Sandstone Peak

The highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains tops out at 3,111 feet, reached by a loop that passes sandstone formations with names like Split Rock and Balanced Rock -- hikers squeeze through the middle of Split Rock as a rite of passage, and parking at either trailhead lot is free. The gentler option, the Mishe Mokwa Trail, trades a steep, exposed climb for a longer approach past Tri-Peaks, just a few feet short of the true summit. From the top, the view stretches past the Conejo Valley to four of the Channel Islands on a clear day.