Zuma Canyon Trail

This review is for the Ocean And Canyon View Trail which was a ~4.2 mile round trip that took ~2.5 hours to complete. Parking was on a dirt / gravel area with limited parking spots just a little bit further from the residential area. Required to follow the AllTrails map otherwise you will end up on different trails. A little overgrown in the beginning. Furthermore, you will cross the creek twice; shoes will get wet! Trail was a mix of inclines and declines. Beautiful views of the ocean, rolling hills and mountains at higher elevation. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/QkyJ3PuUDkg

This trail was beautiful! It was foggy, but I'd love to come back on a sunny day and take it all in! Epic views of the ocean that would be even more epic if it wasn't so overcast! We hiked it clockwise, but I think it retrospect it would be cooler to do it in reverse so that there would be more uphill at the beginning of the hike rather than at the end. The only place it got tricky to follow the trail was when it linked up with the dry river bed, but it wasn't too hard to figure out. Lots of horse poop on the trail, so watch out for that, but overall a goregous hike and a decent workout! We will definitely be back!

Nice hike with elevation and scenic ocean views! When you drive up to the hike entrance, the neighborhood streets dead end to the hike's sign. Once you see this, you can drive just past the sign down into the parking lot. If it's full, you can also just park on the neighborhood streets which many people often do. Beware that this is a spot where horse rides are given so there is quite a bit of poop to maneuver around, especially when the trail first starts out. Luckily when I went most of the poop was dry and it did not smell as I was hiking haha. Once you start the hike, the path splits off either to the right or the left. The left takes you up a the big mountain, but I would recommend going right so you can get the ocean view as you gain elevation. About 10-15mins up you'll be able to see the ocean and it's very pretty. The day my friends and I went also had great lighting so we took some pictures :) The entire ocean side of the hike took us about 2 hours roundtrip since we also ventured down the other side of the mountain once we had gotten to the top. Some parts are pretty steep but overall I enjoyed the exercise!

This hike consists of mostly inclines and not a lot of shade. The trails are all clearly marked and easy to follow though. We ended up doing the Ocean and Canyon View Trails, but there are more trails that you can take. The foliage around the trail was dry from the California heat, which I find to be beautiful in its own way. The trail is a bit more inland than other Malibu trails, so the view of the ocean is definitely a little harder to see. It was kind of neat to be surrounded by the canyon mountain peaks all around. Horses are also able to use the trail, so be wary of horse droppings every now and then.

We got here very early and we had the trails all to ourselves. We started left on Zuma Loop trail, unfortunately there were too many horse dropping and it smelled very bad. When we were finally half way through the hike, the odor went away. So we looped around merge into Canyon View Trail and then into Ocean View Trail. It was a 4.5 mile loop around. We had the best views. When you start hiking on Canyon Trail it gets a little steep. Prepare yourself in going up and dealing with a few inclines. Overall a beautiful place to hike and you get to enjoy the ocean views.

There's already a page for Zuma Canyon but this specific trail combination seems like the most attractive option among the 5 different trails since it offers both scenic views of the Pacific Ocean and Zuma Canyon along with a fairly decent work-out. It's also an ideal distance and duration that allows room in the day for additional beach activities when you're done. The trailhead is fairly hidden if you are not familiar with the area. I've been coming to Zuma my entire life and I just recently learned about it. To reach the location head north up Bonsall Dr until you see the signage located in the rear of the residential neighborhood. After you see the sign for Zuma Canyon Trailhead continue further along the dirt road until you reach the large parking lot. This combined trail makes a 3-mile roundtrip loop. Start along Zuma Canyon Trail and continue until you reach the first junction at the 0.2-mile point which is the start of the Ocean View Trail. Hang a right and continue along as it crosses past a dry creek bed. You will then start your way up and around the mountain and eventually you will descend back down into the canyon. It's a common sight to see residents riding their horses and guides escorting patrons on horseback. Parking is free. There are no bathrooms. Dogs are welcomed on leashes.

