Hiking Point Mugu Scenic And Overlook Trails Loop

Situated along the picturesque Malibu coastline, Point Mugu State Park offers a wonderful place to visit for camping, hiking, and mountain biking.

For first-time visitors, I highly recommend checking out the Point Mugu Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop which is less than 3 miles long. This hike offers incredible views of the surrounding mountains and stops at a viewing point of the Pacific Ocean along the way.

Find out more details about this trail, where to park, how much it costs, and what you can expect to see during your hike!

Hiking Tip: Before heading out on this trail, I recommend downloading an offline map from the AllTrails hiking app. This way you will always have access to the trail map, even when you lose reception!

Trail Highlights

Here are a few quick trail highlights before I dive into more details:

Length: 2.7-mile long loop
Elevation Gain: around 400 feet
Time Needed: 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Dogs allowed?: No, Point Mugu State Park does not allow dogs on the trails
Cost: $3 per hour for parking or $12 flat fee per day

Trail Parking

The Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop is located within Point Mugu State Park. There is a small parking fee that you will need to pay upon arrival. You can pay this fee upfront at the entrance gate or the parking lot machine.

The parking fee is $3 per hour or you can pay a $12 flat daily rate. This specific trail takes around 2 hours to complete so I paid $6. You can add extra time if you think the hike might take longer and don’t want to rush back.

To reach the trailhead you can set directions for Sycamore Canyon Campground. Once you enter the park gates you will need to go left to park in the day visitor parking lot. There is a restroom with running water that you can use before or after the hike.

Point Mugu Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop parking lot.

Restroom for day visitors at the Sycamore Canyon Campground.

The main Sycamore Canyon Trailhead is located up the road just past the campground. You can walk along Sycamore Canyon Road until you reach a large, yellow gate. Go past the gate to start the hike.

If you plan to camp here with your dog, dogs are not allowed past this gate or on any of the park trails. Dogs can disturb wildlife and may cause animals like bobcats to leave the area.

About Scenic And Overlook Trails Loop

Point Mugu State Park is open daily from 8 am to 10 pm. If you plan to hike this trail on the weekend, I suggest coming early to avoid the crowds. I did this hike on a weekday in the summer and barely saw anyone else on the trail.

This trail is a 2.7-mile-long loop that starts along a wide canyon road and then climbs up into the mountains. I followed the Point Mugu Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop route from the AllTrails hiking app which travels counterclockwise.

Point Mugu Scenic And Overlook Trails Loop Map:

Going counterclockwise you’ll climb the trail steadily up for about 1.7 miles to a viewpoint before descending back to the campground.

I highly recommend stopping by the Pacific Idea Scenic Bench to enjoy views of the Malibu coastline and the Pacific Ocean from up top.

Ocean views along the Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop.

There is almost no shade along this trail so packing sunscreen, a hiking hat, and extra water bottles is a must! Even on a cloudy day and after applying sunscreen multiple times I got a sunburn on this hike.

In the spring after a heavy rainfall, there can be a few creek crossings that you might need to do. I hiked this trail in the summer when most of the water had already dried out.

If you plan to do this trek in spring, be sure to wear waterproof hiking boots to cross the creeks safely.

My Experience Hiking The Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop

After passing through the entrance gate and paying the parking fee, I turned to the left and parked in the day visitor lot. From there I walked along the paved Sycamore Canyon Road passing campgrounds along the way.

Shaded campsite at Sycamore Canyon Campground.

The hike starts at the Sycamore Canyon Trailhead where you can check out a map of the nearby trails. You will see ‘no dogs’ and ‘no drones’ signs and information on mosquitos, mountain lions, and other wild animals.

After you pass through the yellow gate you will see a small side trail to the left with a sign for the Scenic Trail. This trail is part of the loop so you can turn left here to start the climb up or keep going along the main Sycamore Canyon Road.

Sign for the Scenic Trail at Point Mugu State Park.

I kept going along the Sycamore Cayon Road to hike the loop counterclockwise which is much easier.

The Sycamore Canyon road is very wide and shared with mountain bikers. There is some shade here but it doesn’t last very long.

Sycamore Canyon Road at Point Mugu State Park.

In 0.7 miles I made a left onto the Overlook Fire Road to start the climb up. There was one creek that I had to cross to keep going.

The higher you climb, the better the views will get! Along this section, you’ll get to enjoy stunning vistas of the surrounding hills covered in fog.

Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop in Point Mugu State Park.

I hiked this trail on a weekday and did not see another person along this section. It felt very relaxing and peaceful to be out in nature completely solo.

In 1.7 miles I made a left for the Scenic Trail. This section gets narrower and only allows hikers, not mountain bikers.

Hiking the Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop.

After turning into Scenic Trail you can go on a couple of short side trails to viewpoints of the coastline.

I went on a quick detour to the Pacific Idea Scenic Bench where you can see views of Pacific Coast Highway and the Malibu coastline. Here you can also sit on the bench to enjoy a quick snack before you keep going.

Views of the Malibu coastline from the Scenic Trail.

I also hiked up a short but steep hill along the Great Dune View Trail. The views from the summit were covered in a dense fog so I couldn’t see much. I did get a closer look at the Sandy Dune, which you can climb by parking next to Highway 1.

After enjoying the viewpoints I ventured back onto the Scenic Trail and started the climb down. This trail was a bit overgrown with wildflowers and bushes.

Some parts of the Scenic Trail are very steep, but there are wooden stairs built to help with the climb down.

The trail ends by the yellow gate where you can exit and take the main road back to the parking lot.

I hope this hiking guide has helped you prepare for a wonderful visit to Point Mugu State Park in Malibu!

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This post is written by Laura Sausina. Hi, I’m a California local and the founder of the California Wanderland travel blog. I currently live in Ventura County and help 30,000 readers a month discover things to do in Central California! Read more about me here.

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