more stats
965 ft
Distance
3 ft
Climb
-134 ft
Descent
00:00:56
Avg time
-131 ft
Altitude change
1,829 ft
Altitude min
1,960 ft
Altitude max
1,960 ft
Altitude start
1,827 ft
Altitude end
-13.6%
Grade
-36.8%
Grade max
5.2%
Grade min
56 ft
Distance climb
909 ft
Distance down
00:00:56
Avg time

Upper Hectic Details

  • Activities
    • Hike
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Gravel Bike
    • Winter Fat Bike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Topanga State Park
    Santa Monica, California
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (1 vote)
  • Local Popularity
    80 in Mountain Biking heatmap [+]
    • 85 in E-Biking
    • 75 in Trail Running
    • 80 in Hiking
    • 5 in Winter Fat Biking
    • 50 in Gravel Biking
  • Global Ranking
    #113800 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #90694 in E-Biking
    • #23524 in Trail Running
    • #28221 in Hiking
    • #34780 in Winter Fat Biking
    • #14794 in Gravel Biking
  • State Ranking
    #4,124 in Mountain Biking · California [+]
    • #1,839 in E-Biking
    • #1,212 in Trail Running
    • #1,541 in Hiking
    • #725 in Winter Fat Biking
    • #1,102 in Gravel Biking
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T3 Demanding Mountain Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    DH, AM, XC, Fat, CX, Gravel
  • Direction
    Downhill Primary
    Popular Direction Shown
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Trail Visibility
    Sometimes hard to follow
  • eBike Allowed

No community description for Upper Hectic trail has been added yet!

AI Generated Description

Upper Hectic is a 965 ft popular black diamond difficulty singletrack trail located near Santa Monica California. Riders describe it as faint trail. This hike primary trail can be used downhill primary and has a moderate overall physical rating. Trail visibility is sometimes hard to follow. On average it takes minutes to complete this trail.

Access Info

Take farmer's ridge then head left uphill over the rocks to reach start of trail

Disclaimer

Watch for hikers

Tags
Faint trail

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 1 rides
  • 17 miles average
6 Months
  • 30 rides
  • 16 miles avg distance
All
  • 205 rides
  • Last: Nov 12, 2026
c1c2c3c4
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update trails status or condition

Upper Hectic Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Mar 22, 2026 @ 7:26am (America/Los_Angeles)
Mar 22, 2026
Thank you to whoever cleared the trail. Somewhat loose as usual but good condition.
Oct 9, 2025 @ 2:26pm (America/Los_Angeles)
Oct 9, 2025
All clear and good to go!
Jan 5, 2025 @ 9:22am
Jan 5, 2025
May 2, 2024 @ 7:05am
May 2, 2024
It's getting very overgrown
Oct 1, 2023 @ 9:26am
Oct 1, 2023
more »
Status:
on Mar 22, 2026
Ideal
Avg: 3.86 (3 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (3,253)
close
      Directions to upper-hectic trailhead (34.128970, -118.532230)

      Photos

      No photos have been added for Upper Hectic yet, add a photo.

      Videos

      4 more »
      youtuber Single Tracks: Encino, CA - Hectic
      mtb
      9:10 | 139 | Oct 26, 2023 , Santa Monica
      Hupper Hectic
      mtb
      14:21 | 244 | Apr 4, 2023 , Santa Monica
      Training Ride with Payson McElveen (Upper...
      mtb
      56:51 | 117 | Jul 5, 2022 , Santa Monica
      Upper Hectic
      mtb
      0:36 | 249 | Jul 1, 2020 , Santa Monica

      Routes with this trail

      more »
      ★ 5.0 • 21 miles • 4,378 ft • 14 • Loop •
      A lot of the really fun enduro trails in the Santa Monica Mountains. The classics, and panic as that is a...
      27 miles • 5,423 ft • 13 •
      Good route hitting some of the lesser known good enduro trails in the area
      ★ 1.5 • 12 miles • 2,219 ft • 20 •
      Tarzana start and end loop
      4.0 ★★★★★
      3 Ratings
      5 ★ 33%
      4 ★ 33%
      3 ★ 33%
      2 ★
      1 ★

      1 Review & Comments

      mariomtblt mariomtblt
      Rode it today and someone cleared out the annoying rock in the beginning and cleaned it up!

      We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

      Create a FREE account to view all trail reviews and much more.

      • By ersz & contributors
      • #77612 - 2,149 views

      Frequently Asked Questions

      ▼ Where is Upper Hectic located?
      Upper Hectic is located in Topanga State Park, Santa Monica, California, United States. It is part of the Topanga State Park trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 34.12897, -118.53223.
      ▼ How hard is Upper Hectic?
      Upper Hectic is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 13.6%.
      ▼ What is the elevation gain for Upper Hectic?
      Upper Hectic has 3 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 134 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 1,829 ft to 1,960 ft.
      ▼ Is Upper Hectic a point to point trail?
      Upper Hectic is not a point to point trail. The direction is Downhill Primary. The trail type is singletrack.
      ▼ How long is Upper Hectic?
      Upper Hectic is 965 ft long. The trail type is singletrack.
      ▼ Are dogs allowed on Upper Hectic?
      There is no information about dogs being allowed on Upper Hectic. Check with local trail managers or the trail page for the latest access rules.
      ▼ When is the best time of year to ride Upper Hectic?
      Based on activity log data, the most popular months to ride Upper Hectic are:
      • June (13 activities)
      • October (11 activities)
      • September (10 activities)
      Check the reports page for current trail conditions.
      ▼ How do I access Upper Hectic? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
      The closest parking and trailhead locations to Upper Hectic are: View all parking locations in the area.
      ▼ How long does it take to ride Upper Hectic?
      Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 1 minute to ride Upper Hectic. The trail is 965 ft long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
      ▼ How busy is Upper Hectic?
      Upper Hectic is a very popular trail. There have been 2,112 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 3,253 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

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