Trees Company

One word to sum up the lower Zuma Canyon? Sycamores. Though willow, oak, and bay also grace this less-traveled Malibu respite in the Santa Monica Mountains, the patchy white-gray bark and golden autumn leaves of California sycamores steal the show. Venture deep into this riparian habitat on the Zuma Canyon Trail. This 3-mile out-and-back hike begins at Zuma Canyon's wide mouth, a sycamore-studded wash carpeted in laurel sumac and a variety of underbrush. Paths diverge left and right as you go but stay on the main track. You'll parallel, and at times cross, a dry creek bed as birds weave half-hidden through flowering thickets around you. After about a mile, the canyon tightens, sycamore groves get denser (and leafier), and shady oaks enter the mix, their wind-rustled leaves sounding like echoes of Pacific rote. You'll even pass a tall stand of eucalyptus trees. The trail ends abruptly at a jumble of sandstone boulders. Not a money-shot climax, for sure, but peer into the alluring rock-strewn gorge ahead, shaded under trees. You're at the threshold of the last truly wild stretch of canyon left in the Santa Monica Mountains. If you're feeling adventurous, rock-hop a ways further to experience the hushed beauty of this rugged, narrow passage.

TIP: For an extra workout on the return, take the 3-mile Canyon View to Ocean View Trail loop. You'll get a rigorous grade up a chaparral hillside and invigorating views of Pacific blue before dipping back down to the canyon. And, of course, the beach awaits you just across PCH!

From Pacific Coast Highway, turn down Bonsall Dr. and go half a mile. The road ends at a dirt parking lot for Zuma & Trancas Canyons (open 8:00 a.m. to sunset daily). Maps are available in a box at the trailhead. No bikes. Dog-friendly!