Solstice Canyon, Malibu: short hike to waterfall and ruins

November 7, 8:06 PMAltadena Headlines ExaminerLaura Berthold Monteros

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Altadena Headlines Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Charred tree two years after Corral Canyon fire

An easy day trip from anywhere in Los Angeles or Ventura Counties, Solstice Canyon lies in the Santa Monica Mountains just north of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California.  It’s a short hike with a gentle uphill slope from the parking area off Corral Canyon Road, about three miles round trip.

The trail meanders along a stream through native chaparral and non-native invaders.  This area has experienced several burns, most recently the Corral Canyon fire of November, 2007.  Normally shady and cool, the trail now is open to sunlight and can be a bit uncomfortable unless the hiker brings plenty of water and sunscreen.  Chaparral loves a fire, though, and many plants will not grow without it.  The bountiful sycamore, alder, bay, and live oak may be charred but are still alive, and smaller brush is beginning to come back through heat-activated germination or offshoots.  It’s interesting to watch the growth as the canyon heals itself.

Falls at top of Solstice Canyon

The canyon’s wildlife inhabitants include small animals, deer, and reptiles.  The stream that flows along the path hosts a variety of insects and amphibians, but also an overgrowth of poison oak.

As well as natural beauty, Solstice Canyon offers two haunting ruins: the Henry Keller stone cottage about midway through, and the remains of modernist Tropical Terrace, designed by African-American architect Paul Williams for Fred and Florence Roberts, at the top of the canyon by the falls.

Around 1865, a settler named Sweeney built a wood cabin which was purchased by Keller in 1901, in part for the good hunting and fishing.  Two years later, a wildfire ravaged the homestead.  Swearing never to be burned out again, Keller rebuilt the cottage in stone and tin.  This tactic allowed it to withstand subsequent fires until the Corral Canyon fire destroyed the roof and wood porches that had been added.

Tropical Terrace

 Tropical Terrace was built in 1952 and incorporated natural features within the design, both those that existed in the canyon and man-made additions such as a waterfall set into the hillside outside the kitchen window and an artificial stream running to a fishpond.  The Roberts also brought in non-native tropical plants that continue to thrive.  Horseshoes were inset in the walkways, and at some point a statue of the Virgin Mary was set into a niche on the other side of the falls.  Visitors can climb the steep rocks surrounding the 30-foot falls to get to the niche.
To get to Solstice Canyon, take PCH to Corral Canyon Road (on the north) to the parking lot at Solstice Canyon Road.

photos by Laura Monteros