Welcome to the Park of the Month newsletter for February 2025. This month we’re featuring a state park considered to be the largest wildland inside a major city.
Topanga State Park
Location
Los Angeles, California, United States
Claim to fame
Topanga State Park is considered the world’s largest wildland in a major city; all its 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) are within the city limits of Los Angeles. The park has been a natural haven for LA residents for over a hundred years, and was home to the Tongva and Chumash peoples for thousands of years. This state park is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
In January 2025, Topanga State Park became famous for a tragic reason: as of this writing, Topanga State Park is currently closed due to significant wildfire damage and danger. The park borders Pacific Palisades, a region of LA that has been recently devastated by wildland fire. The fire spread through Topanga State Park, destroying the historic Topanga Ranch Motel and other sites.
If you would like to donate to Palisades Fire Relief, you can do so here.
Reason to visit
Topanga State Park boasts 36 miles (58 km) of trails right in the heart of one of the most populous cities in the US. These mountain trails navigate through grasslands and live oaks and many offer stunning sea views.
Visitors can also find geologic wonders in the park, like exposed earthquake faults, marine fossils, and volcanic intrusions, as well as sandstone rock formations, like the one in the image above.
Wild Fact
In 2008, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed closing Topanga State Park along with 47 other state parks to reduce the state deficit. Environmental activists and LA residents collected over 17,000 signatures protesting the park’s closure, and a group of school children publicly delivered them to the governor. Their efforts are credited with saving the park and are a testament to the power of people who love parks.
Want to learn more about Topanga State Park? Visit the park’s website.
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