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The Santa Monica Mountains soar to the sky.  The wild beauty of the Pacific and its shoreline fills the senses.  Hike rocky shores below steep cliffs, unpopulated secluded beaches, and popular Southern California strands on this 3-day, 32-mile Walkabout. 

Start this Walkabout at Leo Carrillo State Beach near the Ventura/L.A. County line.  Day 1 (7.9 miles) hikes a series of state and county beaches separated by rocky points that may require some bouldering or a hike along the bluffs.  Except for the forces of erosion and a few human staircases, this protected shoreline has remained unchanged since this land was Chumash.

Flocks of shorebirds stop on their migration along the Pacific Flyway.  Pelican, gulls, and shore birds feed in the bountiful waters.  Harbor seals and sea lions rest on rocky outcroppings.  A school of dolphins may glide by, just beyond the surf, black dorsal fins cresting with each breath.

End the first day at Zuma County Beach.  Take a swim, and enjoy the people-watching.  Then check into the Malibu Country Inn, a refurbished classic 1950s style SoCal motel.  Your room may have a private deck and even a fireplace.

Day 2 (11.4 miles) hikes to Malibu.  Leaving Zuma, you ascend Pt. Dume, a towering ancient volcanic cone, 200 feet high, rising abruptly at the ocean’s edge.  A state nature preserve, this is a great place to pause and watch for gray whales as they migrate between warm Baja mating and calving lagoons and the rich feeding waters of the arctic sea.

There are challenging stretches when you will need to leave the shore to hike coastal bluffs or through the neighborhoods.  Our guide describes when to set out so you can hike around rocky points at low tide.  Round Malibu Point and stroll Surfrider Beach.  Explore the preserved coastal wetlands of Malibu Lagoon.  Pelicans, cormorants, ducks, coots, and night herons relax in the calm waters.

Set out on the graceful arc of Carbon Beach on Day 3 (12.4 miles).  Hike shore and sidewalk before reaching expansive state Beaches – Will Rogers and Santa Monica.  The Ferris wheel on Santa Monica Pier comes into view.  Hike along the water’s edge or stroll the South Bay Bicycle Trail.  Either way is a celebration of Southern California beach life – surfing, volleyball, swimming, sunbathing, Frisbees, rollerblading, kites, bikes, and dogs  End your day in Santa Monica.  Check out the tacky pleasures of the pier and the plentiful bars and restaurants on Third Street Promenade.

Enjoy fun inns and great dining.  This shoreline is wild, challenging, and beautiful - a treasure of bountiful sea life, rugged coastline, exquisite beaches and towering mountains.  Leave the car behind, and take a Walkabout on the Malibu Coast.

The Malibu Coast Walkabout is one of the multi-day hikes found in “Walkabout Malibu to Mexico: Hiking Inn-to-Inn on the southern California Coast.”  It can also be purchased as an individual guide.

Along the Pacific Rim’s Ring of Fire, the Cascade Mountains reach as far north as Mt. Garibaldi in British Columbia. This range of massive volcanoes stretches south through Washington, Oregon and Northern California. At its southern tip lies Lassen Peak, resting from its most recent eruption in 1917. Surrounding the mountain is Lassen Volcanic National Park, a wild and exotic Northern California treasure.

There are two walkabouts through this enchanted land. The first, a two day 22.2 mile hike, requires two cars. It explores the park from its northeast to southwest corners. Starting in a land of lava beds and painted cinder dunes, you hike south to a lush hot springs valley. The trail on the second hiking day explores mountain lakes and streams, deep glaciated canyons, and otherworldly hydrothermal landscapes.

The second walkabout is a 19.4 mile loop that starts high at Summit Lake and requires only
one car. It explores the central park, a mountainous land of forests, lakes, and streams. Each trek offers a spectacular waterfall, swims in mountain lakes, and windows into the earth’s fiery interior.
Both walkabouts stop over at Drakesbad Guest Ranch, selected by Frommer’s editorial staff as one
of its worldwide “Top Destinations for 2009” and the only lodging in or near the park. Stay a few days
and enjoy soaking in the hot springs. Explore the verdant Warner Valley and surrounding landscape of
boiling lakes and steaming fumaroles. Relax with fine dining and perhaps a therapeutic massage.

$6.99

Visit the Walkabout store to learn more about this and other guides to hiking from inn-to-inn through the wilds of California.

“Like gigantic geysers spouting molten rock instead of water, volcanoes work and rest, and we have no sure means of knowing whether they are dead when still, or only sleeping.”
- John Muir

This is a challenging 41.6 mile hike that crosses the Sierra Nevada from east to west. It passes through some of the most breathtaking parts of these majestic mountains, traveling along the trail of the pony express and in the footsteps of adventurers who once sought fortune in the gold rush of the mid-1800s.

There are three days of hiking, each ending at a beautiful mountain resort. Take an extra rest day or two, and enjoy the good food, peaceful settings and a relaxing sauna. The hike crosses Carson Pass and West Pass. The longest day is nineteen miles. The trek is perhaps made easier knowing that earlier travelers on this route were hauling all their worldly possessions over the passes by wagon. Walk back into history and across the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

$6.99

“You can’t see anything from a car, you have got to get out of the god-damned contraption and walk…”
-Edward Abbey