Have Your Own Adventure in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Explore miles of wilderness along Southern California’s urban edge

With nearly 80,000 protected acres of open space just minutes from the city, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area  lets you escape into the surprising and beautiful natural side of Southern California.

Considered the largest urban national park in the world, this parkland encompasses federal, state, and locally protected acreage stretching from Hollywood into Ventura County. Runyon Canyon Park just north of Sunset Boulevard is one of the most popular urban destinations, while Franklin Canyon offers a beautiful lake and a nature center minutes from Beverly Hills.

At Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades, you can tour the legendary humorist’s ranch house, including an outstanding collection of Western art. Or hike a portion of the Backbone Trail, the 65-mile-long route that begins here and crosses the Santa Monica Mountains before dropping down to the ocean at the far edge of Malibu.

What’s perhaps most striking about this spectacular stretch of parkland is the diversity of experiences. Mountain bicyclists challenge their skills on steep routes that climb to ridgelines through sandstone formations. Hikers climb to secluded waterfalls. And movie buffs get a kick out of the sets at Paramount Ranch, or look for familiar settings in Malibu Creek State Park, where M.A.S.H. and many other films and TV shows have been shot over the years.