Escondido Canyon Park

Once you enter the park follow the signs to the falls. Escondido Canyon Creek and Escondido Falls Trail are both routes to the falls. Accessed from Pacific Coast Highway about a mile south of Kanan Road in Malibu, the trail through Escondido Canyon Natural Area leads hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians 4.2 miles through oak woodland, riparian woodland, and Coastal sage scrub to the spectacular, multi-tiered 150-foot Escondido Falls—the highest in the Santa Monica Mountains. Allow yourself at least two hours to enjoy this trail and spectacular waterfall. From the parking lot the trailhead is a one mile walk up the paved road. At the Escondido Canyon Trailhead sign, head to the left, walking upstream. The trail criss-crosses the creek several times and then opens onto grassy flats. A mile into the trail you will reach the base of the waterfall. This is the lower tier of the huge limestone fall. The upper tier is 150 feet tall with a deep pool at its base. Directions: The parking lot is on Winding Way East at Pacific Coast Highway. Park cars here and walk north along Winding Way East (private road) to dirt trail that starts at the end of the paved road.