homebutton sitemapbutton contactbutton
Calabasas Chamber of Commerce header
Calabasas Chamber of Commerce Web Advertising About Calabasas Calabasas Visitor's Guide Calabasas Government & Community Calabasas Business Directory Calabasas Member to Member Discounts Calabasas Area Events Calabasas Area Events Calabasas Chamber of Commerce Web Advertising
ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE- TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTHCARE

Plan Your Next Meeting on a Santa Monica Mountains Trail
by Judi Uthus


Add a pair of sneakers to your briefcase! Working in Calabasas offers a great business perk--easy access to the beautiful outdoors before, during or after work. “Local trails are wonderful outdoor recreation right in Calabasas’s backyard. They are part of the appeal of working and living in the area, and they promote over all mental and physical good health,” says Steve Harris, president of Mountains Restoration Trust, a private land trust that manages and protects natural lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and provides recreation and nature education opportunities throughout the mountains.

Located at the west end of Calabasas Road are two easily accessed trails in the Santa Monica Mountains trail system, the “Trail Between Two Valleys” and the New Millennium Trail. The newly completed “Trail Between Two Valleys” segment of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Anza Trail is a scenic, 1.15-mile trail marked by Chumash trail markers. This route of famous explorer Juan Bautista de Anza offers a convenient lunch respite from work and is open for hiking, biking and equestrian enjoyment. Linking the east and west ends of Calabasas, the “Trail Between Two Valleys” also serves as an appealing travel alternative during peak commuting hours.

Near completion and next to the “Trail Between Two Valleys” is an 8-mile loop referred to as the New Millennium Trail, donated by chamber member New Millennium Homes. This trail will connect the west end of Calabasas Road to Las Virgenes Road and Mulholland Highway.

   Some have already discovered the advantages of working close by the great outdoors. Executives who own or work in businesses along the high tech corridor selected the location because of its proximity to the Santa Monica Mountains. “While the golf course is the best known place for conducting business outside the office, I take my clients up to the trails,” says one computer industry executive and mountain bike enthusiast. “They love it. In the outdoors I do my best creative thinking.”

MRT is currently developing a trail adoption program with the City of Calabasas to recruit the support needed to maintain public trails for business and pleasure. Businesses that would like to participate in the trail adoption program can provide financial support or volunteer maintenance and inspection services. “Community partnerships in the trails benefit everyone and provide healthy recreational and educational opportunities,” says Harris. “Our goals are to make these trails an active part of the local community and provide a sense of ownership.”

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, MRT is an award winning nonprofit organization recognized for its service as an interface between harmonizing urban lifestyles with the unique natural environment of the Santa Monica Mountains. Collaborating with the City of Calabasas, MRT established Headwaters Corner, an educational resource center offering public programs and activities that help protect the local lands, wildlife and watersheds that make Calabasas such a desirable place to live and work.
For more information about MRT recreational programs or the trail adoption program, contact Steve Harris at Mountains Restoration Trust, (818) 591-1701 x 104. MRT is located at 3815 Old Topanga Road, Calabasas, CA 91302. The website is www.mountainstrust.org

Copyright 2004, Calabasas Chamber of Commerce.Site design by RC DIGITAL DESIGN. Questions? Contact the Webmaster.