Category Archives: landscape

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Fire Followers Along the Fossil Ridge Trail

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Fire Followers Along the Fossil Ridge Trail. May 25, 2025.

Recently, while doing the Topanga Lookout Ridge Loop, I was surprised to find that the “Closed” sign and tape blocking access to the Fossil Ridge Trail had been removed. The Fossil Ridge Trail has been closed since the Palisades Fire and was closed when I did the Hondo Canyon Trail on May 4.

This 0.6-mile segment of the Backbone Trail connects the top of the Hondo Canyon Trail to Topanga Ridge Mtwy, near the Lois Ewen Overlook. From the overlook, the Backbone Trail continues west to Saddle Peak and then on to Malibu Canyon and other trailheads.

I decided to check out the initial stretch of the Fossil Ridge Trail, intending to turn around if it was obviously damaged, overgrown, or there was some other issue.

Fire followers and other wildflowers along the Fossil Ridge Trail. (thumbnail)
Fire followers and other wildflowers along the Fossil Ridge Trail.

What I found was a trail that had been recently groomed and a hillside full of wildflowers — thousands of wildflowers. The number of large-flowered Phacelias — a showy, purple fire follower — was extraordinary. Also decorating the trail were caterpillar Phacelia, collarless poppy, bindweed, star lily, Catalina mariposa lily, yellow mariposa lily, blue Dicks, and false mustard.

Continuing east on the trail, I passed the rock slide containing fossil shell impressions. The impressions are on a rock that broke apart in the slide. The slide is on the north side of the trail, about a quarter-mile from the western trailhead and 0.4-mile from the eastern trailhead.

After checking the eastern end of the trail, I retraced my steps and returned to the Lois Ewen Overlook. From there, I continued west on the Backbone Trail, visited the eastern summit of Saddle Peak, and then descended the Backbone Trail to its junction with the Stunt High Trail. The Stunt High Trail was used to complete the loop.

Other than the top of Saddle Peak, virtually none of the Topanga Lookout Ridge Loop was burned. The Backbone Trail crosses a huge preemptive firebreak on the north side of Saddle Peak several times, but the firefighters who constructed the firebreak took care to preserve the trail.

Some related posts:
– Hondo Canyon Out and Back Trail Run
– Fire Followers Along the Backbone Trail
– Too Many Flowers on the Chamberlain Trail
– Topanga Lookout Loop, Plus Saddle Peak

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Even A Little Creek Can Get Your Shoes Wet!

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Creek crossing on upper Las VIrgenes Creek

Update May 29, 2025. Thanks to cooler temperatures, the log crossing on upper Las Virgenes Creek didn’t dry out. It now has more water than it did a couple of weeks ago.

The section of Las Virgenes Creek in the title photo is the “log crossing.” This is about three-quarters of a mile up-canyon from the Las Virgenes Trailhead. The crossing avoids a pool that is just downstream.

In recent years, the pool has almost always been present. Even when there’s water in the pool, there may not be water at the log crossing. When there is water, the little stream is usually a bit too wide to jump.

Earlier this month, someone was thoughtful enough to place a basic bridge across the stream at the log crossing. Since then, the crossing has started to dry out, but it’s “the thought that counts,” and hopefully the span will still be there when it is needed.

A bit more than a quarter-mile upstream from the log crossing — just past the pipeline monitoring station and the connector to Cheeseboro — is another, more dispersed creek crossing. Small logs across a couple branches of the creek help to keep your shoes dry. The water at this crossing also appears to be receding.

During the 2011-2015 drought, groundwater levels were reduced to the extent that the upper crossing was dry for many months. In March 2014, the creek didn’t flow here even after four inches of rain!

We’ll have to see how a hot Summer affects upper Las Virgenes Creek. Even if the creek temporarily stops flowing, it will likely come back in the Fall, when the water demands of the local flora decrease.

Some related posts:
– Upper Las Virgenes Creek Still Flowing in Mid-July
– After the Woolsey Fire and a Lot of Rain: Upper Las Virgenes Creek
– Mallards on Upper Las Virgenes Creek
– The Color of Rain IV

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Hondo Canyon Out and Back Trail Run

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Wood fern along the Hondo Canyon segment of the Backbone Trail
Wood fern along the Hondo Canyon segment of the Backbone Trail

Update October 25, 2025. The Fossil Ridge segment of the Backbone Trail APPEARS to have reopened. The orange tape across the trail at the top of the Hondo Canyon Trail and the CLOSED sign at its western end, near the Lois Ewen Overlook, have been removed. There is a stunning display of fire followers along the trail, including thousands of purple, large-flowered Phacelias.

When the updated restrictions for Topanga State Park were announced on March 21, 2025, one of the open trails that caught my eye was the Hondo Canyon segment of the Backbone Trail.

I’d run the Hondo Canyon Trail as part of point-to-point runs from Will Rogers and the Top of Reseda, but never as an out-and-back run from the trailhead on Old Topanga Road. Done this way, the segment is about 8 miles round-trip, with an elevation gain/loss of around 1700 feet.

When the Fossil Ridge/Saddle Peak segment of the Backbone Trail reopens, extending the route to Saddle Peak will add a bit more than three miles (round trip) to the route.

The turnout for the trailhead is on the southwest side of Old Topanga Canyon Road, about 0.4 mile from N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Please note there is fire hydrant in the turnout that must remain clear and accessible.

Purple and white Chinese house along the Hondo Canyon Trail. (thumbnail)
Purple and white Chinese house along the Hondo Canyon Trail.

