Temescal Gateway Park

Park Details

Features:

Located in Pacific Palisades, Temescal Gateway Park is one of the most popular parks in the Santa Monica Mountains. The park encompasses 141 acres of oak and sycamore canyons, ridgetop views, and access to miles of trails in Topanga State Park, Will Rogers State Historic Park, and the 20,000-acre “Big Wild.”

Park amenities include easy to moderate trails, picnic tables and grassy areas, restrooms, meeting rooms, an auditorium, and classrooms. Many educational and outreach programs are held at Temescal for children throughout the City. The Temescal Canyon Conference and Retreat Center provides overnight accommodations for up to 100 people, and the architecturally distinctive Elizabeth Cheadle Dining Hall serves as a beautiful location for events of all kinds. For information about hosting a special event at Temescal Gateway Park click here.

The Reverend Dr. Charles Holmes Scott developed what is now Temescal Gateway Park for the Methodist Church in 1922 as a West Coast center for the Chautauqua movement. Originated in 1874 on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in Southwestern New York State, Chautauqua assemblies were aimed at challenging the minds and spirits of its participants by offering families seasonal programs of lectures, music, elocution, and open discussion of public issues, literature, and science. The Presbyterian Synod purchased the property in 1943 and used it as a private retreat center until the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy purchased the property in 1994.

NOTE: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only restrooms that can be used in compliance with LA County Health orders are available. All park visitors must wear face coverings and keep physical distance of six feet at all times. Park buildings are closed. Please contact us via the link below if you have questions.

Parking is $12