Saddle Peak Trail
(Intersection Stunt & Schueren Roads)
Three roads come together in a saddle east of Saddle Peak. Stunt Road, Schueren Road and Saddle Peak Road all originate at this point. A convenient off-the-road parking area can handle at least a dozen cars, and if we were to organize the parking, maybe twenty. As an aside from hiking, people have been known to drive up here on a quiet night just to look at the lights below.
Our hike starts by walking west, slightly downhill on Stunt Road for 200 yards. The Saddle Peak segment of the Backbone Trail angles left leaving Stunt Road and continues to a ridge crossing over to the south side. We continue almost level until we see a large water tank ahead. Go around the tank to follow an uphill trail to a level area and a fork in the trail. We take the right fork to continue on the trail or we can take the left fork and go to the top of Saddle Peak East. At 2800 feet Saddle Peak is the highest point in the eastern or central part of the Santa Monica Mountains. If timed right, a peak climb on a full moon night will not only reward us with magnificent views of the cities' bright lights but also of the moon coming up from the eastern horizon. On top the peak is flat and open. On the sides hundreds of Spanish Broom bushes, some ten feet high, effectively control the erosion. Come here in April, May, June and maybe July for a real treat of sight and smell. The volunteer trail crew of the Sierra Club hosted a Summit dedication at 12 noon on 8 December 1990.
To continue the hike we start downhill passing through a stand of Chaparral Pea (in the same family as Spanish Broom) also about 10-feet high and blooms in May. A slab of rock several hundred feet long is on our left until the trail makes a switchback right and threads down through "Gateway Rock." We could stop in the protection of immense boulders in preparation for the downhill stretch ahead of us. a north-south land corridor about 300 yards wide was available for trail use coming down the north side of the slope. We notice it took sixteen switchbacks to stay within the land ownership boundary, but the trail is unique and does get us down the hill. We will have descended about 750 feet from the peak when we level out.
From here to joining the Saddle Creek segment, the trail is almost level. We pass a Eucalyptus tree on our right and make a left turn to go west. In ten minutes we intersect the Saddle Creek segment and turn around to return the way we came.
If we turn right at the intersection it is 3/8 of a mile to Stunt Road, if we want to walk back to our car along the road. A left turn at the intersection would put us on Saddle Creek segment with 3.2 miles to go to Piuma Road. Each Sunday in November the Sierra club leads hikes on the Backbone Trail. Check the schedule for this one.
Upon reaching the Saddle Creek segment of the trail we might elect retracing our route back to Saddle Peak. When we reach our cars and want more exercise we might select the trail to the Topanga Lookout Site (although the lookout tower has been taken down). This would add another 3-mile roundtrip.