Overview

Calabasas has a spider's web of trails with a large number of access points. Many are newer trails and are built to modern standards - smooth singletracks with many switchbacks to limit the steepness. The Calabasas Peak Motorway provides a climbing challenge for everyone, and the Calabasas Historic Trail, close to the 101 Freeway, is part of the missionary route from San Diego to San Francisco, El Camino Real, this section of which became part of the Ventura Highway before it was expanded to the current 101 Freeway. Through the Las Virgenes View Trail, they connect to Malibu Creek State Park to the west. The maps on these pages show some of the Calabasas trails, but by no means all of them. Yet to be explored, for example, is the backbone trail from Malibu Creek State Park to Topanga State Park.

NOTE: As of April 2008, mustard has grown over much of the trails that form the loop at the top of the Bark Park Trail. CORBA has been working hard to remove it, but it's so thick that it's going to take some time before the trails as completely passable again. Take a look at the photo gallery of the work to clear it to see how large a problem it is.

Aerial View

View is from the north-west.

Trailheads

T1 - Las Virgenes View Trail Trailhead and parking on the north-east corner of Las Virgenes Rd and Mulholland
T2 - Grasslands trailhead and parking on Mulholland, just west of Las Virgenes Rd
T3 - Bark Park trailhead and parking on Las Virgenes Rd, about 1 mile south of the 101 freeway
T4 - Grasslands trailhead and parking at De Anza Park on Lost Hills Rd, just north of Las Virgenes Rd
T5 - Calabasas Rd Trailhead. There is limited parking here; high ground clearance is needed to get onto the shoulder
T6 - Calabasas Crest Trail trailhead on the south-west end of Calabasas Parkway
T7 - Secret Trail trailhead and parking on Mulholland
T8 - Red Rock Canyon trailhead on Red Rock Rd, accessed from Old Topanga Canyon Rd. There is parking here for a fee.
T9 - Calabasas Peak Motorway trailhead and parking on Stunt Rd, about 1.8 miles from Mulholland
T10 - Calabasas Historic Trail trailhead and parking on Las Virgenes Rd, just south of the 101 freeway and across the street from Agoura Rd.

Trails

[1] Las Virgenes View Trail

Description The Las Virgenes View Trail is fantastic trail, well maintained and with some great views; it's only about 2.5 miles long. We use it as an add-on to other rides in the area. It starts at the corner of Mulholland Hwy and Las Virgenes Road, only a couple of hundred yards from where the Grasslands Trail in Malibu Creek State Park crosses Mulholland, and heads north-east. There are a couple of descents, but it generally climbs to a hilltop with almost a 360-degree view of the area. From here it's a really fun downhill back to the start, but be careful because there are a lot of sharp corners with steep dropoffs. Even though the trail is well maintained, it is probably a little too steep for novices to handle, especially if they're not comfortable with steep dropoffs on the side. From the top, it connects to other Calabasas trails via the Las Virgenes View Park Connector, described below.

Technical Rating T2

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[2] Bark Park Trail

Description This is a great trail for people who like firm and smooth singletrack with moderate climbs. The trail isn't as steep as Las Virgenes View Trail, but it has enough grade to be lots of fun on the way down! It climbs out of the dog park "Bark Park" where there is lots of parking on Las Virgenes Road. 0.6 miles from the start is a fork; go left and up. The right fork degrades into a series of dead-end cattle tracks after several hundred yards. At 1.1 miles the trail makes a very sharp left turn where the Millennium Trail runs into it. Further on, the trail heads down a few gentle switchbacks and looks like it will join Gun Club Rd but instead it climbs up a gentle valley then traverses a steep hill. Eventually it does meet Gun Club Rd, where the trail ends. From there, go downhill a few hundred yards to continue on the Old 101 Trail, or head up Gun Club Rd to get to the Calabasas Crest Trail.

Technical Rating T2

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[3] Millennium Trail

Description This is short and smooth singletrack that connects the Bark Park Trail with the Las Virgenes View Park Connector, which itself connects to Las Virgenes View Trail and gives access to Malibu Creek State Park.

Technical Rating T2

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[4] Norman'sWay Western Loop Trail

Description This is an out-and-back singletrack that starts at the top of the Las Virgenes View Park Connector. The hills are gentle - not so difficult to climb and with enough curves and crests to make it tons of fun to come down. As of January 2007 there were a very few ruts and cracks; in general this trail is in very good shape with a fairly smooth tread. It ends after climbing the very interesting Pyramid Switchbacks. Note: As of early April, 2007, a new segment has been added that connects this trail with the Calabasas - Cold Creek Connector Trail.

Technical Rating T2

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[5] Las Virgenes View Park Connector Trail

Description This trail connects the top of Las Virgenes View Trail with the Millennium Trail (heading north-west) and Norman's Way Western Loop Trail (heading south-east).  From the top of the Las Virgenes View Trail, you can continue up this ridgeline dirt road to the north that looks like it gets used by cattle more than anything else. This road starts with a very steep climb and then undulates up and down some short but steepish hills, sometimes also being loose and sandy. There are a number of barbed-wire gates that cross the road and they can be hard to see - especially the ones at the bottoms of the dips where you want to have some speed to make it up the next hill.

