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Sandstone Peak

Location: Circle X Ranch (Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area)

Highlights: Most inclusive view in the Santa Monicas and volcanic rock formations

Distance: 6 miles (loop)

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,400'/1,400'

Hiking Time: 3½ hours

Optional Maps: Trails Illustrated Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or USGS 7.5-minute Triunfo Pass and Newbury Park

Best Times: October–June

Agency: SMMNRA

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous

Trail Use: Dogs allowed

Sandstone Peak is the quintessential destination for peak baggers in the Santa Monica Mountains. The 3,111-foot summit can be efficiently climbed from the east via the Backbone Trail in a mere 1.5 miles, but the far more scenic way to go is the loop outlined below. Take a picnic lunch, and plan to make a half day of it. Try to come on a crystalline day in late fall or winter to get the best skyline views. Or, if it’s wildflowers you most enjoy, come in April or May, when the native vegetation blooms most profusely at these middle elevations. In addition to blue-flowering stands of ceanothus, the early-to mid-spring floral bloom includes monkey-flower, nightshade, Chinese houses, wild peony, wild hyacinth, morning glory, and phacelia. Delicate, orangish Humboldt lilies unfold by June. Beware of poison oak growing alongside the trail.