5 Best Places To Visit In California

Reagan Ranch

Malibu Creek State Park

From Santa Monica, Drive 12 Miles Northbound On The Pacific Coast Highway/Highway 1 To Malibu Canyon Road. Turn Right (North) And Continue 6.5 Miles Up This Beautiful Winding Canyon Road To Mulholland Highway. Turn Left And Drive 3.2 Miles To Cornell Road. Turn Left Again And Immediately Park Along The Road Wherever A Spot Is Available.

From The Ventura Freeway/Highway 101 In Agoura Hills, Exit On Kanan Road. Drive South 0.4 Miles To Cornell Road. Turn Left And Continue 2.2 Miles To The Intersection Of Mulholland Highway. Cross And Park Along The Road.

The Hike

Enter The Ranch At A Gateway Through The White Rail Fence On The Southeast Corner Of Mulholland Highway And Cornell Road. Walk A Quarter Mile East On The Paved Yearling Road, Lined With Stately Eucalyptus And Oak Trees, To The Old Reagan Barn. Pass The Barn, Corral, And Ranch Buildings (Now Used By The Park Service) To The Posted Yearling Trail. Take The Footpath Down The Open Meadow, Passing A Pond On The Left. Continue To A Y-Fork With The Deer Leg Trail, Our Return Route. Stay To The Left On The Yearling Trail, Continuing Through The Valley Floor. Pass A Side Path On The Right That Drops Down To Udell Creek And The Deer Leg Trail. Continue Straight To A Trail Split On A Minor Ridge At The East End Of Both The Yearling Trail And Deer Leg Trail.

Veer Left And Descend On The Lookout Trail To A Fork With The Cage Creek Trail. Begin What Will Be Another Loop On The Left Fork And Climb The Hill, Staying On The Lookout Trail. Drop Into Another Stream-Fed Drainage. Weave Through The Forested Side Canyon To A Fork With The Cistern Trail, A Connector Trail To Mulholland Highway. Stay To The Right On The Lookout Trail. Descend To A T-Junction With Crags Road While Overlooking Century Lake And The Volcanic Goat Buttes. Bear Right On The Dirt Road 100 Yards To A Side Road On The Left That Leads A Short Distance To The Dam And Overlook Of Century Lake. The Site Is In A Shaded Canopy With Ferns And Mossy Boulders By A Steep- Walled Gorge. After Enjoying The Area, Return To Crags Road And Head Northwest To The Cage Creek Trail On The Right. Bear Right On The Footpath, Crossing Cage Creek Twice. Head Up The Narrow Canyon And Climb The West Canyon Wall, Completing The 1.4-Mile Loop At The Lookout Trail.

Bear Left And Return To The Junction On The Ridge With The Yearling Trail And Deer Leg Trail. Now Take The Deer Leg Trail To The Left And Top The Slope.

Make A U-Bend And Descend Into The Forest. Cross A Small Stream, And Pass The Yearling Connector Path On The Right To Udell Creek, A Tributary Of Malibu Creek. Hop Over Ephemeral Udell Creek To A Picnic Area With Stone Fire Pits. In The Early 1960s, These Barbecue Pits Were Used By The Reagans For Entertaining Friends, Actors, And Political Figures.

Watch For The Unsigned Lake Vista Trail, A Distinct Footpath On The Left By A Picnic Site. To Overlook Malibu Lake, Detour Left On The Footpath. Climb Through The Shade Of Oak Trees, Oak Scrub, And Tall Brush While Overlooking Reagan Ranch Through The Foliage. At 0.7 Miles, The Trail Reaches A Ridge With A Brush-Obscured View Of Malibu Lake. Veer Right And Drop Down 0.1 Mile To A Clearing And Overlook By A Power Pole, Where There Is A Great View Of Malibu Lake, Sugarloaf Mountain, And The Medea Valley.

