Escondido Canyon Park

Amazing place

This is the trip to Escondido falls. One of the shortest trails you will ever experience but the waterfall is amazing. Great scenery and a lot of people.

What to expect:
A lot of people
Rarely any parking.
$12 parking - only 9 spaces to park
Free parking next to the street. (Don't park next to the tow sign, park a few feet away from it.
About 1.6 mile trail to the waterfall

What can I say about this amazing adventure well worth it! 6.1 miles 12,106 steps of pure Gratitude  the weather was beautiful the park clean everyone kind overall amazing experience.  About us: Walk 4 purpose is a Walking Club design to create overall health and wellbeing in adults 21 and over in our community. to motivate, encourage and hold a safe space free of judgment follow us on meetup.com for more details.

Coach Char

This hike is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. The trail is very narrow, a few times you'd have to stop to let someone pass or wait for people to stop to let you pass. I went just after the rains, so the creeks and waterfall were bountiful but crossing was difficult as there were lines to cross using trees/rocks. At some point I just waded across. It gets muddy it gets slippery. Be careful.

Parking sucks. There's a lot for like 4 cars at the bottom so odds are you have to park on PCH just pay mind to the parking signs. They looove to ticket there.

I was able to complete this 4 mile hike (round trip) in about 1 hour and 20 minutes. I am not an avid hiker nor am I terribly in shape, but it was manageable.

Have fun! Bring water! Bring snacks :)

When I moved to Malibu 32 years ago!, this is the very first trail I hiked on. I am celebrating that day because this is a magical trail that leads back to a sometimes flowing waterfall. I have not seen it flowing like this honestly ever! We had an abundance of rain this year! Please be respectful and pick up garbage if you see it. This is a sacred place, it is Nature. We are Nature. Thank you,, enjoy the trail as often as you are able, Nature is the great equalizer.

I love the Escondido Falls hike!! It's typically more shaded, takes you through beautiful foliage and ends with a waterfall. It's out and back to the waterfall - I've been before where there's just a trickle but lately the water has been abundant due to all the rain. It's definitely a busier trail so I'd recommend an earlier morning hike here to beat the traffic.

Hiked Escondido Falls this morning 2/10/23. 1.7 miles to the Falls and all of that is rated easy. Took us 90 mins total for the entire hike. Getting up to the 2nd falls is more challenging though, not because of the steepness, but due to the gravel and dirt. It's easy to slip and requires getting a bit dirty on the way down especially. We saw a man slip really bad on the way down so I can confirm getting scratched up is easily possible. There are ropes for part of the climb but not for the whole way unfortunately. If you want to give it a try it's to the right of the lower falls, past the crushed chain link fence.

The parking lot for the trail is right off of the PCH just west of Geoffrey's Restaurant. For the first .75 mile you'll be walking on asphalt past some beautiful homes and then you will reach the trailhead.  Once you get down to the flat part of the trail there is a lot of shade coverings however it's not as diverse flora wise compared to some other trails around LA.

I give it a 4/5 for a few reasons. It's very easy and you don't go through a lot of nature, just three small stream crossings and you're at the falls before you know it. There is also horse poop everywhere so it's easy to step in that if you're not paying attention. Finally this is a very busy trail. You will see many people on the way in and on the way out. The parking lot often fills up, also it's $12 to park. It's not the sort of trail to go to be alone or in your thoughts due to the crowds.

Fun hike on a cloudy day!
5/5 after rain (2nd photo)
2/5 during the summer (1st photo)
- Bring a cap and water since the hike is long and not shaded.
- Recommend wearing shoes you don't mind getting wet if going during the winter/early spring.
- Moderate hike. Only difficult park was balancing on logs and stones to cross the creek. This won't be a problem in the summer/fall.
- Took 30 minutes to get to the waterfall from the start of the hike
- Parking lot has limited spots and require payment or park on PCH. 20 minute walk to the start of the trail.
- Visited May 2023 (crossed 5 streams mid calf length) and June 2018 (only a trickle of water at the end. Not worth it)

Great hike! Not too difficult, hike is fairly easy. I have not seen this water fall with water in over 7 years. The scenery was filled with color, flowers bloomed and grass is green.

It is short hike like 3,5 miles round trip; but it is a very beautiful hike. There's a small parking lot and it is $12 to park there, but honestly, you don't need to pay that money, if you don't mind walking another 2 extra minutes, you can park by the pch highway. Make sure you park off the road and watch for mailbox and house entrance. After you park, you need to walk half a mile on asphalt to the entrance of the Canyon Trail. Once you arrive to the Canyon Trail, it's a short hike to the waterfall, but you need to cross four small creeks, when there's no water, they are very easy to cross. But when there is water, especially after a long rain, the water might be very fast and you may be getting wet. It may also get muddy after rains. Waterfall is gorgeous. It's very picturesque. You'll really have fun with the waterfall and it is really high. There is a second waterfall that you need to climb, I never went up there, my friends went up there and they said it's a very strenuous climb to the second fall. While crossing creeks, it helps a lot if you have a hiking pole. This hike is very popular and it gets very crowded. It's partially shade and partially open air. There are restrooms at the parking lot, when I used it on February 2023, they were clean.

I loved this hike. We went early on a Friday morning and found parking (small parking lot, but does have a handicap porta potty). It was clean in the morning but can't say the same when we got back. Shame people can't be respectful for others. Parking is $12 for the day, and I did see people parking on the Main Street. First you have to walk almost a mile to the trail thru a beautiful neighborhood and it's up hill (good little warm up). I read some reviews saying you will get super wet, not true lol. There are creeks you have to cross, some people walked thru the water (ankle high) but others used logs and rocks to cross. We brought our small dogs and were able to pick them up and cross. I saw people helping others to cross which I love to see. The flowers and greenery are so beautiful. Some muddy and slippery areas, but the right shoe gear and being careful is key. I saw all sorts of shoe gear and some people barefoot, you do you! The waterfall was gorgeous, loud, and full. Yes you might have to wait your turn for a picture, but being in nature was worth it. We brought water, towel (just in case), a dog backpack just in case my small doggy got tired, hat, and a positive attitude. People were very friendly. There is shady areas and some sunny areas (a good mix). Very beautiful hike! FYI when we were leaving a lot of people were arriving, around 12:30-1pm. Enjoy!