Distance: 6.0 mi. RT
Elevation gain: 500 ft.
History: History: Rustic Canyon runs north-west from Santa Monica Canyon near the coast to Mulholland almost to Reseda Blvd. The portion we will hike is on the ridge opposite Will Roger's Estate. We will pass Boy Scout Camp Josepho, named after Anatol Josepho, the guy that invented the instant photo booth, and who donated the land. We will also pass by the crumbling buildings of the old Murphy Ranch (1930's), which was then used by an isolationist German group during World War II, and then morphed into a utopian artist's colony. Perhaps the most amazing hike feature are the hidden stairways that apparently served the ranchers attending their crops and orchards planted on the steep hillsides. There are three stairways - we will climb only two of them.
Directions to Trailhead: From PCH take Sunset east 0.7 mile PAST Will Roger's Ranch entry road to Amalfi Dr. There is a traffic light at Sunset and Amalfi Dr. Go north (left) on Amalfi approximately 1 mile – always taking the left option at Pavia and Sorrento Streets. Amalfi dead-ends at Capri Dr. at a wide intersection. Park on the street observing No Parking signs. From the 405 freeway, go west on Sunset 5.5 miles to Amalfi Dr., turn right and proceed per above to the intersection with Capri Dr.
The Hike: We proceed up Casale Road which soon turns to a dirt road. After about 0.2 miles, we will come to a yellow gate across the Sullivan Canyon Fire Road providing entry to the Rustic Canyon State Park, and Camp Josepho. We follow this road to a gate across the road at 2.35 miles. We turn left and take the road under the sign and down 0.6 miles to Camp Josepho. At that point we turn left onto a dirt road crossing the stream and passing the Camp buildings on our right. At the horse corral we angle left onto a trail along the stream. In some places the path alternates between the stream bed and a trail.
Eventually, the stream bed path transitions to the left and continues out of the stream on a narrow trail for about 0.6 mile to a trail junction where a sign gives us the choice of the Backbone trail or Will Rogers Ranch. We proceed straight ahead route toward Will Rogers. After another 0.6 mile we transition to the left onto an old ranch road passing through a massive rusted steel arch and by what was once a two story building that now is crumbling into a rust pile. Stop here and enjoy the graffiti, some of it could even be considered imaginative art. This is a good lunch spot.
Continue along the road some 500 ft., past the much graffitied generator building, to the bottom of the first stairway which leads 47 steps up to a small patio, then continues on up the canyon wall for an additional 130 steps. At its top, we come to another road (actually part of the access to the Murphy Ranch) where we turn right and walk a short distance until we see the bottom of the second stairway on the left. This stairway is lined occasionally by a railing and climbs 321 steps to an old water tank. Walk around the tank and proceed up an additional 40 steps to the Sullivan Fire Road we were on before. Turn right on the road, and continue back to the trailhead.
Perhaps a more historic alternative choice is to continue past the second stairway to the beginning of a small trail on the left which leads to the bottom of the third stairway, the longest known stairway in Los Angeles. It numbers some 512 steps and has no railings. It leads up to the Sullivan Fire Road, where a right turn will get you back on the way to the trailhead.
Google Earth photo - Rustic Canyon Stairways
GPS Data:
RT = 5.5 mi.
Elevation Gain = 465 ft.
