(Photos by Allen J. Schaben, Raul Roa, Christopher Reynolds, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Genaro Molina, Lila Seidman / Los Angeles Times)
Escape L.A’s noise pollution — leaf blowers! honking! sirens! — at these 12 ‘quiet’ parks and trails
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Close your eyes, take a deep breath and listen to the sounds around your L.A. neighborhood. You can hear the glorious roar of a leaf blower. And, ah yes, there’s the thrum of a police helicopter. Are those fireworks? Sounds like the Dodgers won.
Though this city is many things, it’s not quiet. But unlike other major metropolitan areas, L.A. is blessed with several parks and mountain ranges. Within a quick drive, you can be alone on a trail in Angeles National Forest, or even just in a park far enough from the freeway to hear a bird’s song over the honking.
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At some point in your time here, you’ve probably surrounded yourself in nature when you needed some calm. But did you know that there’s a way to measure that peace and quiet?
It’s all thanks to the nonprofit Quiet Parks International. The all-volunteer group’s mission is to protect quiet places. It does that, first, by conducting quiet studies at nominated parkland. After collecting that data, it awards public lands a handful of distinctions: wilderness quiet park, urban quiet park, quiet trail, quiet conservation area and quiet marine park. It maintains a map that shows spaces around the world, including more than a dozen places around Southern California, that have been nominated for one of those categories.
Gordon Hempton, the group’s co-founder, has dedicated his life to protecting the quiet, which he argues is not only important for our physical and mental health but also is a birthright of every person.
“It is not a luxury. It is an essential, just like clean water and clean air,” Hempton, an acoustic ecologist, said. “Those who live in noisy neighborhoods have every reason to be mad because that jet that’s flying to other places and passing over your house is not only taking your quiet but using a community resource. The air the sound travels through ... it is owned by the people.”
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Below you’ll find the majority of locations that have been nominated for a Quiet Parks International distinction in Southern California. The list includes parks and trails along rolling hillsides, beaches and forests.
Since these locations haven’t yet been evaluated by Hempton’s group, I did a bit of my own quiet study for each location. Using the National Transportation Noise Map, I assessed the average noise level of planes, trains and automobiles in the area around the nominated park. Though the information is not real-time, it is one more piece of proof that these locations can help you decompress even more than a forest visualization meditation (that will undoubtedly be interrupted by a car honking).
Showing Places
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Joshua Tree National Park
Riverside National Park
Wilderness quiet park nominee
Joshua Tree National Park has recently become notorious for its crowds. But it’s so sprawling that it’s easy to forget its popularity once you head out to one of its lesser-known trails.
The majority of the park — 85% of its almost 793,000 acres — is designated as “wilderness,” a federal distinction that bars permanent development. The park’s main mission for that land is to preserve it, protecting its ecological, cultural and recreational value for years to come. This is where you are sure to find solitude (read: quiet) in Joshua Tree. As the park’s website notes, these areas “are designed to be predominately filled with the sounds of the natural world.”
Thankfully, Joshua Tree is mostly spared from noise of planes, trains and automobiles, according to the National Transportation Noise Map. That said, there is a noisy rail line on the park’s southwestern border, and the 10 Freeway does run along its southern border. The loudest noise within the park is traffic on Park Boulevard in the northwestern corner, which per the map, was comparably as loud in 2020 as a household refrigerator. (And no, I’m not talking about the one from your old apartment that used to make weird noises at 2 a.m.)
Once you get immediately away from developed roads, however, you should easily find peace in Joshua Tree, especially on a weekday. The more rugged adventurers can take advantage of the park’s endless backpacking opportunities, hiking through those aforementioned wilderness areas. Just make sure to leave those Bluetooth speakers at home!
Joshua Tree National Park has recently become notorious for its crowds. But it’s so sprawling that it’s easy to forget its popularity once you head out to one of its lesser-known trails.
The majority of the park — 85% of its almost 793,000 acres — is designated as “wilderness,” a federal distinction that bars permanent development. The park’s main mission for that land is to preserve it, protecting its ecological, cultural and recreational value for years to come. This is where you are sure to find solitude (read: quiet) in Joshua Tree. As the park’s website notes, these areas “are designed to be predominately filled with the sounds of the natural world.”
