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| Escondido Falls |
This is my favorite waterfall hike in the immediate LA area. On weekends, the trail can get extremely crowded because of its proximity to the city. I recommend hiking it during the middle of the week. The waterfall is just a trickle for most of the year, so try to hit it after a good rainstorm.
"This hike takes you to one of the gems in the Santa Monica
Mountains, the spectacular multi-tiered Escondido Falls. The hike starts out on
the pavement, passing million dollar homes along Winding Way with lovely ocean
views. After about a mile, an obvious trail takes you down into picturesque Escondido Canyon, crossing creek 4 or 5 times. As you approach the base
of the lower falls, you can see the water dropping over the lip of the 150 ft
upper falls in the distance. The lower falls are about 50 foot high and trickle
over a moss covered wall into a lovely shallow pool. This is the turn around
point for those not comfortable with a bit of rock scrambling.
To get to the upper falls, take the trail to the right of
the lower falls up an obvious gully. At the top of the gully, go left and
follow the stream over some small cascades and boulders to the base of the
upper falls. This is an amazing site, with water tumbling over 3 or 4 tiers,
finally falling into a deep
pool.
pool.
Trailhead:
From Kanan Road, drive south a mile or so on Pacific Coast
Highway (1) to East Winding Way and turn left. The signed parking lot is on the
left side of Winding Way. The trail actually follows the paved Winding Way for
about a mile, after which you will see an obvious trail to the left. Follow the
trail until it hits the stream, then just follow the trail upstream until you
come to the lower falls. "
-Source OutdoorLA.org
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| Escondido Falls |
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| Escondido Falls Trail, Malibu California |
