Hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains

Most of the Santa Monica Mountain range falls in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.  The park's headquarters is located in Calabasas at King Gillete Ranch.  King Gillete (yes, that was his real name) was famous for having popularized the concept of a safety razor.  In the 1920s he bought the ranch and had the well-known architect Wallace Neff design a mansion and several other buildings on the property.  After he died, the ranch was bought and sold several times until being purchased by several conservation agencies and is now the location of the park headquarters and visitor center.

I've been wanting to stop in and see the buildings and hike a bit (I often pass the exit on Hwy 101), but never had the time.  So i decided to make a special trip early on Sunday (to avoid traffic!) and check it out.  As you'll see, it's a beautiful little slice of Southern California landscape, with rolling hills, live oak trees, and wildflowers - with the added bonus of some classic architecture thrown in.

If you're interested in visiting, here's a good website:
http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=670

Enjoy the sunshine!

The front entrance of the main house has been paved over for official vehicle parking -
I'm sure it was much prettier back in the day.

The view from Inspiration Point.