Temescal Gateway Park Reopens Without Waterfall Trail/Parking Lot To Aid Undergrounding

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) announced that Temescal Gateway Park will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 17.

The reopening follows 18 months of fire suppression, storm recovery, emergency operations, regional logistics, and park restoration, according to the Conservancy’s press release. Unfortunately, the Temescal Canyon Trail to the waterfall will remain closed until further notice because fire damage created unsafe trail conditions.

Visitors can hike the rebuilt Rivas Trail to two scenic overlooks or continue to Will Rogers State Historic Park. The Sunset Trail is open, providing access to Temescal Ridge Trail and Topanga State Park, according to the press release. Park users can also enjoy the Sycamore Grove and Rubell Picnic Areas.

To repair the park after extensive fire damage from the Palisades Fire, MRCA staff worked with the California Conservation Corps, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, the workforce and economic development organization Managed Career Solutions, the Sierra Club, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Camp 13 hand crew, Resilient Palisades, California State Parks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other state and local agencies, according to the press release. The 1-1/2-year effort restored trails, repaired visitor facilities, removed hazardous trees, and prepared the park for safe public access.

Numerous fire-damaged trees throughout the park and along its trails—including several mature oak trees—had to be removed to protect public safety, according to the press release. Habitat restoration and reforestation efforts will continue as additional funding becomes available.

In a separate endeavor, a gravel overflow parking lot in Temescal Gateway Park that was used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the debris removal project will be repurposed as a staging site by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for its power-line undergrounding project, according to Conservancy representative Dash Stolarz. The agreement between the Conservancy and LADWP is not yet finalized.

“Historical photographs document that, for decades, the site has been an unplanted dirt lot used for overflow parking,” according a Conservancy statement. “This is the best and least impactful location in the community for this work. Because the site is in a remote area of the park, this temporary use will not affect public access to or use of Temescal Gateway Park. Once LADWP completes its undergrounding work, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and MRCA will work with the Malibu/Palisades YMCA to jointly develop the site in a manner that serves the needs of both the YMCA and Temescal Gateway Park.”

New steps installed on Rivas Trail.