🎆July 4th Hike & Potluck Picnic🎇 Red Rock Canyon & Zuniga Pond (Topanga)

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❗Please be sure to read and understand the driving and parking instructions below

Let's have a picnic in secluded Red Rock Canyon Park!

Red Rock Canyon is a unique riparian canyon within a sandstone gorge. It contains special rockland micro-habitats and acts as a key northern habitat linkage between Malibu Creek and Topanga State Parks. The canyon walls are fortified with huge red sandstone outcroppings, reminiscent of southwest canyons and gorges. Many of the formations have caves and arches that we can explore.

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The 120-acre Zuniga Pond area permanently protects both the northern section of these rock formations and contains a historic pond containing a regionally significant population of endangered Southwestern pond turtles.

Hike will be about 4.5-6 miles (depending on group) with about 800' total elevation gain. A couple sections may be too strenuous for beginners. Do your best.

There are picnic benches, drinking fountain and restrooms at the trailhead.

Bring food and drink to share. I'll bring the table covers, paper ware and plastic ware -- and a bottle of white wine.

Post the kind of food you are bringing in comment section below

🚘 Directions to the Park 🚘

If you park in the Park, leave everything in the car until our return. If you park outside on Old Topanga its a 0.8 mile walk in -- walk your stuff in and you can leave it in my car or another's car.

Use my interactive map for more precise directions: https://goo.gl/WoQblf

The last bit is on dirt road

Video of drive down Red Rock Rd into park: https://youtu.be/Xtzhbj1djjU

From the Valley/405: take Highway 101 west and exit Topanga Canyon Blvd South in Woodland Hills and proceed one mile to Mulholland Drive, then turn right. Then turn left on Mulholland Highway and head west 2.2 miles to Old Topanga Canyon Road. Make a left on Old Topanga. Head 3.6 miles south, then turn right on Red Rock Canyon Road....drive 0.8 miles past all of the “no parking” and “no trespassing” signs until the road ends at the park

From Thousand Oaks take 101 east and exit Valley Circle/Mulholland Dr. Use the middle lane to turn left on Calabasas Rd, then right on Mulholland Dr for 0.5 mile. Turn right on Valmar for 0.4 mi, then veer right onto Mulholland Hwy 0.2 mi. Turn left on Old Topanga for 3.8 miles to Red Rock Rd and turn right....drive 0.8 miles past all of the “no parking” and “no trespassing” signs until the road ends at the park

From PCH travel north on Topanga Canyon 4.3 miles. Turn left at Old Topanga Canyon Rd for 1.8 miles to Red Rock Road then turn left....drive 0.8 miles past all of the “no parking” and “no trespassing” signs until the road ends at the park

Parking is $6.00 (exact change) inside the park. Bring exact change for Iron Ranger. There is free parking on Old Topanga at Red Rock Rd.