Escondido Falls: The Best Waterfall Hike in Los Angeles (Malibu, CA)
Hiking Escondido Falls in Los Angeles, Malibu, California
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Picture this, you finally arrive to Los Angeles and have seen the usual Runyon Canyon hike all over your feed all these years, and that’s quite underwhelming, right? You want to step it up a bit and go on a hike that offers just a bit more, than the usual Runyon or Culver City stairs.
Well, you’re in for a treat, because we’re going to Malibu baby. A short adventurous ride away, and you’re there. Take the PCH down to Escondido Falls (Google Maps here).
Hiking Escondido Falls in Los Angeles, Malibu, California
Once you find it — its tough to find parking at first, but when you turn down the Winding Way Road, the parking is there. You’ll pay $12, then park. There’s also bathrooms down there, which were handy even though they were a bit gross.
Hiking Escondido Falls in Los Angeles, Malibu, California
Then, unusually so, you’ll hike through a neighborhood first. With envy, you’ll move past gazillion dollar homes and then you’ll come across, the most beautiful horses ever. But that’s not all — you’ll finally make it to the hike. The best part of this hike, is the there is a waterfall at the end, that’s very unusual in Los Angeles. So this one is worth all the troubles.
Information about the hike:
4 miles round trip (takes about 2 hours)
300 feet in elevation
Wear comfortable shoes, we went in dry season — they will get dusty!
Address: Escondido Canyon Trail, Malibu, CA 90265
Once there, and once you make it on the hike, be prepared for FABULOUSNESS at the end. This is what the first waterfall looked like for us:
Hiking Escondido Falls in Los Angeles, Malibu, California
Now, we went during dry season but apparently the waterfall has a much different look during wet season, as seen below (Courtesy: California Through My Lens):
However, the walk in nature, is just breathaking. I really liked the trees on this hike. Its rare to see oak trees in LA. But these were HUGE!
Hiking Escondido Falls in Los Angeles, Malibu, California
Hiking Escondido Falls in Los Angeles, Malibu, California
I love that this hike was so nature-y and it was fairly easy. Just try to bring water and make sure you do it during morning or early evening hours so you’re not there during the hottest part of the day, and you’ll be fine!
Apparently there’s another hike to another main waterfall that we didn’t do but if you click on the blog earlier that I mentioned, you’ll get more information on that one. But its apparently risky! So be safe and ENJOY!