The number of flowers and amount of plant growth along the trail were much more than would be expected in a “dry” Rain Year . Part of the reason, is that the previous two Rain Years were very wet. Another reason is the timing of the rain this Winter. The area received almost no rain until the end of January. Thanks to a wetter than normal February, and normal March, Los Angeles rainfall has been about normal since January 25. When it finally started to rain, it was at a time that was especially beneficial to the chaparral plants.

Here is an interactive, high resolution, 3-D terrain view of the Palisades burn area, zoomed in on the area of Hondo Canyon, Topanga Lookout, and Saddle Peak.

And here are a few photos and notes from the run.

Some related posts:
– Red Rock Canyon – Hondo Canyon – Saddle Peak Loop
– July Fourth Trail Run to Trippet Ranch, Hondo Canyon and Saddle Peak

ahmanson ranch, landscape, nature, nature|wildflowers, photography, photography|landscape, photography|wildflowers, running, smmc open space, trail running, trails, trails|smmc open space, upper las virgenes canyon open space preserve, wildflowers, wildflowers

More Ahmanson Mustard, Two Mariposa Lilies, and a Scraggy Road

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Expansive mustard bloom at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch)

This year’s expansive mustard bloom continues to draw hikers to the Victory Trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch). Even though it’s an invasive weed and fire hazard, when it’s in widespread bloom it highlights the terrain as only mustard can.

A yellow mariposa lily (Calochortus clavatus var. pallidus) (thumbnail)
Yellow mariposa lily

Two of the three mariposa lilies that are found in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch) are blooming at the moment. The Catalina mariposa lily is especially prevalent along the first half-mile of East Las Virgenes Canyon fire road, near the Victory Trailhead. The yellow mariposa lily isn’t as easily found. It generally blooms after the Catalina mariposa lily, and occurs in widely scattered, small patches. Its yellow is so vivid as to be nearly incandescent. Even less common is Plummer’s mariposa lily, which typically blooms during the heat of summer.

Near the beginning of a run from the Victory Trailhead the other day, a passing mountain biker commented that the fire road in East Las Virgenes Canyon was “really chopped up.” It had rained a few days before, on the Saturday of a busy Spring weekend (April 26). Following the storm, the multitude of shoe imprints and clumps of mud hardened into an irregular, scraggy, concrete-like surface. The footing is the worst near the Victory Trailhead, but gradually gets better the farther west you go on East Las Virgenes Canyon fire road.

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Simi Valley and Boney Mountain from the Chumash Trail

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Simi Valley and Boney Mountain from the Chumash Trail

It rained yesterday, and today, the unsettled weather produced cloud-enhanced views of the Simi Valley and Boney Mountain from the Chumash Trail.

Invasive mustard near the Chumash Trailhead in SImi Valley. (thumbnail)
Invasive mustard near the Chumash Trailhead

In the title photo, beyond the foothills of Simi Valley, is Boney Mountain. More than just a peak, Boney Mountain is a prominent volcanic massif at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

In the photo, Sandstone Peak (3116′) — the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains — is on the left side of the massif, and Tri Peaks (3040′) is on the right. (Elevations are from PeaKBagger.com.)

The views from the Chumash Trail underscored the season, as did the Spring wildflowers. Like many other low-elevation areas of Southern California, a forest of black mustard covered the first few hundred yards of the trail.

Bush sunflower along the Chumash Trail in SImi Valley. (thumbnail)
Bush sunflower along the Chumash Trail.

Farther along the trail, bright yellow patches of bush sunflower amplified the scattered patches of sun, and yellow pincushion and golden yarrow added dabs of color to the chaparral.

Several species of Ceanothus are found along the trail. Hairy-leaved Ceanothus was in bloom. It is one of two local Ceanothus species that are 3-veined from the base but the only one with finely serrated leaves.

Notable for its beauty and dangerous character, this poisonous Fremont’s star lily was found about halfway up the trail.

Some related posts:
– Chumash Trail Out and Back to Rocky Peak Road
– Chumash – Las Llajas Loop Plus
– Chumash Trailhead to Rocky Peak

ahmanson ranch, landscape, nature, photography, photography|landscape, photography|wildflowers, smmc open space, trails, upper las virgenes canyon open space preserve, wildflowers, wildflowers

Ahmanson Ranch Poppies, Goldfields, Red Maids, and a Rattlesnake

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California Poppies at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve

At first glance you might think there aren’t any wildflowers at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch). The grasses, mallow, mustard and other invasives tend to crowd them out, but the wildflowers are there.

As seen in the title photo, there are a few nice patches of California poppies. Unless you have a sharp eye, you probably won’t see them from the parking lot. They like warm, west-facing slopes. If it’s early morning or chilly, their blossoms will be tightly furled to protect against the cold.

Goldfields on Lasky Mesa (thumbnail)
A patch of goldfields on Lasky Mesa

Individual goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis) may go unnoticed, but it’s hard to miss the bright yellow patches of goldfields scattered around Laksy Mesa.

Red maids is another vibrantly-colored wildflower. Its rose-lavender blossoms stand out from the green of the grasses. Small patches of the flowers can be seen just about anywhere at Ahmanson in late Winter and early Spring.

Also grabbing my attention during a recent run was a small rattlesnake on the fire road in East Las Virgenes Canyon. It may be young and small, but it’s just as venomous as an adult snake. With warming temps, more encounters with snakes are likely.

Some related posts:
– If Running at Ahmanson Could Always Be Like This…
– After the Kenneth Fire: The Theme is Green
– Weekday Wildflowers
– Big Southern Pacific Rattlesnake at Ahmanson Ranch