About This Event
At 1500 feet, Skull Rock (and its next door neighbor Bear Rock) sits on the shoulders of Temescal Ridge north of Temescal Gateway Park, delivering sweeping views over Santa Monica Bay and the local islands. Sitting inside one of the eye sockets presents a great photo opp! We'll have apicnic here so bring a sack lunch for yourself and your favorite beverages to share
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Our route begins a up Trailer Canyon fire road providing broad views over Santa Ynez Canyon and the surrounding mountains. But like nature and vacuums, we abhor fire roads. Thus, shortly after the hike begins we will leave the fireroad and take a small, slightly overgrown use trail that passes a clay gully and crosses a lush ridge up to the Temescal Ridge trail. We'll return along the fire road making a little loop in the canyon.
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Along the way don't forget to check out an old quarry marked by a single out of place palm tree juxtaposed against the indigenous chaparral.
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As we head over to Skull Rock we'll take a short side trip up to Green Peak and say hello to some microwave antennas.
Hike is a total of 6 miles with 1,000 feet elevation gain on the way, 500 on the way back
Directions:
From Sunset Boulevard, half a mile east of PCH, head north on Palisades Drive. After 2.4 miles. Turn left onto Vereda de la Montura, (the same turnoff for the trailhead for hikes in Santa Ynez Canyon to Santa Ynez Falls and Eagle Rock) and make an immediate right on Michael Lane. Drive half a mile to the trailhead, which will be on the left. There is street parking available on Michael Lane.
