Topanga

Topanga is a mountain village in Los Angeles County, California, that spreads over several miles through the Santa Monica Mountains, where narrow roads lead to homes scattered along wooded slopes. Hiking paths wind through canyons and over hills, passing rock formations and oak groves that climb to viewpoints where the Pacific Ocean comes into sight.

Thousands of years ago the Chumash and Tongva peoples lived in this area, leaving behind stone mortars carved into rock ledges that remain visible along the creeks today. In the 1960s artists and counterculture figures moved here, shaping the valley into a community with an alternative lifestyle.

The name comes from a Tongva word for a place where mountains meet the sea, and today many artists and musicians live in wooden houses scattered among oaks and chaparral. Galleries and small shops display handmade work, while residents often organize concerts and markets that draw visitors from across the county.

Most homes sit off the main road on unpaved tracks, so a vehicle with higher clearance helps when exploring different parts of the area. The library and the community store in the center serve as good landmarks from which you can walk to nearby trails.

Topanga Creek is one of the few undammed waterways in Los Angeles County, forming a natural habitat for trout that occasionally swim upstream during cold months. Some sections of the creek flow through private property, while others run beside public trails where visitors can hear the water trickling over stones.