Drive south on Topanga Canyon Boulevard past Mulholland Drive and you pass Summit Valley Ed Edelman Park. A little farther on, at 3400 North Topanga Canyon Boulevard, is Top of Topanga Overlook. Go the other way and Reseda Boulevard ends at Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park. Victory Boulevard ends at the Victory Trailhead into Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve.
Several different agencies run these places. On October 14, 2026, they agreed to handle fire-weather closures the same way. The National Park Service, California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) announced a coordinated closure protocol for red flag warnings across the Santa Monica Mountains. The four agencies signed it on March 12, 2026, and used it for the first time the same week it was announced.
For Woodland Hills, this means one weather forecast can now close the whole ring of trailheads above the neighborhood at once, as it did in October. Which sites close still depends on how much of the range the forecast covers. Most of those decisions are posted the day before. The rules target trails and backcountry, so you can still reach some places by car.
The first test closed every trailhead on the neighborhood's edge
The National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard office issued a red flag warning for Thursday through Saturday, October 15 to 17, 2026. MRCA then closed its parks for all three days. Most of the parks Woodland Hills hikers use were on that list:
- Summit Valley Ed Edelman Park
- Top of Topanga Overlook
- Mulholland Corridor Overlooks
- Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park
- Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
- Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park
MRCA's notice also said Topanga State Park, Malibu Creek State Park and the National Park Service sites, including the Backbone Trail and Cheeseboro/Palo Comado, would "likely also be closed," and told visitors to check each agency's website. So for those three days, the MRCA trailheads at the top of Reseda, Victory and Topanga Canyon were all closed at once.
Jody Lyle, superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, explained the reasoning in the agencies' joint announcement: "The Santa Monica Mountains are one landscape, even though they are managed by several different agencies. A coordinated approach is important because it reduces confusion for visitors and it protects people and resources during high fire danger."
The forecast decides, usually a day ahead
The protocol starts with the forecast, not the weather on the day. It is triggered by official red flag warnings from the National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard office. Those warnings depend on relative humidity, sustained winds, gusts or dry lightning, combined with dry vegetation. In the worst conditions, the Weather Service can label a warning a "Particularly Dangerous Situation." The protocol allows agencies to restrict operations further and close more facilities when that happens.
Two timing rules in the signed protocol matter most if you hike early in the morning:
- Decisions are made one day at a time and announced the day before when possible. The evening before is the best time to check whether a sunrise hike from the Victory Trailhead is on.
- A warning for part of the day closes the park for the whole day. A warning that starts at noon still closes the park at dawn. A calm, clear morning doesn't mean the trail is open.
Agency superintendents and directors still decide which parks close, based on how much of the mountains the forecast covers. A warning limited to one part of the range could close some sites and not others. A warning like October's covered the parks along Woodland Hills' southern edge.
Closed trails don't always mean closed roads
The protocol separates what closes from what stays open. It says that "while general public messaging will communicate that parks are closed during red flag warnings, certain facilities and operations will remain accessible to the public."
| Closed or cancelled | Generally open and accessible |
|---|---|
| Trails | Roads, unless behind a locked gate |
| Undeveloped and backcountry areas | California State Parks developed parking lots |
| Visitor centers | Roadside overlooks, unless signed closed |
| Events, programs and school field trips | Campgrounds, with standard evacuation and hazard notices |
| Volunteer events | |
| National Park Service parking lots | |
| Permitted activities, at agency discretion |
Under this table, a State Parks developed lot can stay open while every trail starting from it is closed. A National Park Service lot closes completely. So an open parking lot doesn't mean you can hike from it.
The overlook rule says "unless signed," and October showed that agencies use that exception. Top of Topanga Overlook and the Mulholland Corridor Overlooks were both on MRCA's closure list for October 15 to 17. Driving up to look at the view is a different question from hiking, and the answer can still be no.
Volunteer events and programs are cancelled too. If you've signed up for a trail work day or a guided walk in Santa Ana season, a red flag warning cancels it.
Not every closed gate will be locked
When you drive to a trailhead, the sign on the gate may be the only notice you see. The protocol says agencies will announce closures on their websites and social media, through partner organizations, and with signs or locked gates "in certain designated areas," and adds, "Not every closed area will be signed or locked." Each agency enforces its own closures under its own rules.
Where there is a sign, the agencies agreed to use the same wording on it:
Park Closed due to Red Flag Warning.
If a trailhead has no sign and the gate is open, it can still be closed. The joint announcement asks visitors to check with the agency that manages their destination before heading into the mountains during a red flag warning.
Which agency to check for each trailhead
The quickest way to check is to know which agency runs the trailhead you use. Every park below is listed in Appendix A of the protocol as a site that may close.
| Trailhead | Where you start | Managed by | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Valley Ed Edelman Park | Topanga Canyon Blvd. south of Mulholland Dr. | MRCA | $5 |
| Top of Topanga Overlook | 3400 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. | MRCA | Parking on site |
| Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park | Southern end of Reseda Blvd., 3600 Reseda Blvd. | MRCA | $5 at the top of Reseda |
| Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve | Victory Trailhead, western end of Victory Blvd., 91367 | MRCA | $5 at the Victory lot; trails open during daylight |
| Topanga State Park | Backcountry trails and fire roads | California State Parks | Check the State Parks page |
Four of the five are MRCA parks, so mrca.ca.gov covers most of the trailheads above Woodland Hills. For Topanga State Park, use the California State Parks Topanga page. If your weekend loop goes into National Park Service land, such as Cheeseboro/Palo Comado or the Backbone Trail, check the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area alerts and conditions page.
Topanga State Park has its own closures from the Palisades Fire
Topanga State Park also has closures that have nothing to do with the weather. California State Parks lists it as "Open with Restrictions" after the Palisades Fire. Under an order effective June 12, 2026, its day-use facilities, backcountry service roads and backcountry trails are open, except for these, which remain closed:
- Rogers Road Trail
- Bent Arrow Trail
- Josepho Spur Trail
- Rustic Canyon Trail
- Lower Topanga Day Use Area and trails
- Temescal Canyon Trail
Outside that list, the order keeps the park's backcountry service roads and trails open. On the coastal end, MRCA reopened Temescal Gateway Park on July 17, 2026. Its Sunset Trail links to Temescal Ridge Trail and back into Topanga State Park. Temescal Canyon Trail to the waterfall stays closed because fire damage left it unsafe. Topanga State Park is on the protocol's list of sites that may close, and Temescal Gateway Park was on MRCA's closure list for October 15 to 17.
Planning a hike in red flag season
Under the protocol, the decision is made by forecast, announced a day ahead when possible, and applies to the whole day. If a red flag warning covers any part of tomorrow, the parks the agencies choose to close stay closed all day, including the morning. Check the agency that runs your trailhead the night before and keep a backup plan that doesn't use the mountain trailheads. In the joint announcement, the agencies ask visitors to put off hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and picnicking in affected areas until conditions improve.
If you're weighing how close a home is to the Edelman, Mulholland Gateway or Victory trailheads, Bruce Barz can walk you through the streets above Ventura Boulevard. Schedule a free consultation.
