Hidden in Plain Sight: Exploring the Santa Monicas (Film)

The road cuts through the ridgeline, a ribbon of dirt twisting between peaks and canyons. It’s late afternoon, and the golden light casts long shadows across the trail—the kind of light that makes everything feel cinematic, that reminds me why I love this place. The Santa Monicas have been my backyard for years, yet every time I set out, I find something new. A forgotten fire road, singletrack tucked between chaparral, or a canyon that seems to lead nowhere but begs to be explored. You could spend a lifetime riding through this range and still not uncover all its secrets.

• 
• 

I moved to California from Texas years ago, and I was immediately struck by how much open space surrounds the city. Coming from a state where public lands are scarce, I couldn’t believe the sheer amount of wild terrain available for recreation, right in the heart of one of the busiest metropolises in the country. That realization stuck with me, and it’s one of the reasons I created the Hidden in Plain Sight route. I wanted to share this experience with others and showcase the incredible access we have to adventure, right in our backyard.

The Route

Bikepacking through the heart of the Santa Monicas is an exercise in contrasts. One moment, you’re pedaling through sunbaked canyons with a perfect view of the Pacific. The next, you’re deep in a shaded valley, surrounded by oaks and trickling streams. Then, just as suddenly, the trail spits you out near a suburban neighborhood, a quiet cul-de-sac, a shopping center, or a road lined with parked cars, before disappearing back into the wilderness.

• 
• 

That’s one of the things that makes this area so unique. Unlike the vast, uninterrupted backcountry of the Sierra or the remote desert solitude of Death Valley, the Santa Monicas sit just beyond on the city’s edge. The trails weave between the urban and the wild, constantly blurring the line between civilization and escape. One moment, you’re grinding up a fire road with nothing but the sound of your tires on dirt and the occasional coyote call, and the next, you’re cresting a ridgeline to see the sprawl of Los Angeles stretching toward the horizon.

The Hidden in Plain Sight route embraces this contrast. It takes riders through some of the most remote-feeling sections of the range but never loses sight of the fact that this wilderness coexists with the city. The climbs are steep, the descents fast and loose, and the terrain constantly changes under your tires. Sand. Rock. Hardpack. Pavement. Cacti. Repeat. This route weaves through it all, hitting some of my favorite spots: the fire roads overlooking Malibu, the quiet, tree-lined trails of the Backbone, and the stretches of rugged singletrack that seem worlds away from traffic-clogged streets yet are just minutes from suburban backyards.

• 
• 
• 

There’s something surreal about the experience. You ride through rolling hills and ridgelines, only to pass under a freeway or alongside a fenced-in backyard before disappearing into another stretch of dirt. Rather than feeling disjointed, it adds to the sense of discovery. Adventure isn’t always found in some far-off, remote landscape. Sometimes, it’s been right here all along, hiding in plain sight.

On the Subject of Fire

Wildfires are a part of life here. You ride through these mountains, and the scars are everywhere. Charred tree trunks, blackened hillsides, and skeletal remains of homes that once stood against the ridgeline. It’s impossible to ignore.

• 
• 

I thought about this a lot while making the film. The Hidden in Plain Sight route takes you straight through areas affected by fire. Places where the landscape has been wiped clean and is slowly finding its way back. The Woolsey Fire in 2018 burned almost 100,000 acres in these mountains, leaving behind a desolate landscape that, even years later, is still recovering. More recently, the Palisades Fire swept through this range, through local communities, another stark reminder of how fragile this ecosystem is.

But it’s not just about the land, it’s about the people too.

In the film, I speak with my friend Ian, who lost his home in the Thomas Fire. One day, he had a house, a life built in the foothills of Ventura County. The next, it was all gone. That kind of loss doesn’t just take your home—it reshapes your future. For Ian, the fire forced him to rethink everything, from where he would live to what a “home” really means.

Riding through these mountains, I think about him. I think about the families who had to start over, the firefighters who fought to hold the lines. I think about how fire isn’t just destruction—it’s a rebirth. The landscape regrows, changes, and adapts. Riding through these burn zones is like watching that process in motion, seeing nature’s resilience firsthand.

From Route to Film

When I first created the Hidden in Plain Sight route, it was just about the ride. But the more I pedaled these trails, the more I realized there was a bigger story to tell.

This isn’t just a bikepacking route. It’s a story about the connection between people and place, about what happens when you slow down and really see the landscape around you. It’s about resilience—not just in nature, but in ourselves. I wanted the film to capture that.

• 
• 

I put together a group of riders, all with different backgrounds and different reasons for being out there. Once we started riding, none of that mattered. The climbs, the heat, the long stretches of pushing bikes up steep terrain—it leveled us.
We stopped to camp and share meals under the stars, to soak in the last light of day as it painted the ridgeline, to sit in silence at the burn zones, thinking about what came before us.

That’s what the Hidden in Plain Sight film is really about. Not just the ride itself, but the moments in between. The way a group of friends becomes a family after two days of pedaling through the mountains. The way a long climb strips away everything but the present moment. The way nature, even in its harshest moments, has the power to remind us of our own resilience.

Why I Made This

I made Hidden in Plain Sight because I wanted to share my love for this place.

I spent the last decade-plus exploring these mountains, and they’ve shaped me in ways I’m still discovering. As a physically challenged athlete, I know what it means to push past limitations, to keep moving forward even when the road is steep. That’s what these mountains have taught me, and that’s what I hope this film—and the route itself—can inspire in others.

• 
• 

There’s something special about bikepacking; stripping away the noise and getting back to something simple. You, your bike, and the trail. This film and this route are my invitation into that experience. To show that adventure doesn’t have to be far away. Sometimes, it’s right in front of you.

Sometimes, it’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

You can lean more about the documentary on Instagram, and stay tuned for our full route guide!

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...