Malibu has 47 miles of mapped trails, 2.3 for every square mile of land
28% of Malibu’s land is conserved, about 3,604 acres. 3,158 acres are parks and preserves, 303 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (15.4 mi), Zuma and Trancas Canyons (6.3 mi), Charmlee Wilderness Park (4.4 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #43 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
3,604 acres · of 19.8 sq mi of land
Trails
47 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,158 ac
303 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
558 ft
Solstice Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
62 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Malibu?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Malibu is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #43 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Malibu’s overall grade.
Water is more than half of Malibu’s area (79 of 99 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
The longest trail network is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, with 15.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
28% of Malibu’s land. Water is left out: Malibu has 19.8 square miles of land and 79.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Malibu’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,613 ac
National Park Service959 ac
State parks419 ac
County329 ac
Town or city218 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits108 ac
Other state land9 ac
Local Park · 1,341 acNational Recreation Area · 955 acState Park · 419 acLocal Conservation Area · 382 acLocal Recreation Area · 213 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 146 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 61 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area
National Park Service
981
Open
Charmlee Wilderness Park
Local Conservation Area
Regional agency
361
Open
Leo A. Carrillo and Edith Carrillo Memorial Park
Local Park
Regional agency
350
Open
Corral Canyon Park
Local Park
Regional agency
335
Open
Leo Carrillo State Park
State Park
State parks
284
Open
Escondido Canyon Park
Local Park
Regional agency
144
Open
Tuna Canyon Park
Local Park
Regional agency
142
Open
Zuma County Beach
Local Park
County
101
Open
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Santa Monica Mountains Open Space
Local Recreation Area
Town or city
97
Closed
Nature Trust of the Santa Monica Mountains
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
97
Open
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
93 places to go in Malibu
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Malibu
Amarillo BeachIn Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
166Tennis
15Basketball
12Beach volleyball
10Pickleball
10Equestrian
4Baseball
3Skate park
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Malibu: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
10.1
10.9
11.9
13.0
13.9
14.4
14.2
13.4
12.3
11.3
10.3
9.9
High (°F)
64
63
65
66
67
70
73
74
74
72
69
64
Rain (in)
2.2
2.6
1.8
0.5
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.4
0.6
1.9
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 74 °F). 2.6 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Malibu →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Malibu
Where can I hike in Malibu?
The longest trail networks: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 15.4 miles; Zuma and Trancas Canyons, 6.3 miles; Charmlee Wilderness Park, 4.4 miles; Corral Canyon Park, 3.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Malibu is conserved land?
28% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Malibu’s trails?
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Zuma and Trancas Canyons don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Malibu?
91,684 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Malibu or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,162 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Malibu have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #43 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Malibu neighbors.
Photo: The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.0