Thankfully, Joshua Tree is mostly spared from noise of planes, trains and automobiles, according to the National Transportation Noise Map. That said, there is a noisy rail line on the park’s southwestern border, and the 10 Freeway does run along its southern border. The loudest noise within the park is traffic on Park Boulevard in the northwestern corner, which per the map, was comparably as loud in 2020 as a household refrigerator. (And no, I’m not talking about the one from your old apartment that used to make weird noises at 2 a.m.)
Once you get immediately away from developed roads, however, you should easily find peace in Joshua Tree, especially on a weekday. The more rugged adventurers can take advantage of the park’s endless backpacking opportunities, hiking through those aforementioned wilderness areas. Just make sure to leave those Bluetooth speakers at home!
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(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
San Diego County State Park
Quiet conservation area
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park became the first public land in California to be formally designated by Quiet Parks International as a “quiet conservation area.” Earning the designation in 2024, this nearly 650,000-acre oasis remains the only place in the state to be awarded “quiet” status by the group.
The title likely won’t surprise regular visitors, especially those who venture farther than the popular flower fields that bloom in the spring. The quietest portion of Anza-Borrego is its 400,000 acres of land designated as “wilderness areas,” which per state law are “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.” You can travel into these parts of the park using its 500 miles of primitive roads. Camping is allowed in most of the regions too.
And, as an added bonus, Anza-Borrego is also designated an International Dark Sky Park, meaning the loudest thing in the park might just be you yelling “Wow!” as you gaze upon the stars unimpeded by light pollution.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park became the first public land in California to be formally designated by Quiet Parks International as a “quiet conservation area.” Earning the designation in 2024, this nearly 650,000-acre oasis remains the only place in the state to be awarded “quiet” status by the group.
The title likely won’t surprise regular visitors, especially those who venture farther than the popular flower fields that bloom in the spring. The quietest portion of Anza-Borrego is its 400,000 acres of land designated as “wilderness areas,” which per state law are “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.” You can travel into these parts of the park using its 500 miles of primitive roads. Camping is allowed in most of the regions too.
And, as an added bonus, Anza-Borrego is also designated an International Dark Sky Park, meaning the loudest thing in the park might just be you yelling “Wow!” as you gaze upon the stars unimpeded by light pollution.
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(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Idyllwild State Park
Urban quiet park nominee
Mount San Jacinto State Park is a 14,000-acre pine-scented emerald refuge at over 6,000 feet elevation. It is near the charming mountain town of Idyllwild and can also be accessed, as long as you aren’t acrophobic, via a short ride up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
Even on a busy winter weekend, it is seemingly easy to sneak into a corner of the park and find solitude beneath the shade of evergreen trees, listening to the chirps of yellow-rumped warblers. Last time I visited, I couldn’t help but pause and sniff the Jeffrey pines, which smell like butterscotch and vanilla.
The loudest thing near the park is Palm Springs International Airport, which is primarily polluting the airways of its city and not the mountain park, according to federal data. State Route 243 runs near the park’s western boundary but doesn’t typically grow louder than a normal conversation.
The park offers more than 50 miles of trails of varying difficulties, including the easy 1.9-mile Desert View Trail that takes visitors on a loop to five notches with spectacular vista views. Hikers can also venture about 12 miles with a 2,434-foot elevation gain to reach the park’s eponymous peak. Either way, you’ll be greeted with moments lacking man-made noise.
Mount San Jacinto State Park is a 14,000-acre pine-scented emerald refuge at over 6,000 feet elevation. It is near the charming mountain town of Idyllwild and can also be accessed, as long as you aren’t acrophobic, via a short ride up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
Even on a busy winter weekend, it is seemingly easy to sneak into a corner of the park and find solitude beneath the shade of evergreen trees, listening to the chirps of yellow-rumped warblers. Last time I visited, I couldn’t help but pause and sniff the Jeffrey pines, which smell like butterscotch and vanilla.
