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2025 Palisades Fire Perimeter and Some Area Trails

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2025 Palisades Fire perimeter and some area trails.

The information in this post may be incorrect or out of date. For official information see the Palisades Fire incident page on the CAL FIRE website. The perimeter is from the Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS) Group and National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) website. The perimeter shown has a poly_DateCurrent of 1/14/2025 4:30:52 AM UTC.

Here’s an interactive, 3D terrain view of the 2025 Palisades Fire perimeter along with GPS tracks of some of the trails in the area.

Also included is a Copernicus Sentinel-2 overlay a few minutes after the start of the fire. The image data was processed using an Active Fire Detection script from SentinelHub. The image sensing timestamp is January 7, 2025 at 10:36:49 AM PST. Here is a broader view of the Sentinel-2 L1C image processed with the Active Fire Detection script.

The active fire detected coincides with the smoke plume near Skull Rock discussed in this Washington Post article. As the article notes, this is in the area burned by the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. Here is a zoomed-in 3D terrain view of the area near Skull Rock.

The approximate location hypothesized in the Washington Post article of the area where there might have been re-ignition of the New Year’s Eve fire near Skull Rock  is also noted.

The locations of placemarks, trails, and other data are approximate and subject to error.

Related post: 2021 Palisades Fire Perimeter and Some Area Trails

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Exploring Calabasas Peak’s Southeast Ridge

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Topanga Ridge, Lookout and Saddle Peak from Calabasas Peak's southeast ridge.
Topanga Ridge, Lookout, and Saddle Peak from Calabasas Peak’s Southeast Ridge.

On the way down from Saddle Peak last Sunday, the “knob” at the end of Calabasas Peak’s southeast ridge caught my eye. For some time, I’ve been curious about the ridge and the unique sandstone ribs that form its backbone. The odd knob at the end of the ridge just increased my curiosity.

Calabasas Peak from the Stunt High Trail. (thumbnail)
Calabasas Peak from the Stunt High Trail.

This morning found me running (and hiking) up Calabasas Peak Mtwy. fire road towards Calabasas Peak. My rough plan was to do Calabasas Peak, explore the rock formations along the peak’s southeast ridge, and then do Topanga Lookout Ridge Loop and Saddle Peak.

Near the top of the fire road, I stopped to take a photo of the rock formations and rising sun. The marine layer created a peculiar veil of fog and haze that accentuated the rocks and ridges.

After a quick ascent of Calabasas Peak, I returned to the viewpoint at the top of the fire road and started working down the southeast ridge. A steep, brushy, convoluted, little-used path wound down and around the tops of the rock ribs along the ridge to a small clearing at a saddle below the “knob.”

Sandstone rib on Calabasas Peak's Southeast Ridge. (thumbnail)
Sandstone rib on Calabasas Peak’s Southeast Ridge.

It turned out that it was not a knob but another rocky rib that looked like a knob when viewed head-on. It was relatively easy to access the rib from the clearing. I ascended the rib until I ran out of rock, then descended it to a point below where I had joined it.

I briefly debated continuing down the ridge but decided to retrace my steps and return up the ridge to the viewpoint.

Once back on the fire road, I jogged down to its junction with Red Rock Road and started up Topanga Lookout Ridge. The rib at the end of Calabasas Peak’s southeast ridge doesn’t look anything like a knob from Topanga Lookout Ridge!

Later in the run, when I was on the way down from Saddle Peak, I looked across the canyon at the “knob” on Calabasas Peak and smiled. Checking it out had been an enjoyable adventure.

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Very Dry Start to the Downtown Los Angeles 2024-2025 Rain Year

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Blooming brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) on the southwest corner of Lasky Mesa at Ahmanson Ranch on December 24, 2024.

The last time Downtown Los Angeles had more than a smattering of rain was mid-April 2024 — more than 250 days ago. To date, the Rain Year beginning July 1, 2024 has been one of the two driest in the 147+ year weather record for Downtown Los Angeles.

Because of the time of year, and lack of rain, not many wildflowers were blooming along Los Angeles area trails at the end of 2024. One exception was this brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) on the southwest corner of Lasky Mesa in Ahmanson Ranch.

If Los Angeles doesn’t see any rain by January 9 — which appears likely — the period July 1, 2024 to January 9, 2025 will be tied with 1962-63 for the driest on record.

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Rock Formations Near the Top of Saddle Peak

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Rock formations above are near the top of Saddle Peak, in the Santa Monica Mountains, near Los Angeles.

The rock formations above are near the top of Saddle Peak, in the Santa Monica Mountains, near Los Angeles. Virtually all have been climbed, and climbers will be seen on Corpse Wall (photo center) most weekends.

I took the photo while doing the Topanga Lookout Ridge Loop. I do the loop clockwise from the trailhead on Stunt Road that’s across from the start of Calabasas Peak Mtwy fire road. The bottom of Topanga Lookout Ridge is about three-quarters of a mile up the fire road.

A use trail ascends the ridge. The easiest route requires a little straightforward scrambling but bypasses the more exposed climbing on the crest of the ridge. There are four or five optional segments where the rocky crest can be followed instead of the use trail.

Here’s a high resolution, interactive, 3D-terrain view of my GPS track of the Topanga Lookout Ridge Loop, including a side trip to Saddle Peak.

Related post: Topanga Lookout Loop, Plus Saddle Peak

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Brent’s Mountain, Malibu Creek State Park

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Brent's Mountain, Malibu Creek State Park. Photography by Gary Valle'

Brent’s Mountain from Mesa Peak Mtwy fire road in Malibu Creek State Park.

The peak and several other locations in the area appear to be named after Edwin James Brent, a furniture store owner in Los Angeles.

“Brents Mountain” is noted on the U.S.G.S. 1929 Solstice Canyon topographic map. The rocky peak towered above Brent’s Mountain Crags resort, which was acquired in 1939 by the Salvation Army.

Adventurers driving to the remote resort likely would have stopped at the Shell gas station at Brent’s Junction — the intersection of Ventura Blvd. (Hwy 101) and Las Virgenes Road.

The photograph of Brent’s Mountain was taken on a recent run of a variation of the Bulldog Loop.

Some related posts:
– Clearing Clouds, Santa Monica Mountains
– Turning California Sycamore Along Malibu Creek
– Reagan Ranch at Sunrise

Photography and inspiration from running and other adventures in the Open Space and Wilderness areas of California, and beyond. No ads. All content, including photography, is Copyright © 2006-2024 Gary Valle. All Rights Reserved.