Sullivan Canyon Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Gravel Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
Riding Area

Westridge-Canyonback
Santa Monica, California
Difficulty Rating

Access Trail or Doubletrack Rate
Voted Difficulty

Green (1 vote)
Local Popularity
85 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 70 in Trail Running
- 40 in Hiking
Global Ranking
#8077 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #19367 in Trail Running
- #33516 in Hiking
Trail Type

Dirt/Gravel Road
Bike Type

DH, AM, XC, Gravel
Dogs Allowed

Yes

A beautiful downhill run that wends its way under the shade of sycamore trees and crosses running water in the spring. Sullivan Canyon is both a single track and a double wide path that goes from Queensferry Road up to Sullivan Ridge Fire Road, and eventually to dirt Mulholland.

The single track winds back and forth across the wider central trail, which runs up the center of the canyon. Watch for hikers and kids where the single track crosses the path. The single track is a downhill run from north to south. Take the wide path up and the single track back, or ride up Sullivan Ridge and take Sullivan Canyon down. They connect just below dirt Mulholland.

If you take the route down from dirt Mulholland you have three options to get back up. First is simply taking Sullivan Canyon back up, using the wide middle path. Second, there is a switch back on the left a few hundred yards out from the Queensferry parking area called the Squirrel Cage. It climbs up to Sullivan Ridge, and from there to dirt Mulholland. However it is hidden in the undergrowth and difficult to find. The third route is on streets out through Queensferry and eventually up Westridge Road until it turns into the West Mandeville Fire Road, climbing to dirt Mulholland. There is actually a fourth route back to dirt Mulholland if you navigate through the neighborhood to Mandeville Canyon. You can take that up, north, almost to the dead end where you'll find trails on your left and right up the canyon walls that lead to dirt Mulholland and the cold war era Nike Missile Site.

Access Info

Take Queensferry Road to the dead end and park. The trail starts behind the gate. Optionally start from the top at dirt Mulholland, taking the Sullivan Ridge Fire Road to the Sullivan Canyon trail near the top.

Local Trail Association

Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association
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Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

3 rides
22 miles average

6 Months

36 rides
17 miles avg distance

All

550 rides
Last: Jun 19, 2026

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January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

update trails status or condition

Sullivan Canyon Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Feb 7, 2026 @ 3:00pm (America/Los_Angeles) Feb 7, 2026	As stated in the previous report. Still lots of creek crossings. There is a line starting to form but I wouldn't ride my gravel bike down there....
	Jan 12, 2026 @ 8:54am (America/Los_Angeles) Jan 12, 2026	A lot of water the trails been heavily damaged due to the rains. A couple of hiking bike sections when climbing out. If going down, be prepared to...
	Dec 29, 2025 @ 9:28am (America/Los_Angeles) Dec 29, 2025	Definitely some new obstacles to navigate but fun if you are going down. Be prepared to get wet there is a heavy stream running almost the whole...
	Nov 30, 2025 @ 1:52pm (America/Los_Angeles) Nov 30, 2025	Perfect run on an MTB post-rains. Lush and green. Lots of fun creek crossing. Fantastic weather.
	Nov 27, 2025 @ 2:32pm (America/Los_Angeles) Nov 27, 2025	Lots of creek crossings. I don't think it would be as much fun on a gravel bike with 40 wide tires. Plenty of erosion due to the latest storms.