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 Reporter |
Summary: This is a fun hike into a dark and spooky grotto, with house size boulders, caves, waterfalls, steep walls, and a real sense of mystery. The hike into the grotto is pleasant, but not spectacular. Once in the grotto you can have a blast scrambling around on the boulders of you have a good sense of balance and are careful. Lots of fun! Trailhead: Circle X Ranch is 5 ½ miles from Pacific Coast Highway on Yerba Buena Road in Malibu. Alternately, from Westlake Village, exit on Westlake Blvd from the 101 Freeway, and follow it south for several miles as it merges with Mulholland highway. Turn right onto Little Sycamore Canyon and it will become Yerba Buena Road as you cross the county line. Proceed on Yerba Buena Road for about 5 miles to the Circle X Ranger Station on the left side of the road. (Lat:34.1103 Lon:-118.9365) Trail Guides for Grotto Trail: On The Trail - Malibu to Santa Barbara by Cathy Philipp (Cathy Philipp Publishing) California Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Ann Marie Brown (Foghorn Press) Afoot & Afield In Los Angeles by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs Ranger Contact: Santa Monica Rec. Area - 805-370-2301 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 6 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Valerie on 1/15/2010 Hiked today for the first time. The grottos were beautiful.. Yes we did get all the way down. There is a very narrow and steep almost hidden trail up to the right that looks like it goes nowhere but will actually take you down. We almost missed it.
Reviewed by Anthony on 1/1/2010 Hiked this yesterday with 3 other friends. Beautiful area for a hike. We hike all the way to the rocky area but could not get down to see the bottom because it looked like there was no way down but some other people managed to get down. Anyone know how to actually reach the base? 
Reviewed by Greg H on 8/9/2009 Nice hike, Perfect Weather Followed the creek and much climbing on rocks is involved. Wear shoes with good traction. The cave was cool We hiked on past the grotto and kept going. Total hiking time we did was 6 hours The other people went back after grotto and only hiked about 3.75 hours. Watch out for poison oak but if you know what your looking for it's not a problem. Fun hike We rocked the Grotto Baby
Reviewed by S.S. on 4/8/2009 The flowers were really blooming along the trail 4/5. Took a shower under the water of the grotto and had a really enjoyable time. The uphill on the way back wasn't too bad. The stop off at Neptune's Net at the bottom of Yerba Buena for their fish and chips added to the experience too. A few photos of my hike can be seen here: http://budurl.com/grotto 
Reviewed by M A L on 3/1/2009 Hiked this trail in early February, 2009. Found it charming to run into a rather large lady bug picnic. Took the trail down to the grotto which was romantic and spooky! Upon our return we were reminded of our downhill hike and were faced with a strenuous return. We found the ranger helpful and it was just nice to be off the trail and not climbing uphill anymore. We took with us 10 ticks on our dog and one tick attached to the man. So look for the lady bugs and beware of the ticks!
Reviewed by Lori on 1/6/2009 Hiked this trail on 12/29/08 and was amazed by a huge concentration of ladybugs in a certain area. It was almost Alfred Hitchcock-like. Does anyone know why this is? I really like this hike and my teeagers enjoy is as well.
Reviewed by lexy on 1/4/2009 we did this trail for the first time today and had lots of fun climbing over the gigantic rocks! good boots and ankle support are a must because there are lots of spots with loose rock on the trail and lots of loose rock in the grotto right now. dress warm, it was very chilly down in the canyon!
Reviewed by DSG on 9/21/2008 Hiked the Grotto Trail September 13th, 2008. Is a manned ranger station at the top of the parking area, gives a sense of security on leaving vehicles unattended. Nice short hike. The grotto is impressive, although found the remains of what appeared to be a deer inside. The bugs were biting this time of year. I'll likely be returning in the near future. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||