Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades offers an easy hike with nice views of Downtown LA, Century City, the Santa Monica Bay, and even Catalina Island on a clear day. It’s ideal for beginner hikers or for a casual date when you want to talk and not exert yourself too much, and it has more shade than most hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains.
History
Will Rogers was one of the highest-paid and most famous actors in the early 1930s. He is most remembered for his riding and roping skills. The park was Will Rogers’ personal ranch, where he could entertain and practice. You might remember Will Rogers’ most famous quote: “I never met a man I didn’t like”.
To learn more, I recommend watching the ten-minute video about Will Rogers in the visitors’ center!
Planning and preparation
The park has more shade than most other local trails, but it’s still pretty exposed, so bring hats, sunscreen, and so forth. It’s best not to go in the middle of a hot day. Try early morning or late afternoon instead.
Wear comfortable walking shoes for the dusty trails. You might want to bring some water and a snack for the top, but the entire main loop can be done in an hour, so no need to bring a lot. For a more complete list of suggested items to bring on a casual day hike, see my day-hike checklist at TheFrugalNoodle.com:
Dogs on leash are allowed.
Getting there and parking
Take Sunset and go up Will Rogers Road. There is a very small number of free street parking spaces (maybe ten?) but these are almost always full, so plan on paying for parking. Parking is forbidden in the nearby residential neighborhoods without a permit.
The lot at the top costs $12 for all-day or $3 per hour. Note that the money goes to maintaining the park, so it’s nice to pay if you can. The ranger takes cash or card, or you can pay online by scanning a QR code at the gate if there is no ranger on duty.
The first lot is a small lot right by the ticket gate. Further in, there’s more parking along the polo field. If these two are full, keep driving around the polo field and behind it, where you’ll find plenty of room to park, although that lot is a dirt lot.
Beware, the park closes at sunset. Ask the ranger exactly what time the park closes when you enter, because they close the front gates and your car will be locked in for the night if you overstay! Not something you want to happen!!
Once you get there, go to the visitor’s center and grab a free map.
Activities
The main attraction is the hiking trail, but there is also a visitors center (open Thursdays through Sundays) where you can learn about the life of Will Rogers, which I recommend if you’re into history.
You can also take a tour of the Will Rogers ranch house Thursday through Sunday during mid-day hours (see sign above). The tour takes about 45 minutes if you’re with a big group. If it’s just your group, the ranger told us the tour can take as long as you want. There is no additional charge for the tour.
You can book a horse trail ride with Jigsaw Farms, which is located inside the park!
The park is also a great place to have a picnic, throw a Frisbee, or play soccer.
Inspiration Loop
The trail you’ll want to go on is the main trail, called Inspiration Loop. This is an easy 2.6-mile hike that can be done in an hour or less, but you’ll want to pause at the scenic spots.
From the large polo field, walk up the service road to the Riding Arena. Pick a direction to go and start up the Inspiration Loop Trail. I like going to the right (doing the loop counterclockwise), because then you’ll get the ocean views on the way down the other side.
When starting from the right, look for the start of the Inspiration Loop trail between some of the maintenance buildings around where the horse areas are. It’s kind of hidden. If you just keep walking up the main road, you’ll end up on the Bone Canyon Trail and miss the shaded start of the Inspiration Loop trail, with its wonderful Eucalyptus trees and awesome views.
The Backbone Trail Offshoot
About halfway up, there is an option to go off the loop onto the Backbone Trail. This is a trail that goes for the entire length of the Santa Monica Mountains. I don’t suggest doing the whole backbone trail, but I would suggest going on it for a while until you reach the bridge (you can’t miss it):
After you reach the bridge, or however far you want to go, simply turn around and return to the loop.
Inspiration Point
If you’re doing the loop in a counterclockwise direction as I’ve suggested, then a short distance past the Backbone Trail junction will be Inspiration Point (if you go the other direction, you’ll hit Inspiration Point first).
Inspiration Point offers a nice 360-degree view of the area and has some benches to reflect on the view. On a clear day, you can see Catalina Island, Santa Monica, Century City, and downtown LA.
Definitely take some time here to enjoy the view, take some photos, or have a snack.
If you do the loop in the direction I’ve suggested, you’ll have some nice ocean views on the way down.
If you time things right, you could be rewarded with a lovely view just before sunset.
Afterward
After the easy hike, you can drive down Sunset further west to the small but charming downtown area of Pacific Palisades, about a mile away or so. You’ll find some cafés, coffee shops and restaurants there. Or, you can cut over down to Pacific Coast Highway and head toward Santa Monica and do stuff down there.
I hope you enjoy your date at Will Rogers State Park! Please like or share this article if it was useful to you. – Brian
Other Great Date Hikes on the West Side
Check out these other great date hikes very close to Will Rogers Park:
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