Topanga California

Topanga California is a magical little corner of Los Angeles that not many people know about or have explored. As you head north up the LA coast from Santa Monica you enter Malibu. To the north of this area, inland from the coast, is a quite large swath of the Santa Monica Mountains known as Topanga. A large part of the Topanga California area is the protected Topanga State Park, one of the most beautiful hiking areas in Los Angeles and somewhere we spend a lot of time on the weekends.

From the Pacific Coast Highway in the southern part of Malibu, Topanga Canyon Blvd. runs north and winds up the Topanga Canyon through the middle of the larger Topanga area. At first, much of it is open mountainous space but a few miles up you start to enter the Topanga town and community which is a small village with a number of small, hidden residential streets branching off the main drag. At the far end of the canyon, you come down over the hills into Woodland Hills at the far western end of the San Fernando Valley.

So what is so "magical" about Topanga California? Well that depends on your viewpoint I guess. If you are one of those "Get out of my face you tree-huggin', long-hair hippy!"-kinda people, then Topanga probably isn't for you. First of all, one of the big appeals of the area is the natural beauty in this area of the Santa Monica Mountain range. As we've said elsewhere, the hundreds of miles of crisscrossing hiking trails through the Topanga State Park and adjacent parks are all worthy of exploration and you could probably spend a lifetime and never explore every nook and cranny.

The other thing about the Topanga California community and neighborhoods is that they are very much like taking a trip back to the 60's in LA. This was a spot for hippy communes and that kind of stuff back then and guess what? Many of them are still here! Even the younger families that live in the area typically lean toward the "crunchy" side of life, appreciating the slow, quiet life in the beautiful area. OK, so we maybe have a bit of hippy in us too. You might be able to tell from looking at us, but we appreciate the way of life in Topanga California.

If you are looking to live there, Topanga California may be a bit hard to get a foothold in. It is relatively small, at least in terms of real estate (the state park areas are huge), and may of the people who live there have lived there for a long time. In addition, even though it is not Malibu, homes do typically fetch a pretty high price in the area. If you aren't wealthy, there are smaller communities and such that may be inexpensive and some of the neighborhoods toward the valley end of the canyon are a bit more accessible.

If you just want to explore, go and check it out. It is fun just to drive the canyon and see the sights, both natural and neighborhoods. Get out and go hiking. Stop in a country market to get some snacks. Note that there are two major roads to get you through the Topanga Canyon. Topanga Canyon Blvd. continues from the PCH in Malibu up through the canyon and comes out the other side and will bring you down to Ventura Blvd. and the 101 Freeway in the valley. In addition, about halfway up the canyon, in the middle of the town of Topanga there is another road that branches off called Old Topanga Canyon Road. If you are heading north on Topanga it will branch off to the left. This older road winds through more residential areas and gives you a bit of a taste of the darker, less viewed part of the canyon. It will bring you out by Mulholland Hwy and Drive at the border between Calabasas and Woodland Hills.

A few things to check out sometime if you are in the area: Froggy's is a fun little spot tucked along the side of Topanga Canyon Blvd. It is a seafood restaurant and bar that sometimes has live music in the main hall and lots of little nooks to sit in in various surroundings. It is a beautiful little spot. The food isn't amazing, but it is serviceable enough. It is very family friendly. For a romantic evening, try the Inn of the Seventh Ray which is tucked right between where Old Topanga Canyon Rd branches off the main boulevard. The surroundings here are beautiful as the restaurant is tucked right along the slopes of the Topanga creek. We've even seen deer walking by as we sat and ate. Again, the food is the best gourmet food you'll find in LA, but it is ok. The real appeal here is the ambiance and the beauty of that natural surroundings.

One of the things that strikes us about Topanga California and that we like is its funky and mysterious kinda vibe. Yes, some of it is pretty straightforward hippy and nature-loving, but there is also some weird stuff in the canyon. We can't really put our finger on it to describe to you, but there are some things and corners of Topanga that run the gammut from funny to weird to even a bit creepy. But don't worry, for the most part the neighborhood is welcoming and friendly. Even the mysterious flying pink pig along the road seems to be welcoming you to the area in a quirky, enigmatic way.

* P.S. In case you really want a mysterious and weird little community, don't stop at Topanga. Continue on up through the valley along its western edge up Valley Circle and on up to Box Canyon. This turns into a downright weird, even sinister, neighborhood as it passes through the hills between the valley and Simi Valley. Again, we can't really put our finger on it, but it is almost creepy. There is a flying pink pig here too, but it has weird devil-red eyes that makes it seem like a warning, a sinister watchdog, rather than the welcoming happy pig of Topanga. Enter at your own risk!