• Afternoon clouds cover the distance peaks of the iconic Boney Mountain

    Santa Monica Mountains

    National Recreation Area California

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Update on Park Closures

    All NPS trails are open, w/the exception of part of the Satwiwa Loop Trail. Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa is only open sunrise to sunset. Point Mugu State Park re-opens 5/24. More »

  • Trucks on Cheeseboro Canyon Trail

    Occasional truck traffic (approx 6 trips per day) will take place on Cheeseboro Cyn Trail weekdays between 8am & 4pm for demolition and removal of Cheeseboro Tank. Should be completed by 5/31/13. Check back for updates or call 818-889-8996. More »

Native American Indians

Native American Indians have lived in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding area for over 10,000 years. Though of different languages and tribes, they lived a similar lifestyle based on the abundant food and materials provided by the environment. They fished in the ocean, hunted rabbits and deer in the canyons, and gathered acorns from the oak woodlands. Prosperous and industrious, the tribes who inhabited the mountains lived in the center of a network of commerce that extended up and down the coast, west to the Channel Islands, and inland to Arizona. Today we know the descendants of these people as the Chumash in the western and the Tongva in the eastern portions of the mountains.

Did You Know?

The adult female of this cub died in 2005.

A study that began in 2002 reveals a lion and his offspring are surviving in the Santa Monica Mountains. Radio collars track them crossing roads and navigating through open spaces. Their future is uncertain, but with conservation efforts, they may continue to make these mountains their home.