Charmlee Wilderness Park

If you are looking for a long challenging hike … this is not the place. Its a spider web of short trails that lead out to some of the best views in Malibu. Great place to go for a little stroll and relax.

Amazing! I do believe that this is my favorite hike so far! I almost hate to share it. THE VIEWS! S’all I’m gonna say. Easy and plentiful parking, if you’re lucky enough to go during the week, not crowded at all, at least when we went. Lots of trails to add on distance and incline (if you like). So good.

My favorite SoCal hike and mountain bike ride. Beautiful views and easy enough for beginners but w options to make challenging enough for intermediates.

This out of the way park is beautiful with sweeping ocean vistss and green rolling hills. There iis a small parking lot that never seems to fill. Lovelypicnic area shaded bt california live oaks. A few miles off pch up the hill but definitely worth the drive. Come here to escape the crowds of other parks in the santa monica mountains.
Don’t tell anybody else about this hidden gem! LOL

This is a great area for easy hiking. I’d probably call it more nature walking than hiking but there are some amazing views of the ocean and the hills. The area is well maintained and the parking and bathrooms were in good shape. The only reason it didn’t get five stars is that the signs weren’t marked very well although you could still make out where you were and where you were going. Pack a picnic and bring the family!

After leaving Neptune’s Net we decided to take a little detour, rather than driving back home. I mean, did you see the weather outside?! We couldn’t resist and I sure was not driving!
Driving the winding road, we made a stop (I mean, there’s cars parked and people everywhere, do who isn’t curious as to what is going on) to see what was happening. It’s a hike hiking trail. A hiking trail?! A HIKING TRAIL! Thankfully, I am always prepared for a good hike. It was beautiful. Doggy friendly. We met a lot of dog owners walking their dogs along the dirty trail. It’s a park with a nice sized picnic area. So many love birds were out exploring the wilderness together. I loved seeing that… especially the older couples. Made me tear up a bit.
If you’re looking for a quiet spot and don’t mind the drive, this is for you, or if you’ve been redirected/​detoured and stumble upon this park, then make it worthwhile. You’ll have many memories and maybe a check off from your bucket list. Actually this was one on my list: to be detoured on a long winding, secluded road with someone who can’t stand you. Check! (Kidding on the latter).

Love this little area!
Dog friendly. Great area for picnics. Clean bathrooms. Plenty of water from the water fountains. Pretty secluded.
We enjoyed this area for a picnic and then went on a little hike with our dog. There were a lot of bugs in the area but otherwise, we really liked it.
There seems to be some sort of fee for the parking but there is no sign saying how much. They just had a little box with envelopes you can place money in. I have seen previous Unilocalers say it is 4 bucks.
They also seem to have varying activities throughout the year which look intriguing.
The views are beautiful from the picnic area. The hike is a bit sunny so it may be better earlier in the morning or on a cooler day.

Awesome little hike. Nothing too strenuous, incredible views of the ocean, extremely peaceful AND dog friendly! I didn’t realize you had to pay for parking, will make sure to have cash on me next time.
There are picnic tables so you can enjoy a lunch and I bet the sunsets here are out of this world. Will definitely be coming back for more hiking here.

I’ve hiked this trail twice now. The overlooks are really great for beautiful ocean views in Malibu. It also has great wooded areas and trees. The meadow was dried up on this last hike so no wild flowers like it said in my hiking book for February. The different trails can be a little confusing, but it can also be fun to explore the different ones and you are never far from parking.

A small, quaint, scenic microcosm of the beauty California’s coast has to offer. You can hike all of this area in an afternoon. Climb rocks, climb trees, birdwatch, enjoy the amazing, yet easily accessible, overlooks of the coast. I think this is some of the best hiking in the Malibu area.

My friends and I made our way out to Malibu this past weekend (MLK holiday) to explore Charmlee Wilderness Park. It took us about an hour or more to find the place because Google Map lead us to a private road that was chained up so we had to find another route to get to the park’s parking lot. There is a sign that said «Charmlee Wilderness Park» on Encinal Canyon Rd. Just turn into that driveway and you will eventually find a small parking lot (which I learned afterwards that you have to pay $ 4)
This park has a lot of trails so be an explorer and be adventurous. Keep in mind, if you pick all the downhill trails, you’re going to eventually have to hike uphill on the way back (when you’re more tired…) That’s what happened to my group. There are occasional people riding their horses or walking their dogs so keep an eye out for them. The view towards the ocean was pretty but it wasn’t breathtaking in my opinion. It was just nice to get some (sorta) fresh air and burn some calories.

One of the best trails in the in the Santa Monica Mountains. And the drive is also fun to get to this place.

