Mishe Mokwa Trail to Split Rock Trail is a 5.6 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Malibu, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and running and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
California Travel and Tourism Commision, P.O. Box 1499 , Sacramento, CA, 95812-1499, Phone: 800-862-2543
Directions from Thousand Oaks, CA: Travel US 101 / Ventura Freeway east to Highway 23 / Westlake Boulevard. Head south on Hwy. 23 to Mulholland Highway. Turn right (west) and proceed to Yerba Buena Road to reach Circle X Ranch. Park at Sanstone Peak Trailhead.
Came here around 10:30am on a Saturday morning and the parking lot was pretty much full. I had to park tandem here. There are 2 vault toilets and it was pretty clean and did not smell at all. That's probably due to it being cleaned right when I arrived. There's also a shaded table if you want to have a picnic before or after the hike. Just note that the entire loop is unshaded, so make sure to put on sunscreen. Right off the bat, you are climbing for about .5 miles or so to the split Mishe Mokwa or Sandstone Peak. We decided to take the Mishe Mokwa trail and go counter clockwise. This route is more of a gradual elevation gain compared to going the Sandstone Peak route first (clockwise). Going counter clockwise first you get a nice view of the ocean and valley and you also get the cool breeze. The only drawback with going this way first is that you are constantly climbing up until you get to Sandstone Peak and by the time you get to the Peak, you are zapped of energy and have to make the scramble straight up to the Peak. Then you have to have enough energy to scramble back down without losing your footing. There are parts of this trail that is flat, but nothing too difficult. If you decide to go clockwise straight up to Sandstone Peak first, be aware that you will be gaining about 1,000 ft of elevation on your first 1.4 miles. But the good part is once you come down from the peak, you are pretty much going downhill the entire way back to the parking lot. For those of you who have knee issues, I would suggest you go to Sandstone Peak first. Since I went to the Mishe Mokwa trail first and spent all my energy climbing, by the time I started descending, my knees started to give out and made it a little difficult to walk down. Thankfully I had a patella strap and hiking poles to assist with the descent.
Great scenery, well-maintained trails, a variety of landscapes, some scrambling up/down the rocky slopes and at the highest points a refreshing coastal breeze! Just BEAUTIFUL!!!
First time out here - absolutely gorgeous. Well maintained trails, variety of ecosystems and landscapes, and vast regional views of Southern California.
Beautiful views! Climbed extra rocks that offered more 360 degree views in addition to inspiration peak. Easy stroll. Go counter clockwise!
Great trail, nice off chute trails. Ocean and Valley views, definitely recommend it.
Great views of Catalina, Anacapa, and Santa Cruz islands. Very rocky in stretches and I would suggest going clockwise.