LOGISTICS:
2.1-9.4 miles, depending on trails chosen. Easy to Moderate. Dogs on Leash. Hike to ruins of oldest Malibu home and a never ending waterfall. MAP IT
What began as a mellow Saturday morning stroll, quickly turned into an off trail, intense rock climbing, (well worth it) dead end.
Natalia and I began on the paved road that turns into Solstice Canyon Trail.
This brings you to the ruins of a cottage built around 1865. It’s believed to be the oldest existing stone building in Malibu. The house was destroyed by the 2007 Corral Fire.
Continuing along the trail you run into another home. This one built in 1952 by African-American Architect Paul Williams and destroyed by a fire in 1982.
It’s beyond the old foundation, up the stairs and over a few large rocks, that you’ll find this hike’s biggest crowd-pleaser.
(Natalia on some rocks)
Billy loved it too!
Nat and I loved it too much. We climbed behind the main waterfall, putting us on a rough, very slanted dirt mountain side, but we kept going. What made it worth it? More waterfalls! So we climbed over more rocks to find small waterfalls! We kept climbing to find an array of waterfall mirages, some with private open pools. We soon realized it was the never ending mountain of waterfalls.
(Natalia taking a break from taking photos)
Per usual — Billy got in the water..then rolled in the dirt. 
We couldn’t get enough…so we just kept going. Scaling bigger and bigger rocks, following the water up the mountain side. On several occasions lifting Billy up since he couldn’t jump high enough. Somewhere in the middle, we noticed a trail connected to the secluded, rocky waterbed…but we kept going, hoping that we would reach the top of the mountain. I mean…it didn’t look that far away (rookie mistake).
After another 30 mins of climbing, we reached a dead end. The rocks were too big, the mountain side was too steep…all we could do was go back. A couple had been following us for a while and even after we explained to them that there seemed to be no way out the top, they still intended to keep going. I was so impressed and curious about what they would discover, that I gave the girl my number and asked her to text me when they found their exit. She promised she would, but I never heard from her. I’m guessing they turned around…or else it’s time we send a search party…
We finally made it back to where the Sostomo Trail meets with the waterfall and takes you down the mountain back to Solstice Canyon Trail. We could see the Rising Sun trail on the adjacent mountain, and even though we were totally beat from our off-trail adventure, we knew we couldn’t leave without checking it out. And I’m so glad we did. It was another beautiful 1.4 miles and a damn good workout.
By the end, Bill was over it.
The best part about Solstice is your bevy of options. Minding that you stay on the trails, this hike can be easily catered to your own needs and is perfect for families, intermediate hikers or beginners looking for a challenge. Each trail is well labeled with mileage included and most are loops. Bringing this map would have been helpful for us though…seeing that the water (north of the falls) leads into the abyss.
MORE INFO ABOUT SOLSTICE CANYON HERE!
DIRECTIONS & PARKING:
From the PCH, turn right on Corral Canyon Rd (Just past Pepperdine University).
There are a 2 small parking lots inside the park that are free. Extra parking available on the PCH.
(PHOTO CONTRIBUTIONS BY NATALIA)
