Red Rock Canyon Park and Santa Monica Mtn Waterfalls (Intermediate-Exploratory)

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THIS IS NOT INTRODUCTION TO HIKING!

After March rain lately in LA, the waterfalls in Santa Monica Mountain must be great, so let's explore some trails lead us to those and also hike to Calabasas Peak in Topanga from the Red Rock Canyon Park! (There will be $5 parking fee, not the Forest Adventure Pass)

We will have 2 and optional 3 small hikes: Carpool from OC is highly recommended. Meet at the Park and Ride at 6:30AM or meet at Red Rock Canyon Parking from 8:15AM-8:30AM. Direction for carpool at the end of the post.

Distance: from 8-13 miles
Elevation: 2000-2500+ft
Duration: 5-7 hours hiking time

What to bring: Comfortable Hiking Boots you don't mind getting wet. Extra shoes and socks to leave in your car. Lots of Water, Snacks and light lunch and your camera for some killer shots. Most important bring protective clothing as may be poison oak on the waterfalls trails

1. Red Rock Canyon is a unique riparian canyon within a sandstone gorge. It contains special rockland micro-habitats and acts as a key northern habitat linkage between Malibu Creek and Topanga State Parks.The round trip to Calabasas Peak from Red Rock Canyon Park is about 4.5 miles with a little over 1,500 feet of elevation gain
   Directions: From the 101 Freeway, exit Topanga Canyon and head south. Turn right on Mulholland Highway, then left onto Old Topanga Canyon Road. Go 3.6 miles south to Red Rock Road.
   From Pacific Coast Highway, head north on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, then west on Old Topanga Canyon. Go 1.7 miles to Red Rock Road. Two-tenths of a mile on Red Rock Road is dirt and unimproved.
   Trails Map: http://www.lamountains.com/maps/redRock.pdf

2. Escondido Canyon Park
   27200 Winding Way, Malibu, California, 90265
   Escondido Canyon Natural Area features a hiking, equestrian, and mountain bike trail that
   leads to an awe-inspiring 150 foot waterfall - the highest in the Santa Monica Mountains. Distance: 4.2 miles round trip - Elevation Gain: 400 ft - The hike starts out on the pavement along Winding Way. After about a mile, an obvious trail takes you down into the lovely Escondido Canyon, criss-crossing creek 4 or 5 times. As you approach the base of the lower falls, you can see the water dropping over the lip of the 150 ft upper falls in the distance. The lower falls are about 50 foot high and trickle over a moss covered wall into a lovely shallow pool. This is the turn around point for those not comfortable with a bit of rock scrambling. To get to the upper falls, take the trail to the right of the lower falls up an obvious gully. At the top of the gully, go left and follow the stream over some small cascades and boulders to the base of the upper falls. This is an amazing site, with water tumbling over 3 or 4 tiers, finally falling into a deep pool.
   Directions: From the East, take the 10 Freeway west until it becomes Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Continue west on PCH to Winding Way. Turn right (north) on Winding Way and enter the parking lot. No Parking Fee
   From the San Fernando Valley, take the 101 Freeway west, exit at Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road. Head south on Las Virgenes which turns into Malibu Canyon Road. Drive until you reach PCH and turn right (west). Continue westbound on PCH to Winding Way. Turn right (north) on Winding Way and enter the parking lot. Trails Map: http://www.lamountains.com/maps/escondido.pdf

3. Hiking the Grotto and Canyon View Trails in Circle X Ranch near Sandstone Peak for waterfalls: Canyon View Trail 1.9 miles, easy to moderate; no bikes—This trail can be accessed from three points: the Group Campground via the Grotto Trail, the trailhead 0.3 mile east of the Ranger Station on Yerba Buena Road, or the Sandstone Peak Trailhead.
   Grotto Trail 3.5 miles round trip, moderate to strenuous; no bikes, no horses—From the Ranger Station, walk down to the Group Campground where the Grotto Trail begins. No Parking Fee. Map to this location: 34.11161-118.92643 Trails Map: http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=376833

Park & Ride in Orange on N Tustin St and E Lincoln Ave Orange, CA 92865
Traveling NORTH on the 55, exit Lincoln Ave. West. Make 2 lefts, go under the freeway and take a left onto Tustin Ave. heading South. If you're traveling SOUTH on the 55, exit Lincoln and make a left on Tustin. The Park & Ride will be on your left hand side. You'll need to make a U-Turn to get to this side of the street

REMINDERS:
By joining the meetup, you agree to Meetup Terms of Service releases the Organizer and Assistant Organizers from any liability related to incidents that occur at Meetup gatherings
> YOU acknowledge THAT WE ARE NOT PROFESSIONALS.
> YOU ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR SAFETY
Hiking is a rewarding and pleasant activity in nature, but there are certain dangers you should be aware of. Those include, but are not limited to, trip and fall injuries, bee stings, poison oak exposure, ticks and snake bites. By signing up for this event, you agree to hold harmless the hike organizer, assistant organizers and other participants for any injuries sustained during this hike***