Introduction to Geocaching and Hike Nicholas Flat in Leo Carrillo State Park

Have you ever wondered how those short side trails are made? Probably they end at a little geocache treasure!

Did you get a new GPS for Christmas and you're looking for a nifty new use for it?

This hike is for anyone who is curious about the sport of geocaching and would like to try it out. We'll take the route described below, stopping every so often to search for hidden caches. We'll hike at a moderate pace, but the duration of the hike will be long for the distance because of the caching stops.

Nicholas Flat is a beautiful area in Leo Carrillo State Park (http://www.venturacountytrails.org/TrailMaps/LeoCarrillo/AreaTrails.htm). Along our route we'll pass through oak groves and grasslands, and pass by a small lake with water birds. At different times we'll have views of the Malibu coast and Sandstone Peak.

Statistics: The hike is about 5 miles round trip with about 1100 feet of climbing. Expected duration is about 5 to 6 hours, assuming we spend about 10 minutes at each geocache.

Pace: I believe that the journey is as important as the destination! Expect to stop periodically to take photos, check for ticks, admire wildflowers, let people catch up, seek out geocaches, or just take in the magnificent views. If your primary goal is to get back to your car as quickly as possible, this hike isn't for you.

Level: Beginner-intermediate

Photos: General photos of the area can be seen here (http://www.venturacountytrails.org/TrailPhotos/LeoCarrilloNicholasFlat/_Page.html). Photos from our last geocaching hike here are here (http://www.venturacountytrails.org/RecentPhotos/2009-11-01GeocachingNicholasFlat/_Page.html).

Time: Arrive at the trailhead early enough to start promptly at 9:00 AM. Check the weather. Rain and severe weather conditions like wind or fire cancels. After significant rain, we will need several dry days for the trails to dry out sufficiently.

Where: Meet at the end of Decker School Road in Malibu. This Google Map (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=&daddr=33796+Decker+School+Rd.+Malibu+CA&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=34.184245,-118.911239&sspn=0.012088,0.011201&ie=UTF8&ll=34.070649,-118.906403&spn=0.028475,0.021586&t=h&z=15) will get you to parking area. There is no parking fee but parking is limited. Please carpool if possible! Note that 23 South is winding and very slow so give yourself lots of time to get to the trailhead. Also, note that there is another road called Decker School Lane north of Decker School Road that you don't want to take! Briefly,

From the 101: Turn south from the 101 Freeway onto Westlake Blvd (23 South) in Westlake/Thousand Oaks. Stay on 23 South for 9.3 miles. Along the way, 23 South becomes Mulholland Hwy and then Decker Canyon Road. Make a very sharp right onto Decker School Road and drive a mile to the trailhead at the end.

From Malibu: From the PCH, turn north onto 23 South/Decker Canyon Road and drive 2.5 miles before turning left onto Decker School Road. The trailhead is at the end, about a mile along.

Geocaching: We will pass about 20 geocaches along the way. If you sign up at www.geocaching.com (http://www.geocaching.com/) beforehand (it's free) you can log the caches we find. If you have a GPS that you plan to bring along, email me and I'll send you the cache coordinates for you to load, but a GPS isn't required for this hike. And if you would like to trade some small items with those in the caches, bring them along. They shouldn't be any larger than about the size of a deck of cards, and not worth more than about a dollar.

Wear / Bring:

Sturdy hiking boots with lugs and good tread Water Snacks and a light lunch to eat along the way Camera GPS loaded with cache locations if you have one, small items to swap, pen or pencil to sign the log sheets This event is cross-posted as a Calabasas Day Hikers event (https://www.meetup.com/calabasasdayhikers/calendar/16116997/). Because the time to complete the hike will go up dramatically with a very large group, I'm limiting this to 20 participants between the two groups. If the event is full, sign up for the waiting list because I can move some spots from the other group if it's not full. Sorry, no "plus ones," I want to make sure members aren't excluded because of guests! If this turns out to be wildly popular, I'll happily put together more geocaching hikes.