- Location: Casiano Road, west Los Angeles. From the Valley, take the 405 Freeway south to Getty Center Drive (exit 59). Turn left and follow Getty Center Drive 1.5 miles south to Moraga Drive. Turn left and go 0.3 mile to Bellagio Road. Turn left and follow Bellagio, which becomes Casiano Road, for a total of 1.2 miles. Park where available near the end of Casiano Road at the trailhead for the East Sepulveda Fire Road. From the south, take the 405 Freeway to Moraga Drive (exit 57B). Follow Moraga a short distance to Bellagio Road. Turn left and follow Bellagio Road and then Casiano Road for a total of 1.2 miles to the trail head.
- Agency: Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
- Distance: 2.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 400-800 feet
- Difficulty Rating: PG
- Suggested time: 1.5 hours
- Best season: Year round but hot during the summer
- Dogs: Allowed on leash (exercise caution on warm days)
- Cell phone reception: Good; weak to fair in some spots
- Water: None
- Restrooms: None
- Camping/backpacking: None
- Recommended gear: sun hat; hiking poles
- More information: Trip description here; Yelp page here
- Rating: 3
Updated August 2018
Calling it the “405 View Trail” might be more accurate – but the Getty View Trail is still not a bad choice for hikers who find themselves anywhere near the Sepulveda Pass and want to stretch their legs. The original Getty View Trail climbed 500 feet from just off the freeway to a ridge. In its current configuration, the Getty View Trail is concurrent with the East Sepulveda Fire Road, which stretches 1.3 miles from the end of Casiano Road to a gated community, climbing about 400 feet in the process. A series of use trails and fire breaks parallel the road, allowing for additional variety and challenge; these segments add about 200 feet of elevation gain in each direction.
From the trail head, pass the metal gate and begin your trek north. Needless to say, the traffic from the 405 Freeway far below is hard to ignore, but at least you can be thankful not to be stuck in it. To your right (east) is Hoag Canyon and a series of mansions dotting the ridge on the opposite side. The initial climb is steady (almost 300 feet in 0.8 mile) but the grade levels out for the last half mile.
When you reach the metal gate at the end of the trail, you can return either via the same route or along the fire breaks. Depending on air quality, the southbound views may include Old Saddleback, downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica Bay, Catalina Island and the Getty Museum.
Text and photography copyright 2018 by David W. Lockeretz, all rights reserved. Information and opinions provided are kept current to the best of the author’s ability. All readers hike at their own risk, and should be aware of the possible dangers of hiking, walking and other outdoor activities. By reading this, you agree not to hold the author or publisher of the content on this web site responsible for any injuries or inconveniences that may result from hiking on this trail. Check the informational links provided for up to date trail condition information.
Hey David… will send you more info later, but just fyi, this trail is CLOSED (and apparently has been since 2012). You cannot park at the so-called trailhead (there’s no curb cut and the curb is quite high, and the trail is not exactly a trail there… romethesecondtime.com
Thank you for the heads up, it’s been awhile since I’ve been up there and next time I’m in the area I will get some more updated information.
HI again… I do have more info… we parked off the fire road in the neighborhood above the bel air 76 station off sepulveda, and I can tell you exactly how to get there (–will do so in another post when I am back “home” in LA – we followed the general directions of someone on yelp, but she wasn’t totally precise and didnn’t have the street names). we did the trail you have here from the top down to the bottom. (and back up) .. ended up walking down the cement waterway. the trail is quite worn away. What looks like the beginning of the trail from the old trailhead leads to a homeless person’s “home” (complete with generator). But we couldn’t figure out how to get from there to the trail, and I don’t think many would want to take that. For purposes of your advice on your site, I’d say it’s closed and leave it at that. It’s negotiable – now – prob not for long (after a few more rains, if we have any)- and not really safe. I’m only guessing, but perhaps when they were redoing the 405 and all those exits, they closed off that trailhead (the curb is quite high), to use it for equipment staging, etc., and the trail went into disrepair, and they haven’t decided to allocate resources to rebuild it. There are NO signs anywhere. If you walk beginnning at the fire road, and ending at the gated community but instead of the fire road take the paths that meanders above it, we figured (w/ our altimeter) you would do 1250′ of elevation – taking all opportunities to go up and down the ridge trail (which meets the road in several places) both directions (and not doiong the down/up from the old trail head). still a very interesting “park” (very dry, scruffy, a tree here and there, etc.) with spectacular views, including of mansions. not sure about mileage and time, since we did the down/up… we spent about 2.5 hours in total – doing the whole ridge trail and the down’/up, and we dawdled a bit at various places (the mansion at the end, the old trailhead, etc.) will try to include specific directions for parking and some pix next week. DB
Thanks again for all the info – sorry to hear that the trail has fallen into disrepair, hopefully improving its condition will be prioritized although it doesn’t look too promising from what you say. Feel free to share any pix on this site or the Facebook page.
David – can’t get the photos to load more than 1 per comment – so I’ve attached them here, and do what you will with them.  First, parking spot, beginning of “trail” on fireroad.  2nd – the “up and down” trail that mostly parallels the fireroad that one can take – much more entertaining plus provides net altitude.  3rd – the “closed” trail looks fairly tame when one begins it at the top.  4th – it soon deteriorates.  5th – homeless encampment where trail might once have started.  6th – taking concrete water courseway down (and up) to original trailhead.7th (out of order) – the trail as it comes out on the ridge – which it does several times while going in and out of the side trail (which is in various states of deterioration).  Will give directions on your site.Dianne WINNER – BEST eLIT TRAVEL GUIDEBOOK 2014: MODERN ROME: 4 Great Walks for the Curious Traveler, and see our blog at http://www.romethesecondtime.com From: Nobody Hikes in LA To: dbennett200@yahoo.com Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2015 9:16 AM Subject: [New comment] Getty View Trail #yiv9248094990 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv9248094990 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv9248094990 a.yiv9248094990primaryactionlink:link, #yiv9248094990 a.yiv9248094990primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv9248094990 a.yiv9248094990primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv9248094990 a.yiv9248094990primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv9248094990 WordPress.com dlockeretz commented: “Thanks again for all the info – sorry to hear that the trail has fallen into disrepair, hopefully improving its condition will be prioritized although it doesn’t look too promising from what you say. Feel free to share any pix on this site or the Facebook” | |
DIRECTIONS: to get to the fireroad “trailhead”, take the Moraga St exit off the 405/Sepulveda (yes, the 76 station) [it may be an exit off 405 going north only] – note both Waze and Googlemaps would exit you in the middle of the 405 itself. Beware. Take an immediate left (north) behind the 76 station, which is Bellagio rd; as Bellagio rd loops back south, stay on it going south as it becomes Casiano (don’t take Montego Dr) and take Casiano (in all its loopiness it will head back north) to its end at the fireroad, and your “new” trailhead. Ample onstreet parking without any hour restrictions.