The loudest thing near the park is Palm Springs International Airport, which is primarily polluting the airways of its city and not the mountain park, according to federal data. State Route 243 runs near the park’s western boundary but doesn’t typically grow louder than a normal conversation.
The park offers more than 50 miles of trails of varying difficulties, including the easy 1.9-mile Desert View Trail that takes visitors on a loop to five notches with spectacular vista views. Hikers can also venture about 12 miles with a 2,434-foot elevation gain to reach the park’s eponymous peak. Either way, you’ll be greeted with moments lacking man-made noise.
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(Allen J. Schaben)
Chino Hills State Park
Chino Hills State Park
Urban quiet park nominee
Chino Hills State Park is a 14,102-acre open space featuring rolling hills and canyons full of oaks, sycamores and Tecate cypress. About a 45-minute drive from L.A., the park has more than 90 miles of hiking trails, including a trek to San Juan Hill, the highest point in the park. It’s also the occasional site for some eye-popping superblooms.
First opened for public use just over 40 years ago, the park was at the time the state’s largest and most expensive to acquire. The state bought the parkland to protect it from being developed into sprawling subdivisions.
“The primary purpose of this park is to preserve some open space within this metropolitan area so that people will have a chance to see what the land was like before it was covered with houses,” Doug Healey, a state parks landscape architect, told The Times in 1986.
Its proximity to urbanity remains one of the park’s challenges in terms of noise pollution. It has Chino Airport about four miles northeast of its Sapphire Road entrance, and is bordered by the 71 Freeway to the east and the 91 Freeway to the south, two heavily trafficked and noisy routes.
That said, hikers, bikers and horseback riders can still find tranquility there. Just don’t look for it during wildflower season, when the park’s hillsides become carpeted with poppies and other petaled prizes.
Chino Hills State Park is a 14,102-acre open space featuring rolling hills and canyons full of oaks, sycamores and Tecate cypress. About a 45-minute drive from L.A., the park has more than 90 miles of hiking trails, including a trek to San Juan Hill, the highest point in the park. It’s also the occasional site for some eye-popping superblooms.
First opened for public use just over 40 years ago, the park was at the time the state’s largest and most expensive to acquire. The state bought the parkland to protect it from being developed into sprawling subdivisions.
“The primary purpose of this park is to preserve some open space within this metropolitan area so that people will have a chance to see what the land was like before it was covered with houses,” Doug Healey, a state parks landscape architect, told The Times in 1986.
Its proximity to urbanity remains one of the park’s challenges in terms of noise pollution. It has Chino Airport about four miles northeast of its Sapphire Road entrance, and is bordered by the 71 Freeway to the east and the 91 Freeway to the south, two heavily trafficked and noisy routes.
That said, hikers, bikers and horseback riders can still find tranquility there. Just don’t look for it during wildflower season, when the park’s hillsides become carpeted with poppies and other petaled prizes.
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(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Ernest E. Debs Regional Park
Montecito Heights City park
Urban quiet park nominee
You wouldn’t think that a park wedged among thousands of homes and the busy 110 Freeway would be quiet. But once you’re inside the 319-acre Ernest E. Debs Park in Montecito Heights, you feel completely transported from the traffic and noise of L.A.
Nominated as an urban quiet park, it is home to coyotes, opossums and a tremendous bird population that includes local favorites like raven, great horned owl and multiple species of hawks. It’s also an important resting place for migratory birds, including those that winter in the park like the white-crowned sparrow and the gray flycatcher.
Despite its proximity to homes, traffic and trains, federal data indicate it does have quiet areas without serious noise pollution. Most notable is its pond, which sits above 800 feet elevation and provides a peaceful respite for visitors who come to rest and observe the wildlife, including the sunbathing turtles and croaking frogs.
You wouldn’t think that a park wedged among thousands of homes and the busy 110 Freeway would be quiet. But once you’re inside the 319-acre Ernest E. Debs Park in Montecito Heights, you feel completely transported from the traffic and noise of L.A.