Having just recently moved back to California from Manila, finding myself a good hiking venue was mission critical. I searched for some good hiking venues in Malibu, and came across this jewel of a trail. This venue is not only beautiful, it's a good workout AND it's dog friendly! The day I hiked here I saw only a handful of people all day. Everything was peaceful and quiet, in stark contrast to both downtown LA and downtown Manila. Tip: This is a not only a hiking trail, it's multi-use - there were some people loading some horses back into their trailer just as I arrived, and I saw two cyclists on the trail as well. There's a parking lot near the trailhead, with multiple hiking options available. You can take a relatively short hike, or make a day out of it and take yourself a double-digit trek. The terrain varies from fairly easy to stretches with some stiff ascents and significant elevation changes. I was Jonesing for a serious cardio burn, so I spent much of the day here, traversing the Zuma Canyon trail, the ZUMA loop, Ocean View trail, as well as the Canyon View trail. The air was crisp, cold, and clear; some of the views were simply spectacular! Highly recommended! It's good to be back in California :-)

This is a beautiful hike. I found it through naturedogs.com because I was looking for a location that allowed dogs and also had a low or no entrance/parking fee. The website implied that this trail was easy with no really steep climbs. We started out on the Zuma Canyon trail and then hooked up to the Canyon View Loop and ended on the Ocean View Trail. The literature I read before the hike said it was about 2.8 miles but this definitely ended up being closer to 3 or 3.5. The view was worth it. The signs said to keep dogs leashed and we kept my lab on the leash for about 20 minutes. But since it was 3 in the afternoon on a Wednesday and we hadn't met anyone else on the trail and there were no other cars in the parking lot, I let him roam free. Had there been more people there we would have kept him on the leash. There was no parking or entrance fee. I will definitely go back soon!

Although I didn't get to finish all the hike, the sceneries is breath taking. Massive amount of green and fresh air. It was definitely not a trail for beginners but the work out was great! Ps: there's a lot of horse shit so watch your step!

At the request of many of my fellow Yelp friends, this review is for you. :) [tune to "Over the River, and through the Woods] Over the boulders through the water the leader knows the way to shows through the canyon through the bushes and up the water fall. Over the river, and boulders through the water, up Zuma Canyon away! Disclaimer-This hike is not for beginners or most intermediate hikers, at least the way The Crew goes. We do not hike a trail, we make a trail by way of bush whacking through dense brush, tree limbs, and of course poison oak (PO). Requirements for this hike is both physical and psychological strength. Bouldering takes a lot of upper body strength, water crossings take balance, some rocks are covered in slipping moss and unstable rocks. Dredging through waste deep mucky and many times sticky water takes balance and excellent negotiating skills to avoid from taking a full body dip. Afraid of heights, yeah, don't even consider this hike, for every boulder you climb up, you have to climb down. This hike is not a mileage hike, instead a physical endurance hike, which typically goes hand in hand with ones mental state of mind. The Stats Distance: 5.3 miles, Elevation Gain: 1400 feet, Level: 9 out of 10, scenery factor: priceless, The Trail: Single track, rock & boulder hopping, scrambling, trailblazing and some bushwhacking. PO avoidance. Time: 5-7 hours This one way car shuttle hike where we start near PCH and end up about four miles north of PCH on Kanan Dume Road and hike through Lower Zuma Canyon, Upper Zuma Canyon, and Newton Canyon. There is PO everywhere in this canyon. This hike involves a lot of bushwhacking and mostly climbing over boulders. Good balance and rock climbing skills are necessary. Due to the recent rain, there was enough water to wade through for a good portion of the hike, several hikers even slipped on the moss covered rocks and took an unexpected dip. The hike begins around open fields, sycamore trees and laurel sumac bushes. The canyon then narrows and there are oaks and eucalyptus trees along a creek. We stop for a lunch about about 2/3 of the way into our route where Edison Rd intersects Zuma Creek. Although the hike is quite challenging up to this point, this is where the real fun begins. As we are that much closer to using a rope to scale a 10 foot shear rock wall, with a rope, of course. We are THAT crazy. This was one of my first hikes with The Crews years ago. I had such a bad experience; I didn't have the right clothing, essentials, or enough mental strength. I got through it, but not with, what I now call Honor Badges. Although I wore long sleeves and pants, I had some PO on my hands, arms, and legs. The back of the neck was covered in pea-sized welts. PO is so annoying. Three days after the hike or so, my arms and legs were pretty much covered in bruises and I had several abrasions on my legs, not to mention, my I had my first encounter with a Tick. Thankfully a girl friend was experienced with removing them, because all the gents jumped back when I showed them I had a Tick. Tisk tisk!!! I swore I'd never go back. After four years later and many begging me to go back, I finally caved. Due to the lack of rain in the area, there wasn't much water so it was mostly a bushwhacking, PO avoidance, hiking up a dry creek bed hike, with a twist. The twist was the climb out of the canyon. In past years the climb out was up a loose dirt hillside on hands and knees for about 350 feet. January we went left at the fork which led us to a 10 foot sheer rock wall. Fortunately there were three "mountain goats" among us who free climbed up the wall. Once they reached the top, one wrapped a rope around himself and was our anchor, another grabbed the hand of each climber as they got within arms length by scaling up the wall using their upper body strength and the rope. The third video taped and took pictures of us climbing. Perhaps I'll try to attach the video for visual stimulation purposes. This time around, thanks to the rain, we had water. What do you get when you cross a sheer wall with rain? A much more enjoyable challenge. Yes, we scaled the 10 foot sheer wall with a running waterfall...the makings of a wet t-shirt contest, only we always wear appropriate attire. We are smart and respectful that way. My second attempt, January 19, 2014, as well as my third attempt, today, March 9, 2014, was much more successful than my first time. I still came out with Honor Badges, bruises and abrasions, but January the PO outbreak wasn't nearly as bad and I didn't have any encounters with Ticks. So far, the result of today's hike is still forming, I do see some bruises and abrasions, but no Ticks. PO is still in question. Hiking is not something that can be taken lightly. It can be life-threatening as you see and hear on the news, people die or get lost all time. Please if you are going to hike, never go alone and prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

