Sandstone Peak Hiking Trail

05 February, 2023

Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, Sandstone Peak is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in Southern California. This was the first major hike I attempted in 2023, and it totally changed my mindset in regards to what kinds of adventures are accessible to me here in SoCal. I had done some hiking previously in Malibu and along the Santa Monica Mountains in the past, but this was unlike anything I'd attempted at home. I thought all of the adventure I'd ever experience in my lifetime would be abroad, but this hike showed me just how much my home has to offer.

Depending on what direction you're coming from, the drive to the trailhead can be a difficult one. The best thing you can do is follow the directions AllTrails gives by taking Kanan Dume Canyon toward Neptune's Net restaurant, and then turning right onto Yerba Buena Rd. You can then ride Yerba Buena all the way to the trailhead. Now, if you're like me and want to save four minutes, you'll probably take Mulholland Canyon (not recommended). Mulholland is a gorgeous route, but service falls through about halfway through the canyon and your GPS won't know how to get you to Yerba Buena, and that four minutes saved will turn into an extra half hour blindly winding through Mulholland Canyon. I don't recommend this strategy, but I will admit, there are worse places to get lost than in the Santa Monica Mountains.

My friends and I planned to start our hike around 9AM; this is a great hike to do in the morning. There's no shade along the trail so I'd recommend bringing sun protection and plan on leaving early, you'll want to enjoy the morning breeze. The hike is a 3.0 mile trail, basically all uphill in somewhat of a spiral towards the Peak. When you reach the Peak, there's a bit of climbing involved to get to the top, but it's not difficult (I'm not a climber -- think less climbing, more really steep hiking and you might have to use your hands?) Just go slow and be cautious. The hike took us about two hours roundtrip, including stopping to sit at the peak and enjoy the view.

Everywhere you turn on this trail, a breathtaking view is waiting for you. The trail overlooks the suburbs around Westlake and Thousand Oaks on one side, and a crystal clear view of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Malibu coast on the other side. Along the way, we couldn't help but comment that the rock formations made us feel like we were hiking through Arizona, but make it coastal!

Climbing down from the Peak can be tricky, the trail looks different from the top and its easy to confuse where exactly you climbed up from. I'll admit, we basically slid down on our bottoms because it was so steep (but we made it fun!) Just go slow and take it easy, this isn't something to rush. The hike down is much easier, all downhill.

After we made our way down from the hike, we drove about fifteen minutes to Malibu to grab some breakfast burritos from Lily's Cafe. (Make a reservation, we all left hungry and burrito-less).

Sandstone Peak is a great hike if you want to enjoy some breathtaking views, give yourself a nice physical challenge, and there's easy access to the beach afterward by driving back through the canyons! This is definitely a hike I'll be doing again.