St. Ynez Trail: Topanga Cyn. state park

The St. Ynez trail can be found in Topanga Cyn state park.  If you take Topanga Canyon towards the ocean and turn left onto Entrada Rd., you will find a parking lot with an entrance to the park. I would strongly suggest you park just down the road, since parking is $10.  There are maps for sale for $2 at the entrance which are well worth the money. 

Once inside the park, you will see a Nature Center.  Not too far from that is a path which takes you to the St. Ynez trail.  You will see a sign that points you in the right direction of the trail.  From there all you need to do is stay on the trail till you get to the bottom of the canyon.  Once you reach the bottom, however, it's helpful to have the map to guide you if you want to attempt to find the St. Ynez waterfall.  During the summertime there is very little to no water, so you will not have much luck finding a waterfall.

The hike is about 4.5 miles long.  The first half of the hike is almost completely downhill while the second half is obviously uphill as you make your trek back to the top.  On a hot day make sure you have plenty of water with you!  Overall, the hike is quite pretty and you will definately see deer along your path.  I think it would be a much nicer, hike, however in the fall or winter when it's not so hot.  I prefer hikes with a lot more shade during the summer months and until you get to the bottom of the canyon there's not much shade available along the trail. 

I would rate this hike as "moderate" in terms of difficulty.  If it were a longer hike I would probably rate it "hard" only because of the steepness of the trail at certain points.  If you have the time, it is possible to hike to the ocean from the state park, but it's about 7 miles one way, so make sure to be prepared with plenty of food and water.  OR:  park a 2nd car at the beach and drive back so you only have to go one way.

Although I didn't see them, others have said they spotted mountain lions on this trail (usually on weekdays when there are fewer hikers out). 

Here is a link with comments from other hikers who have been to the Topanga State Park.  Happy Hiking!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/topanga-state-park-topanga