Zuma Canyon Ocean View Trail – Canyon View Trail loop in the Santa Monica Mountains
The appeal of Ocean View and Canyon View Trails is self-evident. Both offer fine views of the Pacific Ocean and Zuma Canyon. Located on the opposite side of Zuma Canyon as Zuma Ridge Trail, Ocean View and Canyon View Trails combine to form a 3.1-mile loop with 750 feet of elevation gain.
To complete the loop, leave from the Bonsall Trailhead and start up Zuma Canyon Trail. The first junction you cross on the right is Ocean View Trail (after 0.2 miles). The second trail on the right is Canyon View Trail. Each trails weave up a mountainside of coastal sage to a connection with an Edison Fire Road near the top of the ridge. Every junction along the way is well marked.
This being a loop, you are free to head up either trail. Both tracks have been rutted by horse traffic, which loosens the dirt and makes the steep sections extra grueling. There is more loose sand on the Ocean View Trail, making it better suited for the descent.
A half-mile from the trailhead, make a right on Canyon View Trail. The single-track makes an aggressive ascent of the wall of the canyon. After a mile of good climbing, round the top of the trail and head east. Canyon View Trail ends at a junction 1.3 miles from the canyon bottom.
Make a right and continue a short distance to another marked junction. Ocean View Trail begins its descent to the right. Turn here and take the sandy track for 1.1 miles back into Zuma Canyon. These are the best views of the hike, which you are free to enjoy as you lope downhill. The single-track drops back to the canyon floor, surrendering the sweeping ocean and canyon views. Cross the dry creek bed and make a left on Zuma Canyon Trail to complete the hike.
To get to the trailhead: Take PCH to Malibu and make a right on Bonsall Drive, one mile west of Kanan Dune Road (If you pass Zuma Beach, you have gone too far). Drive north on Bonsall Drive for one more mile to the dirt parking lot at the end of the road. The trail leaves from the northwest corner of the lot.
Trailhead address: 5875 Bonsall Drive, Malibu, CA 90265
Trailhead coordinates: 34.0317, -118.8122 (34° 01′ 54.2″N 118° 48′ 43.9″W)
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 | Zuma Canyon Trail This 2.8-mile hike leaves a coastal Malibu neighborhood to explore rustic Zuma Canyon. |
 | Zuma Canyon Narrows - Zuma Ridge Loop This off-trail trek crosses the narrow canyon between Zuma Canyon Trail and Edison Road. Hikers may return along the Zuma Ridge Trail to form a challenging 8-mile loop. |
 | Zuma Ridge Trail This wide dirt service road which weaves northwest up the back of the ridge west of Zuma Canyon offering access to several trails in the area. |
 | Point Dume Natural Preserve This one-mile hike explores overlooks on a scenic headland jutting into the Pacific at the northwest end of Santa Monica Bay in Malibu. |
 | Charmlee Wilderness Park This 3.25-mile loop is one of several possible hikes in this bluff-top park with ocean views over Malibu. |
 | More trails in the Santa Monica Mountains Explore other destinations in the range. |
 | Corral Canyon This 2.5-mile loop offers ocean and canyon views from a unspoiled section of the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu. |
 | Talepop Loop This 4.75-mile hike climbs 500 feet over a scenic mountain between Liberty Canyon and Las Virgenes Canyon on the north end of Malibu Creek State Park. |
 | Temescal Canyon This 2.6-mile loop offers a variety of scenery and decent exercise, despite its relative brevity. |
 | Runyon Canyon Tour Hollywood's most popular dog park on loops of various lengths, offering good exercise and views over Los Angeles. |
 | The Grotto This 3-mile out and back hike visits a remote grotto in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. |
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