Linda Ballou Offers A Toast to Her Beloved Topanga Town in California’s Santa Monica Mountains

Special Report By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate 

View from a trail in Topanga State Park. Photo courtesy Linda Ballou.

Living in Topanga Canyon is as far outside of Los Angeles as you can get without leaving the metropolis. Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, and the largest urban preserve in the United States, it offers access to miles of hiking trails and enjoys stunning views of the coast and a cooling sea breeze.

The Canyon has long been known as a sequestered enclave for artists of all stripes, spiritual gurus, and nature nuts. You may have heard that back in the 1960s and early 70s, Topanga Canyon was a rustic haven for a number of musicians including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, several members of The Doors, and Poco, not to forget Linda Ronstadt, Marvin Gaye, Dennis Hopper, Jim Morrison, Mick Fleetwood — even Woody Guthrie, Van Morrison and The Byrds. It offered these artists a “back to nature” escape from Los Angeles. Also, in 1967, the Canyon was briefly associated with the Manson Family cult, before they moved to Spahn Ranch. But while those wild days are long gone, driving up from the PCH is still a fantastic, fascinating day trip which  highly recommend… 

Today, the artists, gurus and nature lovers are still alive and well in the canyon, but now they’ve been joined by a new “stripe,” the well-heeled techies who can work at home. The wealthy are busy building king-of-the-mountain retreats that sell for millions. Air B&B’s are popping up like wildflowers in the spring. With only 8,700 year-round residents, it is not quite a city, but there is a strong sense of community.

Much of Topanga’s charm remains the same as it has for decades.

Flower Power at Pine Tree Circle. All photos courtesy the author.

Pine Tree Circle, a vibrant shopping and community hub located at 120-122 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.,  is the heart of Topanga, offering an array of eclectic boutiques and artisan shops, as well as art galleries, gift shops, services and cozy eateries housed in a rustic atmosphere. There you will find:

• Hidden Treasures, with its glitzy façade that lures the curious to explore vintage clothing and artworks of unknown origin.
• Topanga Homegrown, known for tasteful clothing, jewelry, books, and other handmade items created by local artists.
• The iconic Inn of the Seventh Ray restaurant.  Their esoteric name references violet, the ray of transformation, according to their website. (In esoteric philosophy, the “violet flame” represents the energy that brings spirit into physical form.) Established in 1973, it bills itself as “Los Angeles’ Most Romantic Restaurant.” Where else can you dine by candlelight under the stars, amidst grand old sycamore trees, a flowing creek and waterfalls along winding brick pathways? The chef proudly offers delicious organic California cuisine, locally sourced, unique, elegant and rustic, delightfully paired with award winning wine selections from a wine list chock full of rare, wines from around the world. Creekside seating in a flower-laden garden serves as a site for weddings and other special occasions.
• The Spiral Staircase gift shop, adjacent to the Inn is filled with soul-lifting books, artisan clothing, and unusual gifts, and always worth a gander.
• Water Lily, is a cozy family-owned café serving simple well-made food — fresh breakfast, lunch and coffee — since 2000. It offers a relaxed welcoming space with outdoor seating, for locals, hikers and those on their way to Malibu. The menu focuses on made-to-order sandwiches, homemade soups, salads and breakfast. The focus is on quality ingredients prepared with care, using organic whenever possible, as well as gluten-free and antibiotic-free.
• Café 27, currently the hottest stop in the canyon, is filled with millennials vying for a seat at the counter overlooking a shady canyon. Nestled among the trees, it is an almost entirely outdoor space, built into the side of a hill with a multi-level patio that feels like you’re eating inside the treehouse of your childhood dreams. But instead of juice boxes and PBJ’s, you’ll dine on omelette, sandwiches and avocado toast. What can beat fresh food with a view?

A long view of Topanga State Park.

After a hike, I recommend you visit Pine Tree Circle to enjoy a unique shopping experience or a bite of excellent food. Sunny days and a sea breeze floating up the canyon invite you to relax and stay awhile. Note: New shops are popping up all the time. For example, if you’re looking for the famed Topanga Grill, you’ll find Café 27 occupies its former location.  (Sadly, when Grill owner Pat passed away, so did the famed $4.95 breakfast. The rustic café walls that were once filled with surfboards and pictures of the hippie culture of the 60s are also no more…)

Stage at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.

