Point Mugu State Park

I found another one! Turns out I am not entirely done with California adventures – nor should anyone ever be, come to think of it! Believe it or not, we didn’t plan this outing: all the credit is due to my sister-in-law. It was Megan’s idea to share an adventure in Point Mugu State Park!

A selfie featuring a very smile-y Kent in the foreground, Carrie with a raised fist in the middle and Megan in the background with the opposite fist in the air. The trio are high in the golden hills of southern California in Point Mugu State Park!

It was 2015, and one of the highlights of our second Great American Road Trip was paying Megan a visit on the southern California coast (other features of this trip included Yosemite & Inyo). In addition to sharing bomb burritos and hangs on beautiful beaches, we decided to take a hike!

KnC are joined by CnM, Kent's younger sister and her then boyfriend. The foursome sit on a beach blanket, with a pastel sky at sunset forming the background.
Awh, it’s a double date!

So, early on a classic Californian morning, all blue skies and blazing sunshine, we piled into Ravi the adventuremobile and headed off to Point Mugu State Park. Our destination was La Jolla Canyon (you can bet I mangled the pronunciation of this place, much the merriment of my two Spanish-speaking companions).

A large metal sign announces the entrance to Point Mugu State Park: La Jolla Canyon. Golden hills lie beyond under a bright blue sky.

Striking out from Ray Miller Trailhead, we quickly met with…failure. After turning left when we should have turned right, we almost immediately met with a landslide and the resulting trail closure. Luckily, La Jolla Canyon Trail was not our only option!

Retracing our steps, we took a different route. Backbone Trail was open, and it was just what we were looking for!

In this image, a thin trail wraps around the corner of a desert hill. The earth is a reddish hue, and there are medium sized rocks and scraggly grey plants everywhere. In the distance, the hills appear more of a golden hue.

We gained elevation quickly, and soon had stupendous views out over the park. Inland, the rolling hills were parched and yellow: dotted here and there with hardy plant life. Looking back revealed a great sweep of blue sea.

A panoramic image featuring the view of the sea from the Backbone Trail in Point Mugu State Park.

Many of our walks and runs are silent; solitary. But this was a particularly fun and social hike. We laughed and chatted and spent a significant amount of time jumping up and down in pairs.

A photograph of the author and her sister-in-law following an attempted jump shot. Both have their feet solidly on the trail and are laughing. The background is a beautiful stretch of coastline below golden hills.
Laughing over several mistimed takes
In the same spot, the author and her husband attempt a jump shot - and only husband succeeds. Kent is midair with his arms raised, while only Carrie's ponytail catches air.
I lack skill, not enthusiasm.
In this image, the author's husband and his sister demonstrate the heritability of traits like vertical jump height. Both siblings are in midair with their arms raised. But while Kent looks serious, Megan is laughing.
But check out the air on the Stander siblings!

It was a great day out, and we all felt like it was over too soon. But we’d all worked up strong appetites and were ready to get to work on our other job: seeking out the best local burritos. This little outing packed in a lot of fun.

The author's husband leads his sister down a narrow dirt trail. He's turning around to say something. The trail cuts through the middle of the frame, while the rocky hillside cuts diagonally across the image.

Like most other California parks, Point Mugu State Park is currently closed to limit the spread of CoViD-19. But there has perhaps never been a better time to plan your next adventure(s)!

The best part is, apparently the Stander siblings and I barely scratched the surface of this park on our short hike! Point Mugu State Park boasts more than 70 miles of trails along with a beautiful beach perfect for surfing and swimming. Read more about this park here. And read more about other parks – California state parks – here!

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