Secret Walks #35: Will Rogers State Historic Park, 2.5 miles

At the time of his death, cowboy, actor, writer, and progressive commentator Will Rogers was the highest paid actor in Hollywood, and Rogers and his family lived at this spectacular 186-acre property at the tip of the Santa Monica Mountains. The ranch and its 31-room house surrounded by stables, corrals, polo field, golf course, and riding & hiking trails high into the mountains, were willed to the state of California by his wife—and what a gift! Barbara and I hiked a trail above the stables through avenues of eucalyptus trees and paths with views of the mountains and ocean, then hoofed through the brush up a rugged set of railroad tie steps to Inspiration Point. The payoff: a breathtaking 360-view that spanned from the mountains to the Pacific to Santa Monica, Westwood, Century City, and downtown L.A. It was a gentle walk, populated by friendly hikers, joggers, horseback riders, and bikers out enjoying a near-perfect morning. A few pictures, but honestly, the camera can't do justice to the feeling we got looking out over the city from the top of the world.