Hungry Hikers Can Get Their Fill at Saddle Peak

If “trail food” conjures up images of dried-up baloney sandwiches, squished and melted candy bars and trail mix that would choke a horse, then you may want to experience a true gourmet treat at trail’s end--a meal that’s as memorable as a good hike.

Such a treat can be found on Saddle Peak, which offers a trail that begins with grand views of the Santa Monica Mountains and ends at Saddle Peak Lodge, an adventure in dining.

A very rustic atmosphere prevails at the lodge. The “Iron John” interior includes a large hearth, heavy wooden chairs and tables and lots of animal heads mounted on the walls.

Really hungry hikers will go for the Hunters Breakfast--a man-sized meal of mesquite-broiled buffalo accompanied by mounds of eggs and potatoes. The less famished may opt for fresh berries in champagne, a wild mushroom and onion pie or a Long Island duckling salad. Brunch costs $19.75 per person, and is served Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The restaurant is also open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to midnight.

Hikers be warned that the lodge insists on a dress code: no jeans, sneakers or shorts. This probably means you need to carry a change of clothes in your day pack.

Even without a brunch at the lodge, Saddle Peak is well worth exploring. The peak--actually, two peaks with a “saddle” in between--is one of the highest points in the central part of the mountains. Handsome sandstone formations, views of the Malibu Creek watershed and botanically intriguing Dark Canyon are three highlights of a hike down the western slope of Saddle Peak.

Down is the operative word here. From the trail head on Stunt Road, it’s quite a descent to the trail head on Piuma Road near the Saddle Peak Lodge. This day hike definitely suggests a one-way (downhill) trek, with a car shuttle. A one-way walk makes even more sense if you stuff yourself at the lodge. Just the prospect of a steep climb back up Saddle Peak is enough to give you indigestion.

The path up and down Saddle Peak is part of the Backbone Trail that, when completed, will extend 65 miles across the spine of the range, from Will Rogers State Historic Park to Pt. Magu State Park. Saddle Peak is one of the newest (1987) and nicest segments of the Backbone Trail.

November is “Backbone Trail Month,” highlighted by activities that celebrate completed portions of the path and attempt to call attention to the job undone. A bit more than two-thirds of the trail has been constructed, but the flotilla of bureaucracies in charge of the trail has run aground upon the shoals of private-property interests and budget cuts.

Directions to trail head: From the Ventura Freeway (101) in Agoura, exit on Las Virgenes Road, which passes Mulholland Highway and Malibu Creek State Park, and continues as Malibu Canyon Road. Turn left (east) on Piuma Road and continue a mile to the intersection with Cold Canyon Road. At this junction you’ll find Saddle Peak Lodge.

(For the sake of your orientation, you can continue a quarter-mile on Piuma Road to the lower trail head, your exit point for this hike.)

From the intersection of Piuma and Cold Canyon roads, follow the latter road north to Mulholland Highway and turn right, driving three-fourths of a mile and turning right on Stunt Road. Continue 2 3/4 more winding miles to a turnout on the left, where there’s parking. The signed trail head is across the road.

The hike: The path heads southwest a short distance and soon reaches a junction with the true Backbone Trail. You head right (west) and drop into an oak woodland.

Large boulders frame over-the-shoulder views of Cold Creek Canyon to the northwest and Calabasas Peak to the north. After winding among the boulders for a time, the path serves up another dramatic view, this one to the west: Malibu Creek State Park and the dramatic canyon cut by its namesake creek.

Beyond this viewpoint, the trail descends in earnest, down the western slope of Saddle Peak. Hikers head down the chaparral-cloaked slope, switchbacking through ceanothus and manzanita to the cool, moist, sycamore- and alder-shaded Dark Canyon. Ferns, Humboldt lily and tangles of wild grape thrive on the canyon bottom.

The trail ascends out of Dark Canyon to the Piuma Road trail head. It’s a quarter-mile walk along Piuma Road to the Saddle Peak Lodge.

Santa Monica Mountains / Backbone Trail Where: Saddle Peak area east of Malibu Creek State Park. Distance: 3 miles one way, with 1,500-foot elevation loss. Terrain: Boulder-strewn crest of Santa Monica Mountains. Highlights: Dining at Saddle Peak Lodge; superb stretch of Backbone Trail. Degree of difficulty: Strenuous. For more information: Regarding trails, call the Mountain Parks information Service at (800) 533-PARK. For weekend brunch reservations at Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Road, call (213) 655-9770.