In most urban areas, people have to pile into their car and fight traffic for an hour to enjoy nature—but not us. We are the truly fortunate. In the hills overlooking Los Angeles, we have nature at our doorstep. We live in the Santa Monica Mountain Range, technically the Transverse range, because they run east to west, rather than the usual north/south that most mountains in the U.S. run.
We know we are something different, but sometimes we can’t exactly put out finger on “why?” It’s the unique beauty of our mountain range. It’s rough and humble, giving us hillside dwellers the feeling of freedom, comfort, and yes, security, even if life up here can sometimes be “geologically challenging.” I make it a point to say hillside because, even though we call them the Santa Monica Mountains, few of the peaks top the requisite 3,000 to qualify as a mountain. But why quibble? The beauty is undeniable, its craggy terrain molded by its turbulent history. Three times the area has been submerged as part of a sea floor. You’d think that means that the area in the canyons was part of the Pacific Ocean. Not really. The valley floor started as a sea floor, but as the mountains were uplifted out of the sea floor, the area became a lagoon, where the water supposedly exited through the Tujunga Pass. Some of the rocks found in the Santa Monica Mountains are 12 to nearly 200 million years old. It also explains the presence of marine and mammal fossils to be found scattered along the hilltops in the area, some dating back to 20 million years ago.
So “what’s the best place to get a bird’s eye view of this bounty?” Easy—the Sunset Ranch Hollywood! Yup, a real life, honest to goodness, horse ranch tucked into the mountain range. No you don’t need to go traipsing all the way to Griffith Park or Malibu. Pop up Beachwood Canyon— that’s right under the Hollywood sign—and there you are! This ranch has been there since 1926, according to city records. The ranch itself is two or so acres, but it’s the area adjacent to the ranch that offers spectacular vistas. It’s in an untouched open space. Hills and green as far as the eye can see. The address is 3400 Beachwood Canyon at www.sunsetranchollywood.com. Part of the fun of getting to the ranch is going through Beachwood Canyon, the old Hollywoodland. You know—the original sign?! What a great community. Developed in the 1920s in a “ European Village” theme, the houses seem like they were conjured up by the “Hookah Smoking Caterpillar.” It has been suggested that they were the perfect backdrops for movies of the 1920s.
So are you booked into the ranch for the Sunset Ride that takes you from the ranch through wild territory to a restaurant for dinner? The ride back under twinkling stars will make you ponder, “Did they have it better way back when?” Better yet, sign up as a wrangler. Live your dreams!
