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HIKE 8

Point Dume to Paradise Cove

Location: Malibu coast

Highlights: Panoramic ocean vistas and superb intertidal exploration

Distance: 2.1 miles (one way)

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 200'/200'

Hiking Time: 1½ hours

Optional Maps: Trails Illustrated Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or USGS 7.5-minute Point Dume

Best Times: All year (passable during low tide)

Agency: SMMNRA

Difficulty: Moderate

Trail Use: Good for kids

Like the armored bow of an icebreaker, flat-topped Point Dume juts into the Pacific about 20 miles west of Santa Monica. Just east of the point itself, an unbroken cliff wall shelters a secluded beach from the sights and sounds of the civilized world. Below the sometimes-narrow stretch of sand east of Point Dume, a strip of rocky coastline harbors tidepools and a mind-boggling array of plant and animal life.

A pleasant walk anytime the tide is low, this trip is doubly rewarding when the tide dips as low as negative 2 feet. Some of the tidepool inhabitants include: limpets, periwinkles, chitons, tube snails, sandcastle worms, sculpins, mussels, shore and hermit crabs, green and aggregating anemones, three kinds of barnacles, and two kinds of sea stars. Extremely low tides occur during the afternoon two or three times each month from October through March. During the summer, you’ll have to get up early to catch the rare negative tides. Consult tide tables to find out exactly when.