2 min
Overview
Note: Charmlee Wilderness Park was badly damaged in the 2018 Woolsey Fire. In 2019, the park reverted to the City of Malibu and was closed. Contact the City of Malibu for updates before you head out. A short but beautiful hike in the Charmlee Wilderness Park, a 530 acre park on the coastal bluffs in Malibu. Beautiful grassy meadows, coastal scrub, and live oak are all highlights in this park, which also has some historic ranch ruins and a great little nature center on coastal California wildlife. There are plenty of trail options in this park, ranging from easy to moderate, as well as some ranger-led hikes. Don’t overlook Charmlee! On a blustery Sunday afternoon, I made a last-minute trip out to Malibu to take advantage of the sunny and clear weather, and was not disappointed by Charmlee Wilderness Park. While the name may imply something larger than the park’s 530 acres and 9 total miles of trail, the Charmlee Wilderness Park is a great place to spend some time outside when you’re looking for amazing coastal views and long stretches of grassy meadow, or just don’t have time for a longer trail or drive to the trailhead. After parking at the lot, you can explore the small but excellent Nature Center to get some history of the area, or just head south on the Old Ranch Road, which starts out paved but very quickly turns into a beautiful oak and sycamore-shaded dirt road. In 450 feet, you’ll pass the Oak Grove Picnic Area, which is also the trail junction with the Botany Trail, a spur that loops around the southern borders of the park. It’s not signed, and easy to miss, but if you do – there’s a cutoff that leads south to the Botany Trail at about the 0.2 mile mark. The trails here lead through some great California coastal scrub which will be a brilliant green following winter rains: At the 0.8 mile mark, the Botany Trail has a junction with the Meadow Trail — a long (for this park at least) trail and fire road route that cuts through the center of the park and an impressive and expansive grassland. For now, ignor
Trail Stats
4.7 km
82 m
426 m
342 m
—
Photos
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.
Trail photo
No caption provided.