From Here Are Two Options. For A Quick Half-Mile Return, Take The Unpaved Utility Road And Wind Down The Hill Into A Meadow. Veer Left Along The Park Boundary To The Trailhead At Mulholland Highway And Cornell Road. Or, To Continue On The Deer Leg Trail, Returning 0.8 Miles Down The Lake Vista Trail To The Picnic Area And The Deer Leg Trail. Go To The Left And Continue 0.3 Miles Northwest Under A Canopy Of Massive Oaks, Completing The Second Loop At The Yearling Trail. Return Past The Pond And Ranch Buildings To The Trailhead. I

Maps: U.S.G.S. Point Dume N.P.S. Paramount Ranch Site Map Tom Harrison Maps: Malibu Creek State Park Trail Map

Paramount Ranch Lies Adjacent To The Northwest End Of Malibu Creek State Park. The Parkland Has A Diverse Landscape Filled With Oak Savannahs, Chaparral-Covered Hillsides, Canyons, Creekside Thickets, Rolling Grasslands, And Prominent Sugarloaf Peak. The Historic 326-Acre Ranch Has Been A Motion Picture Filming Site For Hundreds Of Movies And Television Shows, Including Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; Have Gun Will Travel; The Cisco Kid; Gunsmoke; The Rifleman; And Tom Sawyer.

This Hike Takes In Two Short Loop Trails Within The Ranch That Represent The Diverse Terrain. The Medea Creek Trail And Run Trail Parallel Medea Creek (A Tributary Of Malibu Creek) Through A Riparian Zone With Willow Thickets. The Creek Flows South Through The Length Of Paramount Ranch Into Malibu Lake. The Trail Loops Around An 860-Foot Hill Near Sugarloaf Peak. The Second Loop Follows The Coyote Canyon Trail Up A Ravine, Climbing A Chaparral-Clad Slope To A Panorama Of The Ranch And An Overlook Of The Mountains To The West. To Reach The Trail, The Route Leads Through The Streets Of The Realistic-Looking Western Town Movie Set With False Store Fronts, Saloons, And Hotels.

To The Trailhead

From Santa Monica, Drive 12 Miles Northbound On The Pacific Coast Highway/Highway 1 To Malibu Canyon Road. Turn Right (North) And Continue 6.5 Miles To Mulholland Highway. Turn Left And Drive 3.2 Miles To Cornell Road. Turn Right And Drive 0.4 Miles To The Paramount Ranch Entrance On The Left. Turn Left And Continue 0.2 Miles To The Parking Area.

From The Ventura Freeway/Highway 101 In Agoura Hills, Exit On Kanan Road. Head 0.4 Miles South To Cornell Road And Turn Left. Drive 1.8 Miles To The Ranch Entrance On The Right (West).

From The Parking Area, Head South On The Service Road. Parallel Medea Creek To A Y-Fork. Begin The Loop On The Right Fork, Entering An Oak And Bay Laurel Forest. Follow Medea Creek On The Right, With Sugarloaf Peak Towering Over The Trail. A Short Distance Ahead Is A Trail Split. Detour On The Right Fork (Run Trail), Continuing Alongside The Waterway. The Path Ends At Private Property Under The Mulholland Highway Bridge. Just Before The Bridge, A Trail Curves Left And Heads East To Mulholland Highway, 0.2 Miles West Of Cornell Road.

Return To The Main Junction, And Continue On The Medea Creek Trail, Now On The Right. Head Up The Hillside, High Above Mulholland Highway, To A Trail On The Left. Detour Left 0.1 Mile To The Western Town Overlook Atop A Minor Knoll. There Are Views In Every Direction, Including Western Town. Return To The Medea Creek Trail And Proceed East. One Hundred Yards Before The Cornell Road/Mulholland Highway Intersection, Veer Sharply Left, Staying On The Medea Creek Trail. Descend Steps And Stroll Through The Shade Of An Oak Forest To A Y-Fork. Both Forks Are The Medea Creek Trail, And Both Paths End At The Old Asphalt Road. The Left Fork Remains In The Trees As A Footpath For A Longer Distance. At The Road, Go To The Left And Complete The Loop.

Coyote Canyon Trail 1.75 Miles: Cross The Bridge Over Medea Creek, And Walk Through Western Town To The Signed Coyote Canyon Trail. Head West Up The Small Ravine To A Junction. The Left Fork Leads A Half Mile On An Unmaintained Trail To An Overlook. The Path Ends At Private Property.

Back At The Junction, Continue On The Loop And Head Northeast, Following The Ridgeline To Another Junction. The Left Fork Leads A Short Distance To A Picnic Area. Stay To The Right, Continuing Downward To A Junction With The Hacienda Trail. Veer Right, Returning To The Paved Road By Western Town. Return Through The Town To The Trailhead.

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