This is not your average "run of the mill", lollygagging around kind of hike. Well at least the route we took, so let's start with that. We parked our car on Bonsall Rd. If you get there early enough you'll parking. We got there around 8:30am yesteryday (Sunday) and only found 1 vehicle and a lady walking her dog. Our hike up Zuma Canyon trail was not bad at all. it was actually a cakewalk. We got the chance to enjoy the scenery and the dirt was soft enough that it will not put a lot of impact on your feet and knees. Just mind the horse poop because they are everywhere. Zuma Canyon Trail ends abruptly once you hit the creek. So this is where THIS review begins. It's dry enough so we decided to go north on Zuma Canyon Creek. I suggest that if you decide to hike up the creek bed (please DO NOT do this during the winter, spring or during/after rain) that you are somewhat in shape because it is a strenuous hike. Much boulder hopping through stagnant pools of water requires a lot of balance and very very good hiking boots. Falling in the water is 1) potential hypothermia 2) wet socks=blisters=pain...you get the idea. Depending on your stamina and speed it could take you a few hours to get through Zuma Creek. Not only that but a lot of bushwhacking is involved too. REMEMBER to bring insect repellants: ticks, ants, beetles, dragonflies and some winged creatures i've never even seen LIVE here. Even though it's hot, I suggest you wear sleeve/long sleeved shirts and spray the openings of your shirt and where bottom of your pants meet the boots with deet/insect repellants. You will do a lot of bushwhacking and in the summer, it can get so hot and humid that you WILL feel muggy. All of those inhibitions go out the window as you trek through the boulders and the thick brush where your mentality is "f**ck it" I am going to get through this. No raising the pinky for girls here! - You will end up touching bird poop in exchange of balance - You might have to crawl through a couple of huge tight boulders to get further up - You will itch - You will feel uncomfortable BUT..... You WILL HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE CAN DO WHAT YOU JUST DID! (Or at least have the guts to) HAPPY TRAILS!