Nominated as an urban quiet park, it is home to coyotes, opossums and a tremendous bird population that includes local favorites like raven, great horned owl and multiple species of hawks. It’s also an important resting place for migratory birds, including those that winter in the park like the white-crowned sparrow and the gray flycatcher.
Despite its proximity to homes, traffic and trains, federal data indicate it does have quiet areas without serious noise pollution. Most notable is its pond, which sits above 800 feet elevation and provides a peaceful respite for visitors who come to rest and observe the wildlife, including the sunbathing turtles and croaking frogs.
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(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Topanga State Park
Topanga State Park
Urban quiet park nominee
Topanga State Park is 11,525 acres through the Santa Monica Mountains and features 36 miles of trails through mature chaparral, grasslands and epic sandstone boulders, including the park’s own Eagle Rock. (Not to be confused with the Eagle Rock of the East.) It includes a portion of the iconic 67-mile Backbone Trail, which features spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and nearby Channel Islands.
Because it is located entirely in L.A. city limits, it’s thought to be one of the world’s largest wildlands within the boundaries of a major city. It makes up 5% of the acreage of the city of L.A. More than 80 mammals call the park home, including mountain lions, and over 60 reptiles and amphibians can be found there.
Its noisiest neighbors are the airports and roads. The 405 Freeway to the east of the park has tremendously loud traffic. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which runs north and south from the San Fernando Valley to Pacific Coast Highway, is far quieter, averaging a noise level between a normal conversation and a vacuum cleaner, especially closer to Topanga proper, according to federal data. The Van Nuys and Burbank airports, two major noise producers, are both northeast of the park.
But much of the park remains untouched by transportation sound, per the data. Once the park reopens from the Palisades fire closure, the Musch Trail to Eagle Rock is one place hikers will find themselves often alone and in true quiet.
Topanga State Park is 11,525 acres through the Santa Monica Mountains and features 36 miles of trails through mature chaparral, grasslands and epic sandstone boulders, including the park’s own Eagle Rock. (Not to be confused with the Eagle Rock of the East.) It includes a portion of the iconic 67-mile Backbone Trail, which features spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and nearby Channel Islands.
Because it is located entirely in L.A. city limits, it’s thought to be one of the world’s largest wildlands within the boundaries of a major city. It makes up 5% of the acreage of the city of L.A. More than 80 mammals call the park home, including mountain lions, and over 60 reptiles and amphibians can be found there.
Its noisiest neighbors are the airports and roads. The 405 Freeway to the east of the park has tremendously loud traffic. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which runs north and south from the San Fernando Valley to Pacific Coast Highway, is far quieter, averaging a noise level between a normal conversation and a vacuum cleaner, especially closer to Topanga proper, according to federal data. The Van Nuys and Burbank airports, two major noise producers, are both northeast of the park.
But much of the park remains untouched by transportation sound, per the data. Once the park reopens from the Palisades fire closure, the Musch Trail to Eagle Rock is one place hikers will find themselves often alone and in true quiet.
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(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Point Dume Natural Preserve
State Park
Urban quiet park nominee
The Point Dume Nature Preserve, nominated to be an urban quiet park, is a protected landscape within the 63 acres of Point Dume State Beach along the Malibu coastline. Its iconic promontory has been an important navigational marker for seafarers for centuries and today provides panoramic views of the Santa Monica Bay and beyond. Though small, the beach and preserve are home to a range of creatures, including crabs, lobsters and even the alienlike Spanish shawl, an aptly named neon sea slug.
Much of the water immediately surrounding Point Dume is protected and includes kelp forests and deep underwater canyons. Standing at the point’s edge, you might hear the bark of a seal or see a dolphin splash by. California State Parks boasts that Point Dume is one of the few places on dryland where you can get close enough to gray whales to “count their barnacles.”
The crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean hopefully drown out the sound of the nearby Pacific Coast Highway, which produces moderate noise but not to the level of freeways threatening the serenity of other L.A.-area locations nominated to be awarded “quiet status.”