The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is celebrating 50 years of Shakespeare productions. Enter an enchanted hamlet with an outdoor stage shaded by stately oak trees. Educational programs for children take place here all summer. Plays adapted by matriarch, Ellen Geer, are performed in the evenings for adults. Numerous events are staged here, including an artisan fair when Mr. and Mrs. Claus stop by. It is a treasured space in the canyon we hope will remain intact for generations to come.

A Balinese statue from Jaden Jaden.

Jalan Jalan on Scenic Hwy 27, south of Pine Tree Circle, boasts a fabulous collection of Balinese imports. Statues of gods and goddesses are scattered on the grounds, as well as blocks of crystal, teak, and hardwood furniture. Inside the shop are tempting displays of handcrafted jewelry. There is no pressure to purchase these wonders. You are welcome to take a moment beside the grotto where a year-round stream splashes into a rock-framed pool. It is one of those mystical stops sprinkled throughout Topanga that make it so special.

The 65-mile backbone trail stretches from Pt. Mugu on the coast to Sunset Blvd in Pacific Palisades. It crosses through the center of the canyon into the Topanga State Park. Miles of trails radiate from the TSP parking lot, attracting city folk in need of a breath of fresh air and a good workout. Easily accessible from the San Fernando Valley as well as the Westside, Topanga State Park is a handy local favorite.

The Musch trail meanders through oak woodlands and tree tunnels of mountain mahogany and California Lilac to vistas of peaks framing the canyon below. You can take the Eagle Rock extension to this hike, then loop back to the park entrance on a fire road with views of Santa Monica Bay. Santa Ynez trail takes the ambitious hiker through dramatic rock formations to a creek lined with sycamore. The fire road along the southern ridge is an easy march, offering majestic vistas of the glittering Pacific and Catalina Island on a clear day.

Linda showcasing several of her books available for sale at Pine Tree Circle’s Topanga Homegrown.

The name Topanga finds its origins in the Native American culture, specifically the Tongva people who once inhabited the Sputherm California region. Derived from the Tonga word “topangna” this distinctive name carried the profound meaning of “Where the Mountain Meets the Sea.”

Archeological digs at the park’s entrance indicate that people have lived here in Topanga for 8,000 years and have used these trails from the mountain to the sea. The Tongva people, dubbed Gabriolino by the Spanish, were not from the same root stock as the sea-faring Chumash tribe that populated coastal villages. They spoke the Shoshone language and migrated along trade routes of the southwest native peoples. Stewards of the land, they groomed the vast grass meadows with controlled fires and trimmed the oaks to create the natural park setting we enjoy today.

Impact of the Palisades Fire

Exotic entrance to the Spiral Staircase gift shop.

The Palisades fire was stopped at the base of Topanga town. Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed for about six months due to mudslides and falling boulders. For some, it was a trying time, but for those of us who work from home, it was a special time when life slowed down to what it was in the Canyon 50 years ago. We enjoyed peaceful, serene, blissful days with no commuter traffic. Selfish of me to have loved it that way.

But now it is back to being a busy little burg with fun music festivals, art shows, and hikers on the trails receiving nature’s gifts. Every Memorial Day weekend, Topanga Days brings in throngs for three days of celebration. Six bands take the stage, outside vendors share their unique wares, and locals line up for the match-off for the egg toss. Free shuttles are in place along Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which makes it fun to while away another beautiful day in Topanga.

Linda Ballou Freelance Writer

Linda's mission is to experience as many beautiful places on our planet as she can before they are no more. Travel tales relating her experiences while kayaking, horseback riding, sailing, birding and hiking about the globe have appeared in numerous national magazines. She had great fun collecting travel stories, and profiles of people she met in “naturally high places” for her book, Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales. Her latest book Lost Angel Unleashed is the third book in her Lost Angel Trilogy

Go to LostAngelAdventures.com for more adventures.

For more about Linda’s novels and media offerings go to. www.LindaBallouAuthor.com