Today (Memorial Day), my best friend and I went to explore Santa Ynez Canyon & Waterfall, which is in part of Topanga Canyon State Park.
The entrance to the hiking path is located on a side road, off of Palisades (easy to reach from Sunset Blvd). It is at the bottom of a hill, across from the entrances to two gated communities. You can easily park on the street, just read the signs. :)
Upon going down the intial steps, you'll find yourself in a concrete wash sort of area, with a fence protecting a deep cement flood run off area (complete with graffiti). After passing that area, you'll come across some round cement stepping stones that allow you to walk through any shallow standing water, to the actual path.
The path itself is narrow (single file most of the time) and overgrown in spots. There is A LOT of poison oak, so BEWARE! I highly suggest wearing long pants. Also, there are probably ticks in the area (a sign at the trailhead warned of them). The trail itself is rocky at times, so watch your step. It meanders along the interior of the canyon, crossing over dry riverbeds filled with rocks of varying sizes, as well as riverbeds with water flowing through them. The water was not deep when we were there, as it hadn't rained all that recently, but keep in mind that it might not be safe to traverse after the rains (and wear shoes you don't mind getting wet, regardless of when you go).
(A view of part of the riverbed system we walked over/through/along.)
The trail itself does not present a challenge in terms of incline, as it's rather flat most of the way through. However, avoiding the poison oak and some of the overgrown trees is tricky. The further you go into the canyon, the more you'll find yourself scrambling across narrow ridges on the path above the riverbed or over rocks in the riverbed itself.
There is a fork in the trail, which will point you in a couple of directions. It is marked by a wooden post. To get to the waterfall, go right at the post. You'll see a sign designating the trail as the one that heads to the waterfall. The trail is more intense from this point forward, so keep an eye out and be careful! :)
(post at the fork in the trail--make a note that you'll be going to the right on your way in, left on your way out, back toward the highlands, I think)
(Sign. In case it wasn't obvious.)
As you go deeper into the canyon, you'll be able to see high cliff walls framing the path and riverbed. Eventually, the path will lead to a section of larger rocks and boulders. You must scramble over the boulders to continue on the path to the waterfall. It can be tricky, so watch your step and take your time.
(Rocks n' boulders n' stuff along the path.)
At one point, there is a large boulder that you must climb up in order to go any further. That boulder proved to be too much of a challenge for a few hikers that we ran across. There are a few slim footholds, but not a lot of handholds to grasp on to. The boulder itself sits just next to a pool of water along the stream, so be sure to try to keep your feet dry, to add for traction. My friend and I climbed up it by choosing good footholds, being flexible and sticking close to the rock (almost crawling up). Once over that boulder, you'll find yourself in a very rocky canyon, filled with medium to large boulders and boxed in on both sides by rock faces and dirt cliffs.
(The stream finding its way through the canyon.)
Continuing down that canyon, you'll reach the little waterfall at the end, which is a pretty sort of place--somewhere nice to take a breather. There is a small pool at the end, which the waterfall feeds into--it's a little deeper than some of the other pools, but not a place to swim or anything.
(The waterfall at the back of the canyon.)
Some adventurous person anchored two climbing ropes along the side of one huge boulder, so as to allow people to climb up and continue exploring. My friend was able to get up the rope, but had a hard time at the top (and that's saying something, because she's a personal trainer and fit as hell). I got about halfway up and saw no feasible way to continue. I had wet shoes (so no traction) and my upper body strength isn't as great as it would probably need to be to scale the boulder with a rope and no footholds (Did I mention that it's pretty much a flat, bald face that is probably 12 feet high?).
(Adventurous Amy, trying to figure out how to get back down off that huge boulder.)
I do not know where the trail at the top of the ropes leads to--perhaps another waterfall?--but I am sorry that I wasn't able to get up there, because it looked beautiful. :)
(The view of the way back out, from the base of the waterfall.)
The walk back out was pretty, but getting down some of the rocks we'd climbed up/over was tricky at times. Just take your time--should be okay. We also walked for a while down the riverbed, jumping from rock to rock and shore to shore, instead of dealing with the poison oak on the paths. The path does intersect with the riverbed a few times, so you'll be able to pick it up again to get out, if you pay attention.
Overall, the hike itself was easy on the paths, moderate to difficult once inside the canyon because of the boulders. I did see a number of families with children, even up at the waterfall, so it might be a good place for a family hike, if your kids are adventurous. No dogs are allowed, so just keep that in mind. :) We didn't see a whole lot of wildlife--one lizard, one frog, some birds and dragonflies/butterflies.
(Hiya Mr. Lizard! He ran off right after I took the photo--a little kid was chasing him.)
Be sure to wear sunscreen and bring water, maybe even a little snack. And, again, wear long pants--and good hiking/walking shoes! Enjoy!
PROS: decent length (maybe 4 miles round trip, if the signs were correct); good for families; quiet and peaceful; scenic; unusual workout; not crowded; often shaded; fairly clean; free parking/admittance
CONS: tons of poison oak (wear long pants!!); no bathroom facilities; possiblity of ticks (again, wear long pants); difficult to manuever at the end (requires good hiking shoes)