My buddy and I have been hiking a lot in less than two weeks. That is definitely a record in my books. Since my Dodgers were out of town, I wanted to enjoy another hike around the Malibu area. After Solstice Canyon, my friend found a place in Malibu near Zuma Beach called, Zuma Canyon Trail. Zuma Canyon Trail is near the entrance of Zuma Beach. You'll driving through expensive homes on Bonsall Drive and eventually get to a small narrow road. If you see a horse trailer there, you have found the right spot. I am not sure of the name of the company/group (Malibu Riders) that provides the horseback riding, but the lady is very friendly from the beginning, middle, and end of our hike. Our hike began around 1pm. The initial part of our hike led us to the other parking lot. I really thought our hike ended. My friend kept relying on the map and we kept going the wrong way. In my previous hikes, there have been no maps and I am still here today....For Now Anyways. Eventually, the hike started getting warmer as we were getting away from the ocean. Definitely bring water. I had already gone through my first bottle and it was only 1/4 of the hike. The shade definitely helps you cool. Throughout the hike, I had to pace because of the steep parts of the hill. To keep my mind off the heat and the frustration, I brought a baseball. If you find a baseball somewhere along the trail, that my mark that I have been there. While hiking, you may encounter the horseback riders. Definitely make way for the horses since they are big creatures. The view is not as great as Charmlee, but you do get a view of the ocean and the SMOG. Like my other hikes, there is usually a tower of some kind: Water and/or Electrical Tower. We did find one, but it was at the other parking lot. Not at the top of the mountain or anywhere on Canyon and Ocean View Trail. Whew...My lifespan is extended for awhile. The one thing you have to make sure you don't do during the hike....STEP ON HORSE DROPPINGS. My friend did at the end of the hike. Its all over the place, but my friend had to step on it. No one gets on my truck with feces. I am sure my friend is reading this. No Map...No Stepping on Feces. Overall, its a good hike. Some would say its not for first time beginners. I'd say its for second time beginners. I believe our hike took us three hours to complete and it was definitely worth it. My feet hurt from the constant stopping by my buddy. I keep losing momentum to move forward. Gosh.....Onwards to the next hike without stopping. Yelp is My Review, My Story, and My Life. Its time to share it.

My family and I hiked this trail last week. This is a great trail for beginning (i.e., not so great shape) hikers alike. We went on the shorter loop hike starting on Zuma Canyon Trail, up Canyon View Trail and back down the Ocean Trail. There is a bit of an uphill as you zigzag up the ridge, but the payoff in terms of the view is well worth it. I echo another reviewer's statement that this trail must be used by equestrians due to the large amount of horse poop on the trail. But that's just a minor inconvenience. The trailhead is a large dirt parking lot at the north end of Bonsall Drive. We went on a Tuesday and there were only two other cars in the lot at the time. There are well-maintained porto-potties and a water station for washing your hands. If you do the loop, I suggest going up the Canyon trail first, and coming down Ocean. That way you are facing the Pacific Ocean on your hike down.

It's good for horse riding, but not a good place for hiking, too much dust and horse shit, though the view is quite open.

Loved it ! I went on a hike in 75 degree weather it was perfect. The same was shining the weather was sweet made me wanna move my dancing feet !

I look back at this hike with much love and fond memories that were made here this weekend. I brought my "Take a Hike" group of Yelpers, scratch that, friends, to embark on our 5th adventure together. The night before the big hike involved packing the essentials: A compass, trekking poles, map, college sweatshirt, fruits, energy bars, food, a backpack, sunglasses, sunscreen and a camelbak. From that point, I was ready to take on the trail. Saturday morning (before the crack of dawn) was excruciatingly painful, because after a 4 hour sleep, who wants to go on a hike? I DO! Remember, I'm a masochist. That's how I roll. I grabbed the essentials and made my way to the beautiful city of Malibu. The drive was absolutely breathtaking as I let PCH take me away to a whole other world. Once you turn on Bonsall Drive, you must drive all the way down (1 mile) to a dirt parking lot and find a spot at the trail head. Luckily, I managed to snag a prime pick and grabbed a trail map while I was at it. We decided to take several trails, which was about 12 miles long. I won't tell you which ones because I'd like you to choose your own adventure. That's the beauty of hiking. Magnificent views of the pristine ocean were granted, lovely lush mountains surrounded us the entire way. On top of that, I got a killer butt workout. Hell to the Yes! Some of my friends did not like me when we were heading up hill for a good hour, but they were not complaining when the reward of those memorable views came into play. Note: If you are a smart, serious hiker and don't have the greatest knees, I highly suggest investing in trekking poles. They are amazing and well worth the money, especially when you're going downhill. I let one of my buddies use them and have now converted him to a trekking pole hiker. Once we made it to our destination, we enjoyed a lunch, well somewhat of a lunch, it was 10 a.m. but we had an early morning start, and chatted till we were ready to finish the multiple trails. We went up and down that mountain side like nobodies business. Laughs were shared along the way and pictures which attempted to capture that very moment of happiness I yearn for in nature. Happy trails to you.

