Top of the Morning

Tuna Canyon Park Sunrise

Secluded at 1,500 feet in the Santa Monica Mountains, Tuna Canyon Park in Malibu is quiet even on a gorgeous Saturday afternon, its stunning ocean views shared by few hikers. But visit at sunrise and the park feels truly wild: Rustling trees, singing birds, and scampering animals are the only sounds you'll hear. Hike 0.8 mile uphill on a wide fire road to a spectacular sunrise viewpoint marked by a spiraling labyrinth of stones. Views of Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific surround you, and on clear days you can see the San Gabriels in the distance. It's especially breathtaking when a sea of fog spreads out below, waiting for the sun to break through and turn the sky into a kaleidoscope of purples and pinks. Wild sunrise.

Café, s'il vous plaît: Finish the morning at Topanga's Café Mimosa (395 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd.), a quirky local spot with French flair serving coffee drinks, teas, and bites to eat (but ... no mimosas!). Sip your latte outside on the patio.

This is a 1.6-mile (round-trip) hike. From Topanga Canyon Blvd., head west onto Fernwood Pacific Dr. and then take your second left to stay on Fernwood Pacific. Fernwood Pacific becomes Tuna Canyon Rd. after 1.3 miles. The park entrance can be tricky to find: After 2.3 miles on Tuna Canyon Road, the entrance appears at a junction with an unmarked fire road that's known as Big Rock Motorway. Parking is available on the side of Tuna Canyon Rd. Hike on Big Rock Motorway for 0.2 mile until you reach an unmarked T-junction; here, turn left and hike 0.5 mile to the summit. Café Mimosa, open at 7:30 a.m., is located right near the turnoff for Fernwood Pacific Dr. Tuna Canyon Park and Café Mimosa's patio are dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View