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Join us for a fun and interesting under-2-hour 4.7 mi evening urban hike through some beautiful neighborhoods at sunset, with a whole bunch of cool hidden stairways and lots of stairs to climb, plus some fascinating history thrown in.****PLEASE READ - SERIOUSLY!****
Bring a flashlight (or plan to use your cellphone light), as IT WILL BE DARK by the end of the walk until well into late Spring. ARRIVE EARLY to find parking (see below about where you can park).
***IMPORTANT NOTE: we usually start right at 5:30 so if you’re planning on joining, leave yourself enough time to park and get down to the start. You don’t need to indicate if you’re going or not - just show up!
ABOUT THE WALK:
Join us for a great break in your week and take an evening walk through the beautiful neighborhoods of Santa Monica and Rustic Canyons. This 4.73mi loop traverses 13 stairways and several bridges, with around 706 up-steps and 330 down-steps. Total elevation gain/loss 801 feet. Route varies depending on historical stops and input from participants, and can include other stairs. This walk is a great introduction for stair-walking newcomers, but it's also a challenging 2 hour workout regardless of your experience level! We also usually stop somewhere along the route for story about the historical homes, architecture, and the people who have inhabited this fascinating neighborhood - home to unique spots like the Marquez family Cemetery, the La Señora Research Institute, the Marquez Filling Station, the Canyon one-room schoolhouse, and the Secret Bridge. We are a fast-walking group but will happily wait at the tops of stairways to collect the group.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE HISTORICAL PHOTOS on this companion web page:
https://socalstairclimbers.com/historical-info-for-selected-areas/rustic-canyon/
Meet up at the foot of West Channel at PCH (Santa Monica) at the top of the pedestrian underpass entrance (by the Shore Bar and Restaurant Giorgio Baldi).
PARKING - there is usually free street parking to be found up West Channel, Entrada, Sycamore, or Mesa - a short walk from the start. Some meters on Entrada are 2 hour til 8PM (Meters at the lower end of W. Channel are 1 hr. max til 8PM, so forget about those!) Beach parking lot fees are enforced until sundown - you enter the beach lot from southbound PCH (at the south end of the lot) and walk through the pedestrian tunnel under PCH - it comes out right at the walk start. LEAVE yourself enough time to find parking!!!!
RESTROOMS - there are public restrooms along the beach parking lot across PCH from the start. You can walk under PCH through the tunnel in less than a minute. There’s also a restroom at the gas station on PCH. Go BEFORE the walk, as we don’t plan to stop once we start.
FOOD - snacks/drinks can be found at the gas station on PCH at Entrada or the State Beach Liquor store. Great restaurants are in the area, including Giorgio Baldi, Cafe Delfin, Tallula's, and several others, including the kitchsy Patrick's Roadhouse, so you can hang out and have dinner after you've worked up a hunger! Usually a group of us will go for dinner afterward at some place on the Westside.
INTERACTIVE ROUTE MAP: Google Map, with start/end location, stairway locations and step counts, and architectural and historical information/photos:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1y4DLNVuQsDlnEKe-CJukrFcjiG3cSh30
(iPhone users - copy the above link into your Notes app, save the Note, then click on the link for it to open in Google Maps (instead of through Facebook). That will enable the GPS "blue dot" showing you where you are.). Click on the icons to see all kinds of interesting information!
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Disclaimer:
Event is led by Dave and Kristy Moorman or another regular if they can't make it. Please ensure that you are in good health before participating in the rigorous activity that this is. As the organizers, Dave and Kristy Moorman and anyone leading the walk assume absolutely no responsibility for the participants. If you choose to participate, you assume all responsibility for yourself and agree not to hold the leaders, their helpers in the group, or any designated sweep <to be="" announced="" later=""> (the person walking at the rear) liable in any way.
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