I hiked the 12 mil. route, thinking how hard could it be? Oh silly me...silly silly me. I am the average guy, and had not trained for this particular hike. That was a mistake. The view was gorgeous, the overall experice was worth it but this is not for a first time hiker. The first thing you should know is that this is challenging because of the incline. Make sure you have good hiking shoes and make the investment into a hiking pole, my life would have been much better should i had known of said hiking pole. The climb is challenging but if this is your first time hiking there, and you are by yourself make sure to take along one of the trail maps as you may get lost should you not know where you are going. The third and most important thing you should know, is this and this would have saved me much grief as well... There are four stages climb, decent and then climb again.........you need to save some juice for the second climb up . In fact the second climb was a mental as well as physical challenge.....Take hiking partners for encouragement, The people i went on this hike with made me not give up and push myself to meet the challenge. The fourth thing you should know is that after you come down the final climb you will not have gone in a perfect loop leaving you back in the parking lot.....oh no my friends that would have been too simple. Instead there is a about a mile hike back to the parking lot. The whole experience is worth it, for the company, the view, and the challenge.

At this moment, my knees are saying "F*** you, what were you thinking?" All because of my little hike with Ben G early this morning at Zuma Canyon. I wanted to get more into hiking, and we thought today would be a great day because a) the weather has been cooler and cloudy in the morning, and b) we knew we would be stuffing ourselves with calorie-laden sweets at the afternoon Elite event. So off we went! Unfortunately, we ran into some traffic and complications on PCH, due to the triathlon going on this morning. But with a little help from the GPS, we made it to the canyon. It was so peaceful and pretty. I saw a mama and baby deer, so cute! We took the trail that is described as the "Ocean View" trail. What a workout! It was steep as hell at certain points and wound and twisted up a mountain, until you finally have a beautiful view of the ocean. Watch out for horse poop! The dirt/sand is also loose and slippery, especially on the way back down. We were only able to do 45 minutes out before we had to turn around, to make it back in time for our event. But it was good climb, and I hope to eventually do more of the mountain range. Perhaps not the best hike if you are a beginner and not used to such steep trails, but I'm proud of myself for sticking it out and burning those calories!

Nice place to explore around. Although, if you're on foot, there is a lot of poo! Irresponsible dog owners and horses all over the place. I did a loop with the canyon view trail and ocean view trail. There are signs at almost every junction and maps at the beginning of the trail. (Though I wouldn't only rely on them since you never know if they'll be out) I think the views, even of the mountains, were better from the ocean view trail! It took me about 2 hours.

Turn right onto Bonsall and go as far as you can. Eventually you'll run into a narrow (one car at a time) dirt road which opens up into a "parking lot". Upon parking you'll find the trails towards the far end of what you drove in. There are a couple of trails here. They are largely not too difficult up to see pretty nice views of the canyon and ocean. I went on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn't crowded at all =) We did the ocean view into the canyon trails. It was about 2.5 miles which we covered in about 2 hrs. The only thing that really detracted from it being a 4 star rating from me is the massive amount of horse poo everywhere. Yuck. Then again, if you're going for horseback riding, it's quite nice. Otherwise, nice easy hike w/good views.

Beautiful Trial!! It was breathtaking for me and all my friends. The very nice green hills with many different kind of wild flowers all over them!! From the lookout you can see the awesome clear ocean beside the green hills under the blue sky. We enjoyed the scene and would have stayed there whole day if we could.

Copied and pasted from my alltrails review: As of February 2017, the right hand side of the loop of this trail is pretty treacherous due to all the recent rain. I would consider closing this half of the trail. I went clockwise starting at the Busch Drive trailhead and I was fine until I started the downward part of the climb (about 11o'clock in the loop) Lots of waterfalls that are flowing pretty steadily higher up, and one big stream at the lowest point in elevation that you have to jump/scramble across- NOT for the beginner/intermediate hiker. I very easily could have hurt myself (badly) but I was able to jump across about 4 ft wide stream of water. Pretty crazy. There is also a decent sized waterfall/stream by the Bonsall trailhead and unless you have proper footwear you will get pretty soaked going up that trail. There are also several spots in this trail if you stop and look up/around you you will see that there was recently a LARGE landslide that has gone directly through where you are standing. Definitely scary. Lots of downed trees at narrow points in the trail where you are about 2000ft elevation- again, not for the faint of heart or beginner hiker. Other than these things this is a great hike, length wise and elevation wise. Just maybe wait to go until April or May 2017!!!

