Finding Monarchs in Sycamore Canyon

In Los Angeles, we are lucky. We are lucky because, unlike most major cities, we still have a lot of opportunities to interact with nature. This is why I love living in Los Angeles. It is nature that tells us what the seasons are. Sure, leaves do not change colors, and snow is a once-in-a-century event, but there are other things that show the seasons. We are in the path of migrations that have been happening for thousands of years, from the whales that travel south in the winter to the many species of butterflies who use the ocean winds to find their way to hatching grounds. Finding Monarchs in Sycamore Canyon was the goal for this hike.

Migrations

Although butterflies use the lands next to the Pacific Coast Highway as their road map for their annual migration, there are some years where they are more numerous than others. I remember a couple of years ago when everyone at my office stopped working as hundreds of thousands of Painted Lady butterflies flew up and over our building for two days. 

In February and March, the butterflies wake up from hibernation in Mexico, find their mate, and make their way north. The months of March and April are when they cross our path in Los Angeles, looking for milkweed plants and other friendly flora. Lucky for us, Sycamore Canyon is filled with such things.

When we went to find monarchs in Sycamore Canyon, we were lured there by people who had shared photos of trees completely alive in orange and black. (Note: This grouping of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope.)

Mugu Point State Park

Sycamore Canyon is part Mugu Point State Park which is the last place to sightsee in Malibu (Los Angeles County) before crossing into Oxnard(Ventura County.) Mugu has over seventy miles of trails within its borders. It includes Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area, Thornhill Broome campgrounds, and Sycamore Canyon–the subject of this post.

Orientation

I also want to let you know that this post is about Sycamore Canyon in Malibu, not eight-seventy miles away in Riverside, CA. I guess we aren’t very inventive in our names. When you look up Sycamore Canyon in Google, you will be directed to this Riverside park.

The Sycamore Canyon that I talk about here.

In addition, I want to say that again this is Malibu. If you look up Sycamore Canyon or its neighboring beach, it will say it is in…

• Oxnard–nope, it is in Malibu
• Port Hueneme–again, no, Malibu
• Newberry Park-still nope
• Whittier–heck to the no

Like my post about the Malibu Lagoon and Malibu Country Mart, the Pacific Coast Highway is the dividing line between two distinct parts of Sycamore Canyon. These are the Sycamore Cove Beach and Sycamore Canyon trails.

Sycamore Cove Beach

This is a flat sandy beach steps from the Pacific Coast Highway. It is bookended by sections of the Santa Monica Mountains. An added bonus to this beach is all of the barbeques and picnic tables shaded by sycamore trees. This is a great place to watch a sunset post-hike.

Sycamore Canyon

This canyon is named for, not surprisingly, the plentiful sycamore trees throughout the area. Take Sycamore Canyon Road into the park. Upon entering, you will see parking and the campground, which is popular with the RV community. 

The hike into the park is pretty easy as Sycamore Canyon Road is a fire road giving access to big trucks in case of fire. The times I have been here, there have been a few trucks and other vehicles that have gone up and down the road as I have hiked, so be wary. Maybe not the hike to pop in those earbuds. 

In my last post, I talked about the fires that have swept the area. Sycamore Canyon was especially hard hit in the recent fires. Park managers have been using this opportunity to replant native plants.

Sycamore Canyon Road gives you access to seven trails in the area ranging from short little jaunts to longer hikes with rewarding views of the Pacific.

Serrano Canyon Trail

To venture further into the park to see the monarch butterflies, we took the Serrano Canyon Trail, which is a mile off of the main road. Here the trail gets narrower and more scenic. You can get up close and personal with the namesake trees, cross over a creek, and get stunning views of cliff faces. I hope some of the photos in this post do this place justice.

In the end, you run into a jagged rock wall that looks like it could serve as an alien landscape in an episode of the original Star Trek television show  Although this area has been substituted for other landscapes in television shows and movies, the rocks that you might be thinking of are at Vasquez Rocks also in Los Angeles County. 

These rocks here are just as stunning. 

Although this trail is easy, I wouldn’t recommend Serrano for those with mobility issues as crossing the creek can be dryer or wetter based on the amount of rain we get in a year. Also, trees have taken over some of the trails.

Finding monarchs in Sycamore Canyon

Nature doesn’t cooperate. That is not its job.

In the end, we didn’t experience the monarch-covered canyon that we expected. We saw one by the parking lot and another that flitted off into the brush. I did, however, get to go hiking in a beautiful place I had never been before and had that canyon aromatherapy session that is always so calming. 

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: It is very basic and can be found here
• Location: 9000 Pacific Coast Highway
• Cost: Hiking is free. Parking is $12. You are able to get free parking here with your California Park Pass. You can buy an annual pass here. 

There are so many great places to hike in Malibu. There is Malibu Creek State Park, Circle X Ranch, and really more trails and parks to be seen. I will be stopping here as this blog tries to cover all of Los Angeles. If you want to get great advice about hiking, I strongly recommend you read Modern Hiker. If you love nature and want an in-depth lesson on what you can find in the Los Angeles area, I recommend Western Wilds. 

Do you want to know when the butterfly migration is? If you are into nature in general, I note peak viewing times in my newsletter on Substack. Subscribe now!

Next up, where to eat and drink in Malibu.