Circle X Ranch

No permit or access details on file for this trail — check with the local land manager before you go.

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