Temescal Gateway Park reopened to the public Friday, marking a major milestone in the recovery from the Palisades Fire that devastated the coastal community 18 months ago.
The park reopened at 8 a.m. Friday following months of fire suppression efforts, storm recovery work, emergency operations and restoration projects.
“We had a lot of professional trail builders. It took months and months to fix them. They built new stairs,” Dash Stolarz, director of public affairs for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, told the Palisadian-Post. “If you go on the trail, it’s really nice and you can see everything.”
Visitors were once again able to hike the rebuilt Rivas Trail to scenic overlooks or continue on to Will Rogers State Historic Park, officials said.
The Sunset Trail also reopened, restoring access to Temescal Ridge Trail and Topanga State Park. The Sycamore Grove and Rubell picnic areas also reopened for public use.
The popular Temescal Canyon Trail leading to the waterfall, however, remained closed because fire damage created unsafe trail conditions, officials said.
During the January 2025 Palisades Fire, the park served as a critical staging area for firefighting operations and later became one of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ principal recovery sites supporting debris removal efforts throughout Pacific Palisades.
For months, the park functioned as the Corps’ central command site for cleanup operations involving thousands of fire-damaged homes and vehicles in the community.
“Temescal Gateway Park has long been a place where people come to experience the beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains,” Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Chair Miguel Luna said in an earlier statement. “Reopening this park reflects the resilience of both our natural landscapes and the many public agencies, nonprofit organizations, volunteers and community partners who worked tirelessly to make this day possible.”
Restoration work included trail repairs, visitor facility improvements and the removal of hazardous trees damaged by the fire.
Officials noted that visitors will continue to see evidence of the wildfire throughout the park, including the loss of several mature oak trees, although natural recovery is already underway and habitat restoration efforts will continue.
Visitors were urged to remain on designated open trails, obey closure signs and be aware that restoration work will continue in some areas of the park.