Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Los Angeles Area → Paradise Falls

Location: Wildwood Park, Thousand Oaks Area, West of Los Angeles

Distance: 4.5 miles (roundtrip)

Elevation Gain/Loss: 625 feet

Time Required: 2 – 2.5 hours

Red Tape/Notes: No fee or permit required; for more information on the trail, hikespeak has a nice post on the hike (including options for making the hike shorter).

What’s Nearby?: Malibu Creek State Park, Echo Cliffs, Hueco Wall, Point Dume, The Grotto

Wildwood Park is a surprising place to find in the midst of urban sprawl, and this hike has a lot to offer in under 5 miles, with 3 distinct destinations. There’s so much variety on this trail that looking back on it, it was hard for me to remember that it was all on the same hike. The highlights of the hike are Lizard Peak, Paradise Falls, and Indian Cave (if you don’t have time to see all three, you can shorten the route considerably by visiting just the falls or the falls and the cave). The hike starts out above the canyon, in a classic Southern California desert landscape, but morphs quickly into a verdant oasis as you drop down to the stream and you’ll stroll along the shaded stream bed until you reach Paradise Falls, which drops 40 feet. Nearby is the small Indian Cave, which is fun to crawl through and explore. Continue further downstream on the Wildwood Canyon Trail and the trail will eventually take you up to Lizard Peak, after which you’ll return to the parking area by hiking across the mesa.

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Los Angeles Area → Paradise Falls