Circle X Ranch

Grotto Trail

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area

Amenities

4 listed

Information - Maps Available, Restroom, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Bottle-Filling Station

Tucked in the canyons above Malibu and nestled below majestic Boney Mountain, you will find Circle X Ranch. This former Boy Scout camp offers many opportunities for exploration and leisure.

Hike one of the many trails that wind through this rare coastal Mediterranean ecosystem. Experience our chaparral plant community and look for red shank chamise, a tree-like shrub with reddish-brown bark, clusters of thread-like leaves and small bunches of white flowers that bloom in July and August. Keep an eye out for blue-bellied lizards and scrub jays during the daytime, and gray foxes and bats at twilight.

You can journey to Sandstone Peak, the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains, or hike down towards the Grotto, enjoying a creek-side picnic along the way. Reserve the group campground and listen to coyote songs while witnessing a night sky that is relatively free from light pollution. Marvel at one of the few locations near Los Angeles where you can see the Milky Way Galaxy.

Directions
12896 Yerba Buena Road, Malibu, CA, 90265
GPS Coordinates: N 34.1100 W -118.9374
Circle X Ranger Station: Pacific Coast Hwy to Yerba Buena Rd. Turn inland; go 5.4 miles to Circle X Ranch contact station.
Sandstone Peak Trailhead: 1 mile north of Circle X Ranch contact station on Yerba Buena Rd. Parking lot is on left.
Mishe Mokwa Trailhead: 1.75 miles north of the Circle X contact station along Yerba Buena Road. Parking lot is on right.