and get there early. There is also no water at the park, so pack some in (and remember to pack all your trash out!). Vasquez Rocks is free to enter, and has a small visitor center for information.

Point Dume State Beach

Point Dume is a huge climbing hotspot, which is why I wanted to take Jared out here, but it’s also one of my favorite beaches in the area. Climb to the top of the bluff (via hiking trail or rope), and take a peek at the view, explore the tide pools, go for a swim, or, in the winter, watch for whales! Yes, we saw whales here! Point Dume is more of your classic swim beach than El Matador, and offers plenty of sand to sprawl out on, as well as a towering rock formation on the west side of the beach. There is free parking available, but it does require some walking. If walking just isn’t your thing, you can pay the $8 parking fee in the lot.

Magpies Softserve

This is a bit of a different spot than the others on this list, but it had to be on here for obvious reasons (if it isn’t obvious, the reason is ICE CREAM!). Magpies is my favorite ice cream shop in Los Angeles. They have a rotating menu of specialty soft serve flavors, and six of their eight flavors are vegan. They also make delicious ice cream pies with vegan whipped cream, and the shop itself is so good, I went three times in one week!

Topanga State Park

Topanga State Park is a state park located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Of all the many state parks in the area, this one is definitely my favorite. It has some of the best hiking trails in the area, and accessing them takes you through the beautiful canyon, which is recognized by the state of California as a scenic route. Some of my favorite trails in the park include Parker Mesa, Eagle Rock, and Hondo Canyon (which is located off Old Topanga Road and is part of the Backbone Trail). While Parker Mesa and Hondo Canyon are definitely meant for more advanced hikers, there truly is a trail for everyone in Topanga, and Eagle Rock is a huge tourist spot, so get ready to snap that Instagram pic at the top.

Los Angeles is a place I have a complicated relationship with. I love it because it’s home, but it’s a bit chaotic to be in with the van. Regardless of chaos, I do have my favorite spots, and these ones are definitely worth seeing during a trip to Los Angeles. So get that camera ready, and prepare to step out of the tourist spotlight for a day or two, and head out to one of these places. But most importantly, take care of them. Let’s keep these places beautiful.

If you’ve been following my journey, you’ll know that I’ve spent some time in my home city of Los Angeles since completing my 3 month road trip earlier in the fall while I transition to vanlife. I used to strongly dislike my home because the cities were all I knew. I was used to visiting LACMA in the city, the pier in the other city, and the Pantages Theater in the other other city.

If you’ve read My Journey, you’ll know my National Park obsession and love for hiking didn’t start until I was already living somewhere else for university, and since being back temporarily, I’ve managed to pretty much completely avoid visiting the city at all. While this might seem impossible, the trick is in the mountains.

Now, you might be thinking, “what mountains?” because usually, when we think of mountains in Southern California, we picture the snow capped peaks of the Big Bear and Arrowhead area, or even the almost constantly cold Mammoth Mountain. We think of Baldy and Whitney, but never do we picture the Santa Monicas.

View from the trail to Eagle Rock in Topanga State Park

The Santa Monica Mountains are a strange type of mountain. Their flora almost mirrors that of the nearby desert, and they’re home to mountain lions, coyotes, and rattlesnakes. But they’re also home to the canyons that connect the Valley to the beaches. They’ve been the site of multiple wildfires in recent years, and with their recent regrowth, they’ve regained their status as the go-to hiking spot for city dwellers. The Santa Monica Mountains are a National Recreation Area, run by the National Park Service, and they include multiple state parks, as well as Malibu’s famous beaches.

It’s entirely possible to visit Los Angeles and never even venture as far south as Hollywood, and even if you’re a city lover, it never hurt to take a day to explore your destination’s natural areas, get some fresh air, and realize that maybe, there’s much more to a place than what you see on TV.

State Parks

Two iconic state parks in the SM Mountains area are Malibu Creek and Topanga. Both offer miles of hiking trails and stunning views of the mountains. Both do offer campgrounds, but only Malibu Creek has frontcountry camping.

Malibu Creek was actually the first place I ever camped as a young child, and it has a great family friendly environment, and plenty of short and easy trails. One of the longer trails you can do in Malibu Creek is the Malibou Lake Trail, which adds up to be about 7 miles total, offering expansive views of the mountains, and includes a creek crossing. You’ll also pass through the famous MASH site (pictured below), so even though you’re avoiding the city, you’ll still get to experience some key TV history. I highly suggest downloading the AllTrails app before attempting this hike, especially solo. Some parts are very confusing.

Topanga is known for some tougher trails. Hiking to Eagle Rock is one of the most iconic hikes in the area, and although it’s only about a 4 mile total hike from the Topanga State Park entrance, it gains almost 1,000 feet in elevation. This hike does offer stunning views of the canyon, and even the nearby coast on a clear day.

Top of Eagle Rock hike, Topanga State Park

My favorite hike in Topanga State Park, though, is Hondo Canyon via the Backbone Trail. The Backbone Trail is a 65 mile long trail that traverses the SM Mountains, and you can hike a few miles of it here, from Old Topanga Road to the Rosas Overlook, from which you can see Calabasas Peak. This is a 10.1 mile hike, and it takes you through canyon overlooks, Southern California Forest, and mountains passes. Hondo Canyon is a hike ideal for advanced hikers, but I’ve seen hikers of all levels on the trail. Just make sure you have some good gear, a yummy snack, and plenty of water.

When hiking in the Los Angeles area, make sure you’re aware of your surroundings and keep an eye out for larger wildlife. This area is known for mountain lion and coyote activity. Rattlesnakes are also common in the SM Mountains.

Malibu Beaches

The Santa Monica Mountains also includes some of the nearby beaches, and if I’m being totally honest, Malibu beaches are far better than Santa Monica Beaches. The most notable one to mention here is actually one that was severely affected by 2018’s Woolsey Fire: Leo Carrillo. Leo Carrillo is easily one of my favorite beaches in the Los Angeles area. It’s generally pretty empty, and is one of the only beaches in the area that allows street parking on PCH (perfect for you overlanders who don’t want to pay for parking). It’s actually part of another state park in the area, Leo Carrillo State Park, where you can camp right on the beach. Leo Carrillo is also one of the only dog beaches in the area, and your pooch is allowed anywhere on the north side of the beach on leash. The south side of the beach is home to tide pools, and is generally the more family friendly side of the beach. Leo Carrillo finally reopened to the public in June 2019, but it is still being rebuilt.

Other notable sites

Of course, the Santa Monica Mountains are enormous, so there’s plenty to see in the area. If you’re interested in movie history, Paramount Ranch is the place for you. While the old western town burned down in the Woolsey Fire as well, they’re currently rebuilding it to commemorate the many movies that have been filmed there. You can still see the church (pictured below), and go hiking in the area.

Paramount Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains area

Another great area is the Circle X Ranch and Sandstone Peak area. Sandstone Peak is a steep hike, but you’ll be rewarded by surreal views, and the entire peak overlooks the Valley below.

The Santa Monica Mountains are actually so big that I haven’t even explored a huge portion of the area. Next up for me is Malibu Lagoon and Point Mugu State Park, but there’s also so much to keep coming back to. It just goes to show you, you can have an adventure even in your own home, and oftentimes, there’s more left to discover than you think.

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