The Point Dume Nature Preserve, nominated to be an urban quiet park, is a protected landscape within the 63 acres of Point Dume State Beach along the Malibu coastline. Its iconic promontory has been an important navigational marker for seafarers for centuries and today provides panoramic views of the Santa Monica Bay and beyond. Though small, the beach and preserve are home to a range of creatures, including crabs, lobsters and even the alienlike Spanish shawl, an aptly named neon sea slug.
Much of the water immediately surrounding Point Dume is protected and includes kelp forests and deep underwater canyons. Standing at the point’s edge, you might hear the bark of a seal or see a dolphin splash by. California State Parks boasts that Point Dume is one of the few places on dryland where you can get close enough to gray whales to “count their barnacles.”
The crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean hopefully drown out the sound of the nearby Pacific Coast Highway, which produces moderate noise but not to the level of freeways threatening the serenity of other L.A.-area locations nominated to be awarded “quiet status.”
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(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Leo Carrillo State Park
Malibu State Park
Urban quiet park nominee
Leo Carrillo State Park includes 1.5 miles of beach and more than 2,500 acres of parkland in western Malibu. Purchased by the state in the 1950s, it has been the location of several films, including “Grease” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
“When television and film producers need a rocky, surf-swept stretch of coast for background, they seldom take the long trek to Oregon or Monterey,” The Times reported in 1968. The rocky coves, caves and bluffs of Leo Carrillo beach, instead, did the trick.
Outside of when a film shoot takes over, the beach’s sand and shore are often quieter and more low-key than Venice and Santa Monica beaches, offering a spot for locals to stretch out and enjoy the surf. Its parkland‘s hiking trails in spring, under the right conditions, feature wildflowers.
And its tide pools are often bursting with color and life, whether it be purple starfish, giant green anemone or the Pacific purple sea urchin. The luckiest of visitors will spot a California two-spot octopus.
Far enough on the beach, or perhaps while venturing through the park’s sea caves, one might no longer notice the Pacific Coast Highway nearby, the main noise polluter in the area, which on average is as loud as the hum of an air conditioner.
Leo Carrillo State Park includes 1.5 miles of beach and more than 2,500 acres of parkland in western Malibu. Purchased by the state in the 1950s, it has been the location of several films, including “Grease” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
“When television and film producers need a rocky, surf-swept stretch of coast for background, they seldom take the long trek to Oregon or Monterey,” The Times reported in 1968. The rocky coves, caves and bluffs of Leo Carrillo beach, instead, did the trick.
Outside of when a film shoot takes over, the beach’s sand and shore are often quieter and more low-key than Venice and Santa Monica beaches, offering a spot for locals to stretch out and enjoy the surf. Its parkland‘s hiking trails in spring, under the right conditions, feature wildflowers.
And its tide pools are often bursting with color and life, whether it be purple starfish, giant green anemone or the Pacific purple sea urchin. The luckiest of visitors will spot a California two-spot octopus.
Far enough on the beach, or perhaps while venturing through the park’s sea caves, one might no longer notice the Pacific Coast Highway nearby, the main noise polluter in the area, which on average is as loud as the hum of an air conditioner.
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(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Wendy Trail
Thousand Oaks Park Trail
Quiet trail nominee
The Wendy Trail is a 1.7-mile jaunt that starts in Newbury Park and meanders through Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, a National Park Service property north of Point Mugu State Park.
Satwiwa means “the bluffs” in Chumash and was the name of a nearby Chumash village, according to the National Park Service. The park includes land that was once a Chumash trade route. From the early 1800s into the mid-1900s, the park was farmed and ranched. Then, in 1980, the National Park Service bought it.
Today the parkland features rolling hills and grassy fields dotted with purple sage along with large rock outcroppings farther into the park. Hikers who take the Wendy Trail can take an easy short detour to visit the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center, which is open on weekends. There they can learn about the land’s original inhabitants. The path also connects with multiple other hikes, including a trek into Point Mugu State Park to visit Sycamore Canyon Falls, a seasonal waterfall.