Great hiking trail. Great ocean view. Not crowded. Not too hard. Perfect to take your dog with you. Grab a map and pay attention on the signs, it can be a little confusing on your first time.

They say that whatever you are doing on New Year's Eve/Day ... will be what you do for the rest of the year. And by they, I mean me. So, we had to get in a workout of some kind after consuming the bacon-wrapped dog at the Rose Parade and the lobster risotto the night before at The Ivy. So we headed off to Malibu for a hike. This is the trail we usually do on horseback (Malibu Riders) ... but this time we did it on foot. It was a great hike, took us about 1.5 hours and featured ocean views and canyon views. It is a little poopy though, like Runyon Canyon poopy except with horses ... It is called nature though, so what do you expect. I hit Equinox for poopy-less fitness ventures.

Watch out for ticks! I didn't get any, but my dog picked up a few on our short hike today (Zuma Loop Trail + Scenic). Besides that it was a lovely hike with lots of trails to choose from.

Lovely dog friendly hike. 4 stars not 5 because there is quite a bit of horse poo, and therefore lots of flies. We went up the trail side of the loop and went down ocean. If you do the opposite you won't see the ocean view on the way down and will have to look backwards on your way up. Make sure to check the signs carefully or you'll go off the loop. There is also a parking lot past a narrow road that you can drive on.

One of the prettiest and breeziest trails I have hiked!! At the the end of Bonsall Drive is a dirt parking lot with picnic benches to the right (lots of brush around) and a couple of Porta potties. Go straight ahead and you will see the Zuma Canyon Trail Head. After a few minutes you get to a sign to your right for the Ocean View Trail. We decided to go up on this trail. It's dusty, but well worth it!! Ocean view the whole time. It's a steady uphill climb up. Not too steep and lots of Ocean breeze. Once at the top you get a 180 degree ocean view. From here you can go back or continue up on the trail for a few more minutes. Once you get to the end turn left when you get to the fire road, amazing ocean and canyon views here. Keep going and Look for the Canyon View Trail at the fork. Take the left trail, it will lead you back to the bottom and the Zuma Canyon Trail Head. Make sure to wear a hat. No shade during entire hike, but it felt ok, because of the ocean breeze. Dogs are allowed on a leash.

The Zuma Canyon hike is a long hike. Part of it is outside in the sun without shade, but you can also cut through the middle, and it's a bit of maneuvering, but it's fun. The middle part is probably the best part. I think there was supposed to be a waterfall, but we didn't see one. It's good to do on a day that's not too hot.

Labor Day with Robert and Tucker. Easy parking, not that crowded. Tucker had a great time sniffing all along the trail and we had a nice walk late in the afternoon after lunch at Kristies Wood Oven Malibu. Nice easy trails for the human with the bad knees and enough cleared brush that we did not have to restrict Tucker to a short leash. Only problem was the horse poop which brought tons of flies to the trail.

Where's the trail head? Come on Yelp, have a GPS link to the trail head(s)!

This was a great hike! The route that we took was from the Bonsall parking lot to Ocean View Trail, Kanan-Edison Road, Zuma Canyon Connector Trail, Zuma Edison Road, Zuma Ridge Trail then to the Ridge-Canyon Access Trail back to the parking lot. If you look at the map, it is basically a large loop. My gps tracked that we were at about 2000 feet at the highest point and the distance was around 12 miles. I liked that they provide trail maps at the trailhead which made navigating a whole lot easier. Most of what we did was on a fire road so pretty well maintained. The only downside to this hike are the enormous piles of horse poop everywhere. I guess horses need to get their exercise too ... not discriminating ... just something to watch out for while you're walking. Overall, this is a great place to hike, not strenous as there are a lot of ups and downs, but a moderate hike for sure. Next time I want to try the Zuma Ridge Trail all the way up to Encinal Canyon Road.