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HIKE 6

Charmlee Wilderness Park

Location: Santa Monica Mountains

Highlights: Spring wildflowers and ocean views

Distance: 2.8 miles (loop)

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 500'/500'

Hiking Time: 1½ hours

Optional Maps: Trails Illustrated Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or USGS 7.5-minute Triunfo Pass

Best Times: 8 a.m.–sunset, all year

Agency: CW

Difficulty: Easy

Trail Use: Dogs allowed, good for kids

Charmlee Wilderness Park (also known as Charmlee Natural Area), 590 acres of meadow, oak woodland, sage scrub, and chaparral, was first opened to the public in 1981 as a unit of the Los Angeles County park system. Today the City of Malibu administers the park, which lies on that coastal city’s western extremity. Never designed to accommodate a large number of visitors, Charmlee’s parking lot is often full on the weekends. A spiderweb of trails totaling 8 miles covers the park, making it a great place to ramble with family and friends for wildflower spotting in spring and ocean watching on any clear day. The perimeter route described below is pieced together out of the maze of unevenly signed footpaths and old ranch roads in the park. Never fear if you find yourself straying from the route; aim downhill to get to the ocean views and uphill to return to the parking area.

To Reach the Trailhead: To reach Charmlee Wilderness Park from Santa Monica, drive 25 miles west on Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) to a point 0.5 mile west of mile marker 001 LA 59.0. Turn north on Encinal Canyon Road, and proceed 4 miles to the park’s well-marked entrance. Gates are open 8 a.m.–sunset daily. Pay the $4 parking fee at the iron ranger.

Description: From the parking lot, walk on pavement to the nature center (if it is open, pick up a guide for the interpretive signposts). Head uphill on a paved road, which soon becomes dirt and bends north up a slope. Make an acute left turn at the top by a gate, and then follow Potrero Rd. along the ridge road past a hilltop water tank. Boney Mountain, the eroded core of an old volcano, stands prominently on the crest of the Santa Monicas. Curve left at a junction, and head east to meet Charmichael Road. From here, consider a short detour left (south) to visit the foundation of an old ranch home in the oaks on a hilltop overlooking the meadow.

Resuming your walk, continue down Potrero Road to the edge of the park’s large central meadow, where the road turns left and crosses the meadow. Continue all the way to a dry ridge topped by some old eucalyptus trees and a concretelined cistern, both relics of cattle-ranching days. From there descend to the southeast, making a broad switchback. Pass a connector trail on the left, then make a right onto a short spur leading to Ocean Vista, which delivers in a big way what its name suggests. In addition to miles of surf and sand seemingly at your feet, your eyes drink in perhaps a thousand square miles of wind-ruffled ocean. From here you can identify at least six Channel Islands if the ocean is free of haze. The small island to the west is Anacapa, with mountainous Santa Cruz Island looming behind. As your eyes roam left, you might glimpse the low ridge of San Nicholas Island far out to sea. It has become famous in children’s literature as the Island of the Blue Dolphins, based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Indian girl, who survived there alone for 18 years after being stranded when her tribe fled. Closer in, Santa Barbara Island rises from the sea like a broken tooth. Continuing left, look for the low form of San Clemente Island, now a Navy firing range, behind large Catalina Island. Continuing your panoramic sweep to the left, look for the Palos Verdes Hills, Santa Monica Bay, and Point Dume.

Circle north from Ocean Vista, passing the unsigned connector trail on the left. Watch for a charming oak-shaded glade on the right, where boulders tempt you to stop and sit a bit. Just beyond, pass the East Meadow Cutoff Trail on the left, and continue straight on the East Meadow Trail. At the next junction, stay straight onto the Botany Trail and follow it into the woods. The trail ends at a shady picnic area near the parking lot.

If it’s a spring day and you’ve kept a tally of wildflowers spotted on the hike, you may be surprised to find your list includes as many as two dozen or more.