Sandstone Peak, also known as Mount Allen, is a mountain in
Ventura County, California
Ventura County () is a County (United States), county located in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, Ca ...
. It is the highest summit in the
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
, with an elevation of . Located near the western edge of the
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is a national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. Located in greater Los Ange ...
, the summit provides panoramic views of
Malibu, the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
,
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, the
Conejo Valley
The Conejo Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle del Conejo'', meaning "Valley of the Rabbit") is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County, California, Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles C ...
, and four of the
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
.
Background
The peak separates the drier inland valley from the coast facing side with higher humidity. The ''Sandstone Peak Trail'', which leads to the top, connects to a vast trail system in the area, including the
Backbone Trail
The Backbone Trail is a long distance trail, long-distance trail extending 67.79 miles (109.10 km) across the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Its western terminus is Point Mugu State Park, and its eastern terminus is ...
. The mountain is highly popular with climbers, hikers, campers, and photographers.
The
Boy Scouts of America
Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
petitioned the
U.S. Board on Geographic Names to name the mountain for W. Herbert Allen, who had donated land for nearby
Camp Circle X and other Boy Scout camps. He served as president of the
Los Angeles Area Council. The board denied the request because of a long-standing policy not to approve a geographic name in commemoration of a living person.
The land is now known as the
Circle X Ranch, a park unit located in the
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is a national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. Located in greater Los Ange ...
.
Gallery
See also
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Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
*
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is a national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. Located in greater Los Ange ...
*
List of highest points in California by county
This is a list of 58 counties of the U.S. State of California by their points of highest elevation. 6 of the 50 highest county high points in the United States are in California. Mount Whitney, located in Inyo and Tulare counties, is th ...
*
Backbone Trail
The Backbone Trail is a long distance trail, long-distance trail extending 67.79 miles (109.10 km) across the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Its western terminus is Point Mugu State Park, and its eastern terminus is ...
*
Chumash people
The Chumash are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now Kern County, California, Kern, San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis O ...
References
External links
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Scouting monuments and memorials
Mountains of Ventura County, California
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Scouting in the United States
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