This little park is a hidden gem! I’ll be honest, I was a little concerned & focused on the signs that mentioned high counts of ticks (not in those exact words, but it’s there)…Really you just have to exercise caution and wear long pants & tuck them in socks. I’d also bring bug repellent because there were quite a bugs, other than that… it was magnificent!!! Gorgeous ocean views, lots of trails to venture to and make it as longer or shorter as you want. Very clean and well kept. Some trails filled w/​lots of shade and others out in the open, but still you right by the ocean and it’s not as hot.
There were some points of the trail that did get confusing, but doable. Parking (this being weekday) was plentiful, however there was mention of parking fee of $ 4, but didn’t see the box where we are suppose to put it. Definitely look for it the next time, I don’t have a problem paying, but a problem finding the box to insert cash. It’s definitely worth paying to keeping the park well maintained and open.
There’s a picnic area, clean bathrooms & it’s shaded in that area.
Views again… stunning, breathtaking & heck yeah… amazing!!! It’s a little hidden & seems hard to get to but not really, just not knowing where your going.
Do be cautious of wildlife… we heard rattlers & coyotes and saw leaves that where questionable wondering if poisonous.
Again a great little treasure to go to in this area!!!

A beautiful park, but watch out… the testing has shown very high concentrations of Lyme ticks. if I remember correctly about half of the ticks there were infected with Lyme, which gets passed to humans and can be a deadly disease. If you go there and walk in the grass, tuck your trousers into your socks. The lyme ticks are very very tiny, the chance are high you will not see if one got onto your body, until it’s too late. I got lyme disease twice. The Santa Monica mountains have, after the tri-​state areas in the northeast, the highest risk of infection with Lyme. The LA times does not like to write about this because its not good for tourism., But Lyme is a terrible disease, and one has to exercise caution.

Stunning views, never crowded, lots of room to wander around. It’s true that the trails can be a bit hard to follow for lack of clarity, but the hikes are pretty easy and the scenery is pure California gorgeousness.

Located in the hills above Malibu, Charmlee Wilderness Park is probably best in the spring, when its meadows come alive with wildflowers. However, the ocean views and groves of oaks can be enjoyed year round.
The park has a variety of hiking trails that frame the meadow. Unfortunately, if there’s one drawback it’s that the layout can be a little confusing, and the signs aren’t always clear. If you’re looking to hike a particular route, you might find it tricky to follow, but if you have plenty of time and don’t mind wandering a little bit, you’re sure to enjoy yourself. It’s possible to piece together a fairly decent workout with all of the trails here, but some visitors might just want to take leisurely stroll or have a picnic in the shade.

Very Nice. Great views of the ocean at the end of the hike, if I have time, I’ll post some pics.
$ 4 parking fee in a little envelope will allow you to park very close to the start of the trail.
GPS took us the long way around to get here, but still worth it.
Cheers!
PS Beware of the poison oak, big ants and possibly coyotes and rattlesnakes!

A haiku review:
Real nice hiking trails
Get away from the city
Views galore, so great

This review is for 10÷8÷2011. It has been a couple months since my good buddy and I did a hike in Los Angeles County. With a lot of time on my hands, it was good reason to restart the hiking venture. The problem was where to go. The common place amongst our top 3 location was Malibu. We decided to head on over to Charmlee Wilderness Park.
We had planned to go to Escondido Canyon Trails about a week before, but the one turnoff was the parking and the overcrowding. I have a big truck and parallel parking was not an option. Charmlee was never on our original list, but it had a big plus… It was quiet.
We arrived at Charmlee Wilderness Park at 12:10pm. There is no Ranger or some booth to pay your fee, but don’t bet you don’t have to pay. There is a $ 4 Parking Fee on a sort of honor system. Once you park, you grab an envelope and place your money in and put your License Plate Number with the green ticket on your dashboard. It is better to be safe than sorry. I didn’t pay initially, but when I returned after the hike, there was a purple notice saying to pay the $ 4 Fee. So, I paid just to be safe than to receive some fine from the City of Malibu.
There are picnic tables and restrooms in the beginning of the lot. I suggest you use it before going on the hike. Some places these amenities aren’t even offered. I picked up a map which is NOT TO SCALE, but its definitely helpful. I have uploaded the map for your reference. You have different routes to take, but its all wonderful routes depending on the intensity of how you took that route.
There is one route you should avoid that is not on the map. Its hard to explain, but if you see construction trucks, then you are reaching a dead end and the fight to return back up is going to be a pain. The hike overall was about two hours with the constant stops and me panting so much that I ran for hours, but only ran out of gas up the hill.
I can mark this off my books and say that I have hiked my third place in Los Angeles. I still got a lot of places to take off my bucket list. Any suggestions on where to hike next for a beginner? Please don’t give me anything on EXPERT LEVEL… Not yet anyways.
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I’ve hiked all over Malibu, West L.A. and Hollywood and by far still love Charmlee best. It’s a great hike for all levels and the vistas are incredible. There is tons of wildlife from rabbits to deer. The trails go from fire roads to foot paths. Great for picnics followed by a hike or the other way around. The blossoms in the spring are second to none. I promise, you’ll love Charmlee for your next hike.
See their website at:

You can also download a trail map, see pictures of the picnic area, ampitheater, and find out more about their Full Moon Night Hikes, the wildlife, and docent-​led hikes.