Sandstone Peak, Mountain summit in Santa Monica Mountains, United States.
Sandstone Peak is the highest summit in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California, made mostly of volcanic rock despite what its name suggests. On a clear day, the top gives views of the coastline, the hills around Los Angeles, and on some days the Channel Islands far offshore.
The Chumash people lived in and traveled through these mountains for thousands of years before European contact in the 18th century. In the 20th century, the land around the peak passed into public hands and eventually became part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Sandstone Peak sits within the Circle X Ranch area of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and its name comes directly from the type of rock that makes up its upper slopes. On weekends, the trail draws a steady flow of hikers from nearby Los Angeles who come here to get away from the city for a few hours.
The trail to the top starts from a trailhead on Yerba Buena Road and follows a loop that passes several rock outcrops before reaching the summit. Starting early in the morning helps avoid the heat, as most of the path has little shade and the sun can be intense in warmer months.
Despite being called Sandstone Peak, the rock at the top is mostly volcanic in origin, not sandstone at all. The name stuck over time even though geologists confirmed long ago that the formation belongs to a very different rock type.
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