Mishe Mokwa & Backbone Trail Loop

Malibu, California

The Mishe Mokwa and Backbone trails are all part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.  Combine both trails, and you a have a great loop that includes sites you may have heard of: Sandstone Peak (highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains), Tri-Peaks, Inspiration Point, and Balanced Rock. This guide provides some general travel tips for visiting the area as well as directions to the most beautiful views.

General Travel Tips

• You can get lost if it's your first time there, so download a copy of the Circle X Ranch map HERE. This map includes the Mishe Mokwa & Backbone Trail Loop. Please note that the hike we refer to on this page is made up of two trails on the linked map - the Mishe Mokwa Trail and the Sandstone Peak Trail. The Sandstone Peak Trail is part of the much longer Backbone Trail, hence the reason why we refer to this hike as the Mishe Mokwa and Backbone Trail Loop.

• We highly recommend watching the sunset at Sandstone Peak, especially if there's a few clouds in the skies.

• Be sure to take a headlamp, water, snacks and a phone.

• Don't hike alone at night. There are mountain lions that live in the area, but they normally don't bother anyone.

• If it recently rained, check out the Grotto Trail that starts directly across the street from the Sandstone Peak Trailhead. There's a cave and a cool rock formation surrounded by water. It's 3.5 miles round trip. This trail is also on the map linked above.

Directions to Most Beautiful Views

The full loop will be a little over 6 miles of hiking with about 1600 feet of elevation gain. If you're going to do the full loop, we’d recommend starting the hike from the Mishe Mokwa Trailhead, explore Tri-Peaks (an additional 1 mile roundtrip), check out Sandstone Peak, and then complete the loop along the Backbone Trail.  Tri-Peaks has many unique rock formations and cliff edges to explore.  On a clear day, you can even see some of the Channel Islands from Tri-Peaks and its much, much less crowded than Sandstone Peak. You can skip Inspiration Point and Balanced Rock, as the views aren’t really worth it.  

For a shorter hike, Sandstone Peak is still pretty cool on its own.  Start at the Sandstone Peak Trailhead and hike straight up.  When you reach a fork in the trail, head left. I promise you'll feel like you've worked your legs a bit and the views up top will definitely be enjoyed.  The Sandstone Peak hike is about 3 miles round trip.