Malibu's Topanga Canyon
In the heart of Malibu, the southernmost artery linking the 101 freeway to PCH is Topanga Canyon. (This means it’s the canyon closest to Los Angeles.)
Topanga was the greatest Southern California hippie outpost of the 60s, an artists’ colony amongst sleepy, golden hills.
Crunchy landmarks like Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum (an outdoor, family-run theater where you can see plays all summer long) and Froggy’s Topanga Fish Market, a laid-back restaurant, are still going strong, and a quick visit to the town center will teach you two how to sell stuff made from hemp to people with lots of money.
If you’d like to commune more personally with the land here, take a left at Entrada Road (three miles up from the 101 and shortly after you pass a sculpture of a flying pig), and head one mile up the hill to park for the entrance to the vast and peaceful Topanga State Park.
Or if you’d rather sit together and enjoy the natural beauty of Topanga, know that one of the greatest destination restaurants in LA County is here, Inn of the Seventh Ray. Their Sunday brunch, served buffet style and eaten exclusively outdoors on one of the finest creek-side patios anywhere, is a testament to organic cooking. Least New Age meal you’ve ever had? Probably not. But go — it’s like a vacation unto itself.
"When Pigs Fly" sculpture on Topanga Canyon Rd; horses by Inn of the Seventh Ray
Topanga wends its way beside a shady creek and often Hobbit-like houses made out of recycled materials. My personal favorite has an entrance made from a train car, but a close runner-up has a fairy-tale bridge made from a big arch of corrugated metal.
Topanga’s shade trees eventually thin out and reveal a winding, rocky, mountainous road that soon slopes gently towards the Pacific Coast Highway and the seashore.
Take a right here onto PCH, and just past the pottery-and-outdoor-furniture on the right-hand side you’ll find my favorite spot for a casual fish dinner, The Reel Inn. They don’t take reservations, and you always have to stand in line to place your order, but if you’re lucky you’ll get a seat on the patio, set amidst a backdrop of Topanga hills. Always a treat at sunset, as are their $12-and-up dinners with the seafood/preparation of your choice paired with Cajun rice.
See also
Central Malibu Along the Pacific Coast Highway
Sunset Boulevard to Malibu
Malibu via Malibu Canyon
Malibu via Latigo Canyon
Three Great Malibu Beaches
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