The Wendy Trail starting point is just over two miles south of the 101 Freeway. The area between the freeway and trailhead includes hundreds of homes in subdivisions. The main noise is of traffic along Potrero Road, which is most audible in the first half-mile of the trail. When no truck or motorcycle is roaring by, it’s easy to pause and listen to the songs and calls of spotted towhee, California scrub jay and yellow-rumped warblers, who are easy to spot in the short shrubs and trees along the trail.
The Wendy Trail is a 1.7-mile jaunt that starts in Newbury Park and meanders through Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, a National Park Service property north of Point Mugu State Park.
Satwiwa means “the bluffs” in Chumash and was the name of a nearby Chumash village, according to the National Park Service. The park includes land that was once a Chumash trade route. From the early 1800s into the mid-1900s, the park was farmed and ranched. Then, in 1980, the National Park Service bought it.
Today the parkland features rolling hills and grassy fields dotted with purple sage along with large rock outcroppings farther into the park. Hikers who take the Wendy Trail can take an easy short detour to visit the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center, which is open on weekends. There they can learn about the land’s original inhabitants. The path also connects with multiple other hikes, including a trek into Point Mugu State Park to visit Sycamore Canyon Falls, a seasonal waterfall.
The Wendy Trail starting point is just over two miles south of the 101 Freeway. The area between the freeway and trailhead includes hundreds of homes in subdivisions. The main noise is of traffic along Potrero Road, which is most audible in the first half-mile of the trail. When no truck or motorcycle is roaring by, it’s easy to pause and listen to the songs and calls of spotted towhee, California scrub jay and yellow-rumped warblers, who are easy to spot in the short shrubs and trees along the trail.
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(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Point Mugu State Park
Malibu State Park
Urban quiet park nominee
Point Mugu State Park is a 14,000-acre diverse landscape in the western Santa Monica Mountains that provides adventurers with jaunts through grassy valleys with native trees, river canyons and five miles of beach with impressive bluffs and the iconic 49-foot Mugu Rock.
The western trailhead of the Backbone Trail, a 67-mile trail through the Santa Monica Mountains, can be accessed from the park. The park has more than 70 miles of hiking trails providing, among other things, breathtaking ocean views. After a nice trek, hikers can hit the beach to rest their tired feet or head to Mugu Rock where in February and March, they might spot migrating gray whales.
One challenge that Point Mugu faces in being distinguished as “quiet” is the aircraft and other military-related noise produced at nearby Naval Air Station Point Mugu. A military aircraft (or discharge of a firearm) is generally an immediate disqualifying event from Quiet Parks International’s designations.
The Pacific Coast Highway is the other noise producer around the park, which is audible on a busy weekend from some of the park’s trails. But, those who travel farther into the park and Boney Mountains State Wilderness Area, especially on a weekday, can find peace and solitude.
Point Mugu State Park is a 14,000-acre diverse landscape in the western Santa Monica Mountains that provides adventurers with jaunts through grassy valleys with native trees, river canyons and five miles of beach with impressive bluffs and the iconic 49-foot Mugu Rock.
The western trailhead of the Backbone Trail, a 67-mile trail through the Santa Monica Mountains, can be accessed from the park. The park has more than 70 miles of hiking trails providing, among other things, breathtaking ocean views. After a nice trek, hikers can hit the beach to rest their tired feet or head to Mugu Rock where in February and March, they might spot migrating gray whales.
One challenge that Point Mugu faces in being distinguished as “quiet” is the aircraft and other military-related noise produced at nearby Naval Air Station Point Mugu. A military aircraft (or discharge of a firearm) is generally an immediate disqualifying event from Quiet Parks International’s designations.
The Pacific Coast Highway is the other noise producer around the park, which is audible on a busy weekend from some of the park’s trails. But, those who travel farther into the park and Boney Mountains State Wilderness Area, especially on a weekday, can find peace and solitude.
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(Lila Seidman / Los Angeles Times)
Santa Rosa Island
National Park
Marine quiet park nominee
Santa Rosa Island is a 53,000-acre wonderland where hikers can explore several trails, including to view Torrey pines, considered one of the rarest pines in the world.
