Topanga Ranch Motel
- Retro roadside
- In Malibu, California
- 5.4 mi from Route 66
The Topanga Ranch Motel is gone. The 30-room bungalow motel, built in 1929 by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst on Pacific Coast Highway across from Topanga Beach, near Malibu, burned in the Palisades Fire in January 2025. It stood in Topanga State Park, about 5 miles from where Route 66 ends in Santa Monica, and State Parks had been planning to reopen about 20 of the cabins to the public.
What is Topanga Ranch Motel?
This is the site of a cluster of small bungalow cabins on Pacific Coast Highway near the mouth of Topanga Canyon. Route 66 never ran here; it is a beach-side detour for travelers who have reached the end of the road in Santa Monica and keep driving up the coast.
History of Topanga Ranch Motel
Hearst built the motel in 1929, and it first housed crews building the Pacific Coast Highway. Later it became a cheap seaside getaway for families and writers and a favorite location for film and television shoots. California State Parks bought it in 2001, and it stopped taking guests in the early 2000s, then sat empty while the state worked on plans to bring about 20 cabins back into public use.
The Palisades Fire, which broke out on January 7, 2025, swept through Topanga State Park and the neighboring Will Rogers State Historic Park. State Parks reported the motel and all of its concession buildings destroyed.
Visiting Topanga Ranch Motel: tips
There is nothing left of the motel to tour; view the site from Pacific Coast Highway and obey any posted closures. Topanga Beach across the road is the easy stop here. The Getty Villa is about 1 mile away, and Santa Monica Pier, the traditional end of Route 66, is a short drive back down the coast.
Practical info
- Hours
- Closed permanently
- On site & nearby
Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix
Where to eat near Topanga Ranch Motel
All diners on Route 66 →
.jpg/250px-Carney's_II_(11456653744).jpg)
On the map
Full mapTopanga Ranch Motel with the 6 closest stops and places to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Stops near Topanga Ranch Motel
All of California
1.1 mi from Topanga Ranch Motel
2.7 mi from Topanga Ranch Motel
4.3 mi from Topanga Ranch Motel
5.3 mi from Topanga Ranch Motel
5.4 mi from Topanga Ranch Motel
6.1 mi from Topanga Ranch Motel
Questions about Topanga Ranch Motel
What happened to the Topanga Ranch Motel?
It burned in the Palisades Fire in January 2025. California State Parks, which had owned the 1929 motel since 2001, reported it destroyed along with its concession buildings, just as the agency was planning to reopen about 20 of the cabins to the public.
Who built the Topanga Ranch Motel?
Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst built the bungalow-style motel in 1929. It first housed workers building the Pacific Coast Highway and later served families, writers and film crews looking for a simple place by the beach.
Own or run Topanga Ranch Motel? Send us a photo or a correction.