Hike #1536
July 26, 2023
Malibu Bluffs to Lagoon and Pier

Hike Leader: Amy Tsai

Meet at 8:00 am for start at 8:30 am

Please print your own hike descriptions and maps.

GPS Data:
Distance: 5.4 miles RT
Elevation gain: 375 ft.

Directions to Trailhead: The starting point for our hike is the parking lot in Malibu Bluffs Park, 24250 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265.  The Park opens at 8:00 am. Parking is free. To get there, turn toward the ocean at Malibu Canyon Road from PCH. Note that Malibu Canyon Road actually ends in the park, so if you’re coming from the San Fernando Valley on Malibu Canyon Road, just continue right across PCH. There are nice restroom facilities at the Michael Landon Community Building in the park and in the middle of the hike at Malibu Pier.

Summary: Depending on the time of year, pelicans, dolphins, whales or wildflowers may accompany us on the grand descent from the bluffs of Malibu to Santa Monica Bay – a memorable ramble with great views up and down the coast. Much of the beach in either direction is lined with expensive homes built on pilings. We may legally walk this beach – and any beach in California – up to the mean high-tide line. We need to respect the privacy of the property owners by walking below the tide line. Four public stairways connect Malibu Road to the beach. They offer an escape route for hikers threatened by rising water.

Checkout the Malibu Tide Tables for tides one month ahead. For July 26, low tide will be 8:50 am, 20 minutes after our start. the following high tide will be at 4:22 pm.  There is only 2.8 feet difference between low and high tides on July 26.  Timing of the tides will affect our decisions to walk the beach or walk Malibu Road. (Hopefully the tide will not be a problem for us, except for a short distance around a rocky outcrop, where we might want to go barefoot or run really fast from rock to rock.)

The Hike: There are several optional trails from the Bluffs down to Malibu Road (yellow tracks). Several are shown on the Google Map. Proceed across Malibu Road, then down a public access stairway to the beach (between 24314 and 24320 Malibu Road). We will walk east along the coast (light blue track). A trek of about two miles on the wet sand will bring us to Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Then we continue along the shore to Malibu Pier.

In the event high tides prevent passage from the previous location, an alternate access point is 0.35 miles east along Malibu Road to 24052 Malibu Road.

Our return route can be done in three options.

Option 1: Return via the beach as before (light blue track).
Option 2: Return around the south-western end of Malibu Lagoon (dark blue track), then west along Malibu Road (red track).
Option 3: Return via Malibu Lagoon Park and the Adamson House grounds (green track), then west along Malibu Road (red track).

Then return to the Bluffs via any of the alternate trails (yellow tracks).

Google Photo Map - Malibu Bluffs to Lagoon & Pier

Updated: 2023-07-19