Places to Run near Calamigos: Chesebro Trail
Hello, my name is Kyle McCabe, and I am a member of the Pepperdine Cross Country team that lives at Calamigos. Some of my teammates and I have written blog posts about our favorite places to run in the area. We hope you enjoy them!
One of the best trails to run, bike, or even hike on near Calamigos Ranch is a trail that starts off of Chesebro Road. To get there from Calamigos, take the 101 South to the Chesebro Road exit and drive north. There are two places you can park to run on this trail: Old Agoura Park and the Chesebro Canyon Trailhead. Starting from the park will make the loop about 11.5 miles, while the trailhead cuts off a mile each direction, making the loop 9.5 miles. The loop features a large hill about halfway through, a creek to run alongside, a long downhill, and horses to wave at towards the end. Below are some written directions to get around the loop, but I have also mapped out the loop starting at the park mapmyrun.com. The mileage on the website does not match the mileage GPS watches show when you run the loop, but I do not know why (or which is more accurate).
If you start from the park, you can run on the road to the trailhead or hop on the trail early.
Once you are on the trail, there are a few forks to look out for. In general, try to stay on the main trail and run north until you are five miles from the trailhead. The first fork is a mile from the trailhead, and staying left will keep you on the loop.
From there, you can easily follow the trail north, and it will start to turn west about three miles from the trailhead. The main attraction of the Chesebro loop — the hill — starts about 4.5 miles away from the trailhead and features nearly 200 feet of elevation gain in half of a mile. The other side of the hill welcomes you with a long, steep decline and, about 5.25 miles from the trailhead, a wide fireroad that takes you back to “civilization”, aka Chesebro Road. The road takes you past the trailhead and right back to the park, so no matter where you started, you will be able to find your way back.
By: Kyle McCabe