The land was originally referred to as “Wima” by the Island Chumash, and humans have lived there for more than 13,000 years. It was home to at least eight known Chumash villages, and they continued to live on the island until the 1800s when their land was stolen and they were forcibly removed, a thread in California’s genocidal history toward Native peoples.
The next several decades, the island was used for ranching and sport hunting until 1986, when the National Park Service bought the land from a cattle rancher. The last cows of Santa Rosa Island were shipped to the mainland in 1998.
Today the island offers a unique escape that is likely on the bucket list of any Southern California adventurer. Forty miles from Ventura, the island is the second largest in California at 15 miles wide by 10 miles long. It is home to to the (adorable!) island foxes, island spotted skunk and island deer mouse. Reptiles and amphibians who call the island home include the Baja California tree frog and the Channel Islands slender salamander.
The island’s biggest noise challenge is military traffic and, a recent development, sonic booms from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a noise that could increase if a request to launch more rockets is approved. Even in one of the most remote places in Southern California, the quiet remains threatened.
Santa Rosa Island is a 53,000-acre wonderland where hikers can explore several trails, including to view Torrey pines, considered one of the rarest pines in the world.
The land was originally referred to as “Wima” by the Island Chumash, and humans have lived there for more than 13,000 years. It was home to at least eight known Chumash villages, and they continued to live on the island until the 1800s when their land was stolen and they were forcibly removed, a thread in California’s genocidal history toward Native peoples.
The next several decades, the island was used for ranching and sport hunting until 1986, when the National Park Service bought the land from a cattle rancher. The last cows of Santa Rosa Island were shipped to the mainland in 1998.
Today the island offers a unique escape that is likely on the bucket list of any Southern California adventurer. Forty miles from Ventura, the island is the second largest in California at 15 miles wide by 10 miles long. It is home to to the (adorable!) island foxes, island spotted skunk and island deer mouse. Reptiles and amphibians who call the island home include the Baja California tree frog and the Channel Islands slender salamander.
The island’s biggest noise challenge is military traffic and, a recent development, sonic booms from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a noise that could increase if a request to launch more rockets is approved. Even in one of the most remote places in Southern California, the quiet remains threatened.
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(Highway 1 Road Trip)
Bob Jones Trail
Urban Trail
Quiet trail nominee
The Bob Jones Trail, also referred to as the City to the Sea Trail, is 3.9 miles split into two trails in Avila Beach and San Luis Obispo. Officials plan to build more trail to connect the 4.5-mile gap between the trails.
The trail in Avila Beach is 2.6 miles and runs parallel to San Luis Obispo Creek, taking hikers pass rocky hillsides, native oaks, a vineyard and several homes. Hikes end a short distance from the beach. The 1.3-mile section is north of the other trail and also runs along the creek.
Both pieces of the trail are close to the 101 Freeway, which produces a moderate noise level, per federal data. The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is also nearby, another noise issue.
To designate an urban setting as formally “quiet,” Quiet Parks International uses the criteria of whether nature “clearly dominates.” If, over the thrum of the 101, hikers can clearly hear the call of an American coot or great blue heron, two of the many waterfowl that populate the region, then this trail might have a shot at being designated as an official “quiet trail.”
The Bob Jones Trail, also referred to as the City to the Sea Trail, is 3.9 miles split into two trails in Avila Beach and San Luis Obispo. Officials plan to build more trail to connect the 4.5-mile gap between the trails.
The trail in Avila Beach is 2.6 miles and runs parallel to San Luis Obispo Creek, taking hikers pass rocky hillsides, native oaks, a vineyard and several homes. Hikes end a short distance from the beach. The 1.3-mile section is north of the other trail and also runs along the creek.
Both pieces of the trail are close to the 101 Freeway, which produces a moderate noise level, per federal data. The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is also nearby, another noise issue.
To designate an urban setting as formally “quiet,” Quiet Parks International uses the criteria of whether nature “clearly dominates.” If, over the thrum of the 101, hikers can clearly hear the call of an American coot or great blue heron, two of the many waterfowl that populate the region, then this trail might have a shot at being designated as an official “quiet trail.”
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