Distance: 4 mi. RT
Elevation gain: 300 ft.
Directions to Trailhead: From the south or east: Take 4th St. off ramp from the west-bound Santa Monica freeway, then head north about 15 blocks to the end of 4th St. which is at Adelaide Drive. Park on 4th St. or turn right and park on Adelaide.
From the North: PCH south to Entrada Drive in Santa Monica, then east on Entrada and up the hill. Entrada becomes 7th St. Turn right onto San Vicente Blvd., then right again onto 4th St. From there it is a short block to Adelaide.
The Hike: Walk down 4th St. stairs. At the bottom, you’ll be on Ocean Ave. in Santa Monica Canyon. Carefully negotiate this confusing intersection so that you cross Ocean Ave. and turn left onto Entrada Dr. Proceed westerly on Entrada to the house at #278 Entrada Dr.
Walk up pedestrian path to the left of the house and look for a hidden stairway. Climb the 79 stairs so that at the top, you are on Mayberry Road. Turn right and continue along Mayberry, noting the classic houses of diverse architecture dating from 1920-1935.
Mayberry dead-ends at Ocean Way. Turn right. Checkout views of Santa Monica Bay and Will Rogers State Beach below. Continue on Ocean Way which curves around and melds into Entrada Dr. Make a hard left at this point and walk toward PCH on Entrada. As you approach PCH, look to your left for Patrick’s Roadhouse painted in a bilious green.
Turn right at PCH, walk past the Brass Cap Brasserie. Cross West Channel Road, turn right and continue along West Channel Road. Look across the street at #112, the Il Restorante du Georgi Baldi which is anchored by its salvaged bow of a ship wrecked in 1938.
As you walk on West Channel Road, look to your left for East Rustic Road and turn left. You are now in Rustic Canyon. Rustic Creek flows along great crumbling cliffs. The Sycamores towering above you have shaded the canyon for centuries. Local Indians considered these trees as the abode of sacred spirits. Walk to the end of East Rustic Road.
At the end of East Rustic Road is a rough timbered bridge that crosses the creek. Look for the concrete sidewalk that lies between the driveways at #544 and #550 East Rustic Road (#544 is barely discernable on the curb), which leads to another hidden stairway bordered by live oaks. (Partially down this sidewalk, someone has impressed “Annie” and “Noah” into the cement).
Climb the 60 stairs, then turn left and follow Upper Mesa Road until it ends at Latimer Road. Turn left onto Latimer Road. You are now in Middle Rustic Canyon, which widens, forming several terraces between the hillsides and the creek.
Walk up Latimer Road noting the huge Eucalyptus trees sheltering the old and some newer homes. Look to your left for Hill Tree Road which empties onto Latimer. Beyond Hill Tree Road on the left side of Latimer Dr. you will see the huge Rustic Canyon Recreation Center which has a field house (restrooms are inside to the left after you enter). This was originally the clubhouse of the Uplifters who formed an alternative, outlandish and irreverent club to “uplift art” and promote good fellowship (sure it did). Of note, just beyond Hill Tree snestled under the trees is state historical marker #840 for the Experimental Forestry Station created by Abbot Kinney in 1887. There is a big sign hanging over Latimer Road: “Uplifter’s Ranch.”
Continuing on up Latimer Drive, look to your right and turn onto Haldeman Drive. On the hillsides hidden in dense foliage are many of the original retreats, now private homes, built by the Uplifters. There are three log cabins at #’s 36, 37 & 38 Haldeman that came originally from the set of the 1923 silent film “The Courtship of Miles Standish.” Constructed of whole logs, each cabin was dismantled and trucked down from Lake Arrowhead, and re-built here. (We could barely see only two of them with all of the heavy landscaping).
Haldeman Drive curves to the left and then splits, one narrow lane going down to the left at #42 Haldeman, the other wider lane goes ahead and up the hill. Take the narrow lane to the left eventually crossing Latimer at #645 Latimer. Turn left onto Latimer and follow it down past the Recreation Center and beyond as it turns into Upper Mesa Road.
Continue to walk uphill along Upper Mesa Road until you reach the house at #407. As you stand on its driveway facing the garage, look immediately to your right for a stairway that leads down to Lower Mesa Road. Descend the 187 steps, turn left onto Lower Mesa Road and follow it to Entrada Drive.
At Entrada, turn left, and after a short block, come to the intersection with Ocean Ave. that we crossed at the beginning of the hike. On a wall on the south side of Ocean, look for a sign: “380 Entrada” which is the base of the 4th St. stairs. Climb the 189 stairs to return to the cars.
Original 2007-01-24 Hike 838 Description
2017-07-08