With red-flag fire weather warnings in place, several agencies overseeing portions of the Santa Monica Mountains announced Wednesday they were temporarily closing many parks. In March, California State Parks, the National Park Service, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority announced they would start coordinating park closures across the area whenever the National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings, indicating the risk of a wildfire is high.
The goal, the agencies said at the time, was to reduce the “potential for fire ignitions” and limit the number of people in the area who would need to be evacuated if an emergency were to happen. The protocols will be tested this week with the first Santa Ana winds of the season expected on Thursday and Friday, boosting the risk that any new fires could spread rapidly. Under the new protocols, hikers should expect to see more park and trail closures during red-flag events than before, Dash Stolarz, a spokesperson for the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, confirmed to The Times.
The changes were borne from discussions that arose following the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires, Stolarz said. Given the unpredictable nature of Santa Ana winds and other weather events, “you just try and control all the variables you can control,” Stolarz said. “One of the things … we have done is we talk more, we’ve upped our communication with each other in so many ways.” California State Parks in a statement on Wednesday encouraged visitors to check current conditions with the agency managing their destination before traveling to the Santa Monica Mountains during a red flag warning, because “not every closed area will be signed or gated.” The following parks managed by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) will be closed Thursday through Saturday: Cameron Nature Preserve at Puerco CanyonCorral Canyon ParkEscondido Canyon ParkTuna Canyon ParkTop of Topanga OverlookSummit Valley Ed D.
Edelman ParkRed Rock Canyon ParkMill Creek RanchTemescal Canyon ParkFranklin Canyon ParkWilacre ParkMulholland Corridor OverlooksMarvin Braude Mulholland Gateway ParkWestridge-Canyonback Wilderness ParkKing Gillette RanchUpper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space PreserveSage Ranch ParkMentryvilleWhitney Canyon ParkEast and Rice CanyonsEd Davis Park in Towsley CanyonHappy Camp Canyon Regional ParkThe following parks will likely be closed during the red-flag event, though Stolarz recommends checking the corresponding agency’s website for the most updated information.
California State Parks: Topanga State ParkMalibu Creek State ParkLeo Carrillo State ParkPoint Mugu State ParkWill Rogers State Historic ParkSanta Susana Pass State Historic Park National Park Service Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: Rancho Sierra VistaSolstice CanyonPeter Strauss RanchRocky OaksParamount RanchCheeseboro / Palo ComadoCircle X RanchArroyo SequitFranklin CanyonFryman CanyonDeer CreekZuma / Trancas Canyons (Bonsall and Busch parking lots)Backbone Trail (including parking lot on Kanan Road)Sandstone Peak / Mishe Mokwa parking lots and trails
