Hiking in Solstice Canyon

From the Angeles National Forest to inner-city places like Griffith Park, the opportunities to hike in Los Angeles are endless. If I want to spend some time out in nature, I tend to head to Malibu. Today, I will give you my guide to hiking in Solstice Canyon. This is my favorite place to hike in Los Angeles. Why? Well, the architecture.

What I like about Solstice Canyon is that it is tangled with trails with varying degrees of difficulty–from a casual stroll to navigating switchbacks, mixed with a lot of nature and history. 

I have taken two of the many trails in the canyon. I will talk about both in this post. The Solstice Canyon Trail is great for those with limited mobility or who just want a leisurely walk. The Rising Sun Trail sends you switchbacking into the mountains with a rewarding view of the Pacific. I do recommend taking the other trails in this park, I just haven’t done them yet.

The Solstice Canyon Trail (easy)

The trail from the parking lot leads you east on a shaded path into the canyon. The incline is so subtle that you do not notice the change in altitude. Soon you encounter a creek that becomes your guide towards its source. After a rainy season, like this one, you will see it full of water making its way from the mountain top into the ocean. 

Keller House

Not far into the hike, you will notice a building hiding in the trees. Take the trail up the hill for a closer look at Keller House, the first stone house built in Malibu around the year 1904. Matthew Keller bought this land for a winery. Although this winery, under the San Mateo brand, is now gone, you can still see Keller’s influence in Los Angeles. Read that article here.

The house was intact until fires in the early 2000s burnt it down to the walls. 

Fire Season

You don’t have to live in California to know how fire has devastated Southern California. Each year the fires grow more intense and are featured in the national news. This area in particular has been heavy hit. My recommendation is to check all park websites before venturing out. These areas are in turn threatened by mudslides.

The last time I hiked in Solstice Canyon there was still a lot of evidence of the fires that have swept through the area over the last three decades. Hollowed out and dead trees were transformed into beehives, sometimes the buzzing of the bees was so loud that it was hard to hear the person next to me. I was lured to take a picture of a heart-shaped hole in one tree only to notice some movement in its bark. When I moved closer I realized it was a snake feasting on bees or honey, I didn’t get close enough to figure that out. (I saved that snake picture for the end of this post.)

Tropical Terrace

The second house in Solstice Canyon also sits in its shell-like form. Tropical Terrace designed by Paul R. Williams once graced the pages of Architectural Digest. Due to fire, it is nothing more than its foundation and the five fireplaces that were once boastful features of the property. Now it looks like ancient ruins inhabited by a tribe of sunbathing lizards. It is fun to explore and imagine what living here was like. Martini’s in hand alternating fireplaces on certain days of the week. Monday’s fireplace, Tuesday’s fireplace, etc.

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If you want to know more about this place here is a piece from LAist.

South of Tropical Terrace is a waterfall. Heavily shaded, cool, and humid, it serves as a nice break. From here you can walk back to the parking lot for that easy roundtrip hike or access the Rising Sun Trail.

Aromatherapy break

Hiking through Malibu’s canyons really is the cheapest aromatherapy session you can get in Los Angeles. Solstice is rather exceptional in the various therapeutic flora. The sweetness of wild sage fills your nostrils, hints of rosemary from the wild bushes that grow in the area. Suddenly something that smells like dill makes you feel calm but also hungry for Thanksgiving dinner. I recommend you crack and release the oils and rub them between your fingers. Also, note that there is poison oak in the area so maybe pull out that phone before rubbing things on your hands now that I think of it.

The Rising Sun Trail (Moderate to difficult)

From the waterfall, you have the option to take the Rising Sun Trail, the most difficult in the park.

We stumbled onto the Rising Sun Trail by accident. We saw a worn trail on the other side of the creek and since we wanted to hike more, we just let the trail take us where we wanted to go. Unfortunately for me, where it went was teetering on the side of a mountain. I am being a little dramatic. I am unreasonably afraid of heights. 

The switchbacks confuse you a bit, back and forth, back and forth, until suddenly you realize that you are on top of the world. A world no one visits too much. The trail isn’t maintained and the bushes that are being pollinated by bees hang into the trail. You often hear rustling on all sides of you. From the noise I was expecting a mountain lion, it is actually small lizards that dart into the trail shaking brush as they come toward you.

The trail up here alternates between inward and outward turns that hug the ridgeline with views down into the canyon. At one point you are brought upward with a postcard-perfect view of the Pacific. The views from up here are pretty spectacular.

This trail ultimately ends near the parking lot making a full loop if you connect the Solstice Canyon and Rising Sun trails.

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/solsticecanyon.htm
• Cost: It is $12 to park in the lot. It is free to park on the PCH for an additional walk. If you buy an annual park pass, the parking is free.
• Other:  This guide includes trail maps that include the level of difficulty of each trail. Please remember to practice safety even on easy trails. Bring water and take a photo of the trail map to have with you.
• Getting there by bus: 534

Looking for more tide pools?

A short drive from Solstice Canyon is Point Dume State Beach which is also an excellent place to tide pool and get another terrain to explore including sand dunes. I won’t be going into tide pooling in this post as this post and this post are dedicated to Malibu tide pools. 

My next post is my Palm Springs Guide. Newsletter subscribers got a preview of this page in last month’s issue. They are also going to get a two-day itinerary for that desert city for free. Don’t miss out. Subscribe here.