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Live oak in Solstice Canyon

To Reach the Trailhead: From Highway 1 in Malibu 0.3 mile west of mile marker 001 LA 50.0, turn north onto Corral Canyon Road. In 0.2 mile, turn left into the park. There’s overflow parking space for several cars at the entrance, and a more spacious lot 0.3 mile farther inside at the main trailhead. Parking is free. Carpooling is encouraged since parking space is limited. Posted park hours are 8 a.m.–s unset. The trail description begins from the inside parking lot.

Description: Starting at the main trailhead, pass through a gate and continue upstream alongside the canyon’s melodious creek. The path is paved for much of the way. You travel through a fantastic woodland of alder, sycamore, bay, and live oak—the latter with trunks up to 18 feet in circumference. In 0.7 mile, you pass an 1865 stone cottage on the right—thought to be the oldest existing stone building in Malibu.

At 1.2 miles, you arrive at the remains of Tropical Terrace. In a setting of palms and giant birds-of-paradise, curved flagstone steps sweep toward the roofless remains of what was for 26 years one of Malibu’s grand homes. Beyond the house, crumbling stone steps and pathways lead to what used to be elaborately decorated rock grottoes, as well as a waterfall on Solstice Canyon’s creek. Hidden among the Tropical Terrace ruins are the remains of a concrete bomb shelter. For all its perfectly natural setting, Tropical Terrace’s destiny was that of a temporary paradise, wiped out by both fire and flood.