Where to Hike, Explore and Find the Only World War II Nazi Camp in Los Angeles

Murphy's Ranch/
Nazi Camp

If you have a strong interest in history and a special bent for World War II, you've probably thought you have to go to Europe to see remnants of the Nazi regime. But for a brief period of time, Hitler's followers did establish a tiny foothold near LA in a remote location where they waited for a conquest that never happened. That hideout was Murphy's Ranch.

The history of the ranch began during World War I, when a mysterious alleged German spy known only as “Herr Schmidt” convinced Winona and Norman Stephens to build a self-sustaining compound to house Hitler supporters until the Germans arrived to take over the U.S.

They selected Murphy's Ranch, a 50-acre spread in a remote area of the Pacific Palisades, where they built an extensive infrastructure in 1933 that included a diesel power plant and power station, a fully irrigated hillside for growing food, a giant meat locker and a 375,000 gallon water tank.

The property was supposedly protected by armed guards until the early days of US involvement in World War II, when federal agents raided the compound the day after the Pearl Harbor bombing and rounded up and arrested dozens of Nazi sympathizers.

The area is run down today, but it is possible to explore the remnants of the compound, much of which are rusted over and covered in graffiti. While the ruins may be stark and somewhat ugly for the most part, the walk through Murphy's Ranch includes some of the best attractions nature has to offer in the greater LA area.

To get to the ranch, you can enter Topanga State Park via the Rustic Canyon entrance, which is located west of Capri Drive on the Sullivan Fire Road. Ironically, the iron gate at the front of the compound was designed by Paul Revere Williams, a famous African-American architect. From there, you can walk a loop around the ranch area and take in the remains of this bizarre compound.

The area has received considerable publicity over the years while hikers and nature lovers wait for it to be transformed into a rest and picnic area. Commenting on the iron gate during an episode of “Off Limits,” Travel Channel historian Randy Young noted, “They may have been Nazis, but they were Nazis with taste.

Indeed, Williams' architectural sketches included plans for a huge four-story mansion that was to include 22 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. The area became an artist's colony in the 60s and 70s, but it was abandoned after a fire in Mandeville Canyon in 1978.

The hike around the area is 3.85 miles long, and it includes a set of 500 stairs that led to the farming area, where the Nazi supporters harvested nut, fruit and olive trees. You can also see the machine shed, the garage, the power station and the gardens on the hike, along with other detritus left behind by the Nazis. Parking can be found near the entrance at Sullivan Ridge Fire Road or on Casale Road, which is adjacent to the entrance.

Capri Drive & Casale Road

Los Angeles, CA 90272