The 100 Mile Route hiking the Length of the Santa Monica Mountains [Ring-bound]

Harold J. Margolis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Described is a route enabling a continuous through-hike of the length of the Santa Monica Mountains as well as the shorter Backbone Trail connecting Will Rogers State Park with Point Mugu State Park. The guide is consistent with all known contemporary regulations. The range extends east though some urban areas through Elysian Park near the Los Angeles Civic Center. A bird may travel over the high ridges and peaklets of the Santa Monica Mountains in a flight of 54 miles in a few hours; for us, about 6 or 7 nights. The 100 Mile Route technically starts at Elysian Park near downtown L.A. meandering 113 miles on variety of terrain -- mostly on trail tread , one of them the Chumash trail over 7,000 years in use. The 100 Mile Route leads through areas of numerous jurisdictions city, county and state parks, the Santa Monica Conservancy, National Park Service, through corridors adjoining private land and along some roads and sidewalks, through some urban areas, designated wilderness areas over and through many ridges, canyons, streams, ponds, historical sites and over 12 peaklets with awesome ocean and/or valley views. The three-hole-ring binding enables updating, insertion, replacement and duplication of all pages. The trail guide describes a route starting from the steps of the City Hall in Los Angeles then briefly through the oldest parts of L.A. including old Chinatown and near the classic Mexican-Spanish sites of the 18th Century before climbing up trails on eastern flank of the Santa Monica Mountains to the final descent on the pre-ancient Chumash Trail to the Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu. Supplements include: Jurisdictions and Site information, Gear and Equipment, GPS Wayponts, Transportation, A Guide for Parts of the Backbone Trail Not Covered in the 100 Mile Route.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hal, psychologist and aviator, has resided in the Santa Mountains above Beverly Hills for 32 years. He has had numerous hikes throughout the mountains of southern California, has experienced trekking along parts of the Appalachian Trail and has completed the 2,658 mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

Product Details

• Ring-bound: 104 pages
• Publisher: Silogram; 1st edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879646102
• ISBN-13: 978-1879646100
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,310,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for the Book, 3 for the Trail, May 28, 2007

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 100 Mile Route hiking the Length of the Santa Monica Mountains (Ring-bound)

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area is one of the largest urban parklands in the country. Day hiking, camping, horseback riding and spending time on the beach are some of the more popular activities in this area. Backpacking should also be a popular pursuit, but conflicting regulations and a lack of trail camps on the well known Backbone Trail (BBT) have severely limited the sport. This is unfortunate because these mountains are ideal for off season treks when the High Sierra is still snowbound. Hal Margolis, author of a previous guidebook to the 60+ mile BBT, has attempted to rectify the situation with his new book 'The 100 Mile Route.' Covering the Santa Monica Mountains from one end to the other, he has pieced together a challenging trail option for backpackers.

This book has a lot to recommend it. Among other things, it is ring bound, making it easy to add and remove pages. This is helpful for section hikers and can reduce weight for distance backpackers. Margolis has also divided the route into logical sections and listed all feasible re-supply points, campgrounds (or other overnight accomodations), and water locations. The route descriptions themselves are solid, but some of the maps difficult to read. Readers should supplement the maps in the book with the Tom Harrison maps to the Santa Monica Mountains.

The route Margolis describes has a number of advantages over the BBT. For one thing, hikers will summit many more peaks on the 100 mile route. In addition to that, Margolis has worked hard to insure that the grade of his route is gentler than portions of the BBT. Nonetheless, the BBT and the 100 mile route share the same tread for a large part of the hike.

In the final analysis, this is a decent trail. I would avoid it during the summer. Water sources will also be hard to come by in fall of dry years. Winter and spring would be the best times to hike. The other major "problem" with the route is that some parts, notably sections A and B, are perhaps too urban. And, of course, the many government agencies and their conflicting regulations will be daunting to some hikers. In addition, you will want to make reservations in advance for lodging at Calamigos Ranch and perhaps at several of the state park campgrounds as well. On the other hand, public transportation options, which Margolis describes in each chapter, makes section hiking parts of the route an easy option. So, if you are looking to experience some of southern California's native Mediterranean climate up close and personal, the 100 mile route and this guide to it is a nice place to start.