Great Hikes II

Secret Route To Parker Mesa

Scott Regberg

Special to the Mirror

The Sierra Club has sponsored a Friday night hike to the Parker Mesa overlook for many years. It’s a very safe hike, following a wide fire road from the Paseo Miramar trailhead to the spectacular plateau overlooking the Santa Monica bay from downtown to Santa Catalina.
   The usual way up is to park on Los Liones at Sunset Boulevard and car pool up Paseo Miramar, or park around the trailhead. (This is the area that many local residents have petitioned to restrict parking).
   However, for the brave of heart, there is a secret path that takes off from the end of Los Liones. Facing the north curve of the cul de sac, there are several options up. The most obvious is to the right side of the wire mesh fence. This is an extraordinarily beautiful path that winds its way up to the main fire road, adding about 30 minutes to the regular Friday hike. This route is a great way to end the hike so we’ll save it for the way down.
   Instead, we'll go to the virtually hidden left side of the fence and follow the narrow path about 150 feet to a steep incline seemingly straight up the hillside. This is an arduous one hour up (and up and up) through all sorts of challenging terrain, including some exposure, ultimately delivering you to the Parker overlook. (If anyone else is up there they are usually shocked when hikers emerge out of the hillside brush).
   Parker Mesa is a great spot for a breather with panoramic jetliner views. Take the fire road back, but don’t go all the way or you’ll miss the cutoff that returns to Los Liones. This final leg down is like a hikers dessert—gentle switchbacks through Maui-like dense foliage and bay views peeking through the curves. The total hike is about 2+ hours—a great workout and a little adventure.
   Readers interested in joining our Monday and Wednesday night hikes please call Scott Regberg at (310) 475-5735.