WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL STATE PARK

1501 Will Rogers State Park Road
(310) 454-8212
(818) 880-0350

Will Rogers (1879-1935) owned this expanse of richly landscaped Pacific Palisades ranch property during his Hollywood days and the last twenty years of his well documented life. Today it is a historic state park and provides a setting for many enjoyable pastimes. To find more out about Rogers’ life and times, you’d have to go all the way to Oklahoma, which was known as "Oolagah Indian territory" when he was born there, and visit a couple of other museums dedicated to preserving them! Instead, wrangle up your friends and family and take them to a place in the Santa Monica mountains where views of the sea below are available from a large network of easy to moderate hiking and horseback riding trails. Trails connect to Topanga State Park. They range from a quick two mile "Loop Trail" to a twenty mile long trail aptly named the "Backbone Trail". Got a backbone, Pardner?

The property features tranquil picnic grounds, seasonal polo matches (from April through October), a roping arena, stables and of course, guided tours of Will’s home, every hour on the half hour! Inside, you can tour the thirty-one room folksy house that has a porch swing right in the living room. Sounds cozy, huh? It is! Upstairs is the famous "Will Rogers Den" and it portrays just how he lived in it all those years ago.

The park is open daily and year round from 8am to Sunset, or that’s, er --"sundown", for you cowboys. You’ll need to wrap up your cook-out and make your last round-up call by then. Admission is free into the park, but parking for the day costs $6.00.

Rogers was not really known for being a cowboy as much as a long list of other things. He once said, "A man that doesn’t love a horse….there is something wrong with him". He was an accomplished wrangler by an early age and a trick roper, but his legacy leaves a memory of a whole lot more. The list includes: American-Cowboy, social and political humorist, part Cherokee Indian, Ziegfeld Follies star, radio commentator, world traveler, star of 71 motion pictures, syndicated newspaper columnist, author, philosopher, philanthropist and good neighbor. Having once said "Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects," Rogers, with his extraordinary style, wit and grace, was also a humble man to boot! Will Rogers really was an American hero and is today one of the most admired men of the twentieth century.

The park is located at 1501 Will Rogers State Park Road in the Pacific Palisades area, off of Sunset Boulevard. Call (310) 454-8212 or (818) 880-0350 for information on park events. While visiting, you may encounter mountain lions, red-tailed hawks or rattlesnakes. Reservations are not available. This is a dog-friendly park, but they must be on a leash and are only allowed on the two mile Loop Trail. Hey-- the park Rangers are friendly too…oh yeah, wasn’t it Will Rogers who said "I never met a man I didn’t like"? Yeah--I think it was.