After seeing the Huntington Library Gardens we drove out to the coast and up the Pacific Coast Highway. We'll cover that in a future post, but first, a hike in Malibu. Solstice Canyon was an interesting natural setting with a variety of man-made ruins to add to the sight-seeing.
The trip does benefit from having a map [(PDF map added from the NPS website on Solstice Canyon)]; we didn't have one initially and might have turned back early had we not encountered a friendly set of hikers on their way back. The views of the hills were limited by the fog, although on the upside it meant that we could easily see the outcome of the past fires without having to worry about overly dry grasses. The ruins included one isolated house and far more interestingly the skeleton of a resort spread over a mix of elevations by a small waterfall.
For the path back we took the high ground, although had to hurry a bit as it was beginning to get dark and the gates would close for the night. Happily, after a series of majestic views, we got out without any trouble and I must say that the ranger we met was very nice and helpful. On the whole, we'd probably recommend taking the high ridge route in just to get the dramatic approach to the ruins. The level route has its own merits although taking the ridge both ways makes sense if you're up for it. The main feature you'd miss by not taking the level route would be some of the rocky stream crossings, which are always a plus in my book.
[Update: Links to the hike review and NPS website for Solstice Canyon added. I also added a link to the map (PDF) and am a bit embarrassed that I hadn't found it on my smart phone.]
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