Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Managed by National Park Service
343 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Pepperdine University
19% of Pepperdine University’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 1.6 miles of mapped trail cross Pepperdine University, 3.0 per square mile of land. 19% of Pepperdine University’s land is conserved, about 71 acres.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #50 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
71 acres · of 0.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.6 mi
3.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
92 ac
30 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Pepperdine University?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pepperdine University have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pepperdine University is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #50 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pepperdine University’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land30 acres of park per 1,000 residents (92 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 94%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pepperdine University Open Space
Managed by Pepperdine University
70 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
71 conserved acres
19% of Pepperdine University’s land. Who manages Pepperdine University’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits71 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 71 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine University Open Space Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 71 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Pepperdine University
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Pepperdine University
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
19Tennis
12Basketball
1Soccer
1Baseball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Pepperdine University: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 66 | 64 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 80 | 82 | 81 | 76 | 71 | 65 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2.7 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Pepperdine University →
Next door
Pepperdine University and its neighbors
Pepperdine University has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine University | 19% | 3.0 | 30 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Malibu | 28% | 2.3 | 303 | 88% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pepperdine University
Where can I hike in Pepperdine University?
The longest trail networks: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 1.5 miles; Pepperdine University Open Space, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pepperdine University is conserved land?
19% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Pepperdine University’s trails?
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Pepperdine University Open Space don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Pepperdine University?
50,434 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pepperdine University or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 92 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pepperdine University have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #50 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Pepperdine University neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →