La Jolla Canyon

Hiking to La Jolla Canyon Waterfall in Point Mugu State Park

Hiking La Jolla Canyon in Point Mugu State Park after winter rains is like entering a lost world. That usually bone-dry creek bed? It’s a flowing river. Those brown hillsides? They’re alive with green and mottled with flowers. And that precipitous wall at the head of the canyon? It is (ta-da!) a genuine waterfall—two of them, in fact. (Be aware that the state park plans to close this trail soon—mainly to prevent hikers from attempting to go past the waterfall. But for now, it's open and safe, as long as you don't attempt to scale the head of the canyon above the waterfall.)

Start your 1.6-mile out-and-back hike at the Ray Miller Trailhead just off PCH and head straight up the La Jolla Canyon Trail where the sign reads “Waterfall 0.8 mi.” Once you cross over the unnamed creek, you’ll keep it on your left all the way up. Look high to your left as you enter the canyon and you’ll see an astounding profusion of bright yellow giant coreopsis flowers. Look right a bit farther up and see another hillside covered with pale orange monkey flowers. You’ll see trailside poppies and mariposa lilies and whatever else is currently emerging from dormancy after so many years of drought. The trail rises gently and stays well above the creek. Where the trail narrows is where you should stop. Photo op. You’ll see two cascades, the first a steep 20-foot tumble off the canyon wall into a cool pool, while the lower fall sheets about 15 feet down into a smaller pool. If you want to get up close, you’ll need to retrace your steps a bit to an informal trail that leads down to the creek. From there you can scramble upstream to the base of the falls. You should definitely not attempt to go around the waterfall. That access was washed out years ago. As you head back to the trailhead, congratulate yourself on having rediscovered a lost world.

To get to the Ray Miller Trailhead, take I-10 to Pacific Coast Hwy. (CA-1) and proceed 34 miles northwest. The entrance road is on your right about a mile after the giant sandy hill. From the north, take Pacific Coast Hwy. (CA-1) south 16 miles from the US-101 interchange in Oxnard. Paid parking ($8 a day) and the trailhead are 0.25 mile up the entrance road. Free parking is available on Pacific Coast Hwy. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  3. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  4. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. People on a guided horseback tour with Central Coast Trailrides at Santa Margarita Ranch near Paso Robles

    Saddle Up with Central Coast Trailrides

    Untouched and sweeping, the mountainous scenery and deep valleys of Santa Margarita near Paso Robles are just begging to be explored. So saddle up for a scenic adventure with Central Coast Trailrides (CCT) at the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch.

    View
  2. Two women on e-bikes at Cass Vineyard and Winery near Paso Robles

    Eat, Drink, E-bike!

    No offense to charcuterie but sometimes you want a full meal while tasting world-class wine. And Paso Robles knows this better than perhaps any other wine region in California. Case in point: Cass Vineyard and Winery, where you can eat, drink, and e-bike!

    View
  3. Diamond in the Rough

    March Madness may be over, but the wildflower rush has just begun! This spring, in the Southern California regional bracket, Hemet’s Diamond Valley Lake is our surprise pick for the Fab Flowers Finals. Take a 2-mile round-trip hike in botanical bliss.

    View
  4. Jurupa Jamboree

    If you like a short hike with a side of adventure, try the Jurupa Hills North Trail in Martin Tudor Jurupa Hills Regional Park.

    View