A pleasant, shady, easy hike through a forested canyon.
Near: Malibu, CA
Distance: 5 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 400 ft
Hike Time: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Condition: Well maintained trail
Hike Type: Out and Back
This is an enjoyable and relatively easy day hike along Newton Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains. Most of the trail is shaded by small oak trees, and the sun filtering through the trees is quite lovely. There was also the music of countless birds as I hiked. The trail slowly drops down into Newton Canyon, the climbs back up to meet Latigo Canyon, this hikes turn-around point. For some additional mileage and elevation gain, continue past this point on the Backbone Trail to the Castro Crest Motorway, adding an additional 3 miles to the hike.
Another option for extending this hike is to take a short trip down to Newton Canyon Falls from the parking lot. Hike west, away from Kanan Road, Take two forks to the left that drop you down into the Newton Creek Streambed. Head upstream for a few hundred feet to the base of a 30-foot seasonal waterfall. This bonus hike is about 1.5 miles round trip.
Trailhead
From the Ventura Freeway (101) in Agoura, take Kanan Road towards the beach for about 8 miles. The parking lot is on your right between the second and third tunnels. There are two trailheads in this parking area. Take the trail towards Latigo Canyon. (Lat:34.07591 Lon:-118.81533)
