>> Back to Boney Ridge Traverse -- Boney Ridge Traverse: Hiking Trail Guide
11 miles
2200 feet gain
7/10
Malibu ,CA (90265) 29.66 miles from you Weather Map
You will need 2 cars for this hike. From Westlake Village, exit on Westlake Blvd from the 101 Freeway, and follow it south for several miles as it merges with Mulholland highway. Turn right onto Little Sycamore Canyon and it will become Yerba Buena Road as you cross the county line. Proceed on Yerba Buena Road for about 4 miles to the Mishe Mokwa trailhead (about a mile before you hit the Circle X Ranch Ranger Station). Drop 1 car off here. Continue several miles towards the beach on Yerba Buena to Cotharin road, turn, then after a mile or so, turn right on Serrano Road and follow it to the gate. The road past the gate is the start of this adventure.
This hike is a great adventure with a wide diversity of spectacular scenery. The trail heads down the abandoned Serrano Rd to the signed Serrano Valley Loop trail on your right. You will have stunning views of the valley and Boney mountain along the way. At about 3.5 miles, you will reach a T junction, bear right on Old Boney trail for .9 miles, then at another junction stay pointed east on the Backbone trail.
As you gain elevation the views and rock formations get progressively more impressive. Continue to a signed junction at the 8 mile mark, and head left towards Split Rock and the Mishe Mokwa trail. Enjoy a break at Split rock and look for Balanced Rock above echo cliffs on the way to the car. The route finding on this hike is a bit challenging. You should pick up the Tom Harrison trail map of the Santa Monica Mountains West. You may also want to take the Mishe Mokwa and Serrano Canyon hikes first before attempting this route.