The profile is shown with the Las Virgenes View Trail profile.

Technical Rating T2.5

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[6] Old 101 Trail

Description This is short, smooth and gently climbing singletrack trail that connects Gun Club Rd to Calabasas Historic Trail.

Technical Rating T2

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[7] Gun Club Rd (AKA Calabasas Connector Trail)

Description This is an old paved road that still has patches of pavement, but is mostly very firm dirt. It connects the Old 101 Trail, Bark Park Trail and Calabasas Crest Trail. (It get's its name because that's what is shows as on my Garmin GPS, although my Topo program shows a similar road named Warner Brothers Ranch Road.) The Calabasas Crest Trail drops off to the left from the top in a small utility yard just before the fenced community. It's not marked so it may take a couple of minutes to find it.

When returning down this road, be careful because there is no exit from the bottom onto Las Virgenes Rd. If you overshoot your trail, you'll have to climb back up!

Technical Rating T1

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[8] Calabasas Crest Trail (AKA Calabasas Connector Trail)

Description This trail is very similar to the Bark Park Trail - firm, smooth singletrack with moderate climbs. In many places you can hear the roar of the Calabasas Rapids, and occassionally you can see them, too. It starts at the top of Gun Club Rd (the trailhead is not marked and may take some searching to find) and drops into a canyon where it connects with the Calabasas Historic Trail and Calabasas Rd, then climbs up to a ridge. (There is a ridgeline trail on this ridge that ends at the top at a fence around someone's backyard.) The Crest Trail drops slightly into another valley, crosses a rugged wooden bridge, then climbs to the crest where there's a great view of the Calabasas Country Club and the neighborhoods behind it. Note that this trail has a number of switchbacks, many that are too tight to ride. Starting down from the crest you are met by the grandaddy of all switchbacks, the Too Tight Switchbacks (don't try to ride these!). After that it's a short hillside traverse to the trailhead on Calabasas Parkway.

Technical Rating T2 , but some switchbacks are too tight to ride

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[9] Calabasas Historic Trail (AKA Calabasas Connector Trail)

Description This trail covers some of the old missionary trail from San Diego to San Francisco, "El Camino Real," part of which became the original Ventura Highway. There are stations along the way that explain the history. It starts from Las Virgenes Rd with a fairly steep fireroad climb (half of the total climbing of this trail is in the first 1/4 mile) and then drops into a slightly swampy area, but one rich with history. It comes out shortly onto Calabasas Rd, or if you take the singletrack bypass, onto a very short section of pavement that leads to a short trail that connects to the Calabasas Crest Trail.

Technical Rating T2.5

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[10] Calabasas Peak Motorway

Description This is a climbers delight - wide, firm and steep! There are many interesting sandstone features here, and great views into the valley below. The photo to the right shows the Calabasas Peak Motorway as it looks from above on Stunt Road. There are several trails that connect; all are described elsewhere on this page except the trail about 2.6 miles from the start that leads down to a water tank and then the Mountain Park tennis courts. That trail is fairly steep, but only 1/4 mile long.

When exploring this motorway, I turned around when it started downhill, so it continues further than shown here.

Technical Rating T1

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[11] Red Rock Road

Description This trail branches off from Calabasas Peak Motorway and goes through some very interesting red sandstone formations in Red Rock Canyon. From Calabasas Peak Motorway, it is just over a mile on dirt before it become pavement, and then it's less than a mile to Old Topanga Canyon Rd. A good novice ride would be to park at the end of the pavement (fee area) and then ride on the pavement back to Old Topanga Canyon Rd, then ride west onto the dirt, then back to the parking.

Technical Rating T1 on the dirt, T0 on pavement

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[12] Calabasas Cold Creek Trail (AKA Secret Trail)

Description This trail leads from Calabasas Peak Mtwy to Mulholland Highway below. During the spring it's a great place to see wildflowers. It is a multiuse trail, open to all users.

Technical Rating T3.5

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[13] Calabasas - Cold Creek Connector Trail

Description As of early April, 2007, the connection between the Calabasas Crest Trail and Norman's Way Western Loop Trail is complete, via the Calabasas - Cold Creek Connector Trail! This is another great section of trail with a smooth tread and great views of the surroundings. Some of the sections are a little steep for a multiuse trail, and, as with the other Calabasas trails that surround the New Millenium development along the extension of  Calbasas parkway, the switchbacks are too tight and a real challenge for bikers. That's really only an issue at the north end where the trail climbs the hill from Parkway Calabasas. Towards the south end, the trail goes through a grove of pine trees, and it smells really wonderful.

While riding this trail for the first time, a hawk took off from a tree next to the trail and soared above us. The city of Calabasas uses the hawk for their symbol and it's clear that it's fitting.

Technical Rating T2

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This page was last updated May 8, 2008

Thanks for looking at Steve's guide to trails in Ventura County, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) and other locations.