Arroyo Sequit Canyon

The Arroyo Sequit Canyon Trail enters a lush canyon immediately behind the famous Leo Carrillo beach to reach a seasonal waterfall that flows during winter and early spring, surrounded by towering California sycamores whose mottled white and gray trunks glow against the dark canyon walls. The canyon provides a striking contrast to the exposed beach immediately at its mouth, dropping into a cool, shaded riparian environment fed by Arroyo Sequit Creek and its seasonal tributaries. Hikers move from the sun-baked coastal scrub into a cathedral of western sycamores, bigleaf maples, and coast live oaks within just a few hundred yards of the trailhead. The waterfall cascades over a sandstone ledge into a shallow pool that is particularly photogenic in late winter when rainfall is at its peak and the creek runs full and fast. Leo Carrillo State Park is one of the most-filmed beaches in Malibu, appearing in countless movies and television productions dating back to the early Hollywood era, and the canyon has served as a backdrop for numerous productions seeking a wild tropical look within driving distance of Los Angeles studios. Monarch butterflies shelter in the sycamore groves during fall migration, and western fence lizards sun themselves on the creek boulders throughout the warm months. The short distance makes this an ideal family hike that can be easily combined with a beach afternoon at one of the finest state park beaches in Southern California.