Cold Creek Canyon Land Set Aside

Another pocket of Cold Creek Canyon land, nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, has been acquired by the Mountains Restoration Trust and will be preserved.

The steep, 10-acre parcel sits just off Stunt Road and offers views of the sandstone rock formations capping the ridges and the grassy meadows below.

The land was purchased in foreclosure from California National Bank. In March, the trust acquired 15 adjacent acres from Fidelity National Title Insurance.

The acquisitions expand the trust’s Cold Creek Preserve to 1,015 acres.

All of the land in the preserve, which includes a year-round stream, is retained in its natural state, though hikers can trek through the property by permit.

The trust spent about $92,000 for the 25 acres in the two parcels, but the property is valued at about $800,000.

Trust officials said the land purchase protects both the Cold Creek watershed and the stunning mountain views along Stunt Road.

“We have been trying to buy both pieces since the late ‘80s,” said Steve Harris, trust president. “So we have a lot of patience.”

Harris said the Cold Creek Preserve dates to the 1970s when the Nature Conservancy acquired 525 acres of pristine land that was given to the Mountains Restoration Trust in the early 1980s. Harris said the trust has expanded the holdings.

About half of the Cold Creek watershed is now protected by state parkland, the Mountains Restoration Trust or the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Harris said.

With homes in the area commanding prices from $400,000 to about $8 million, the recent Cold Creek acquisitions are unusual, Harris said.

Stunt Road, a scenic, serpentine mountain route between Mulholland Highway and Saddle Peak Road, is now almost completely protected through land acquisition or conservation easements, he said. The easements also preserve views because they restrict development.

The land purchased from California National Bank had originally been slated for development, and the parcels were partially graded. But the property went into foreclosure in the 1990s.

The Mountains Restoration Trust was able to make both land purchases with California National Bank and Fidelity National Title Insurance because both companies agreed to lower prices, with the balance of the appraised value considered charitable contributions.

A hiking trail may eventually be added to the new parcels, hooking up with the Backbone Trail and the Stunt High Trail, said Jo Kitz, program director for the trust.

Last year, officials dedicated another portion of the Cold Creek preserve that lies at the bottom of Stunt Road, close to Mulholland Highway. The grassy valley offers views of the steep mountains that rise nearly 1,000 feet up to the top of Stunt Road.

With the most recent purchases, those canyon views will remain uninterrupted.

“The twilight colors are absolutely beautiful,” Kitz said of her dusk drives along Stunt Road. “There’s a pinkish glow from the mountains. It softens everything to pastels. It’s entrancing.”