By Jeff Johnson Photos from Jeff Johnson except as noted
It was nice to return to Nicholas Flat in Malibu when so many Spring wildflowers were in bloom, and the views as impressive as ever. From prominent points along the trail above the ocean, we could see all the way from the San Jacinto Mountains 125 miles to the east around to Santa Cruz Island 35 miles to the west. On the north side of the ridgeline, we had the full-length view of Boney Ridge.
The most unusual thing on this Santa Monica Mountains hike is the pond at the lower end of Nicholas Flat. Once upon a time the cattle that grazed up here needed water. So, to make a pond, a dam was built across a gap in the rocks where San Nicolas Creek drops from Nicholas Flat into the canyon below. The cattle are gone but pond is still there, at least in years with decent rain. When you sit under the oaks on those rocks at the edge of the canyon, you see oak woodland, grassland, pond with aquatic birdlife on one side, and the canyon and ocean on the other side. There’s nothing like it anywhere around here, at least that I know of.
Another good thing about this hike was, because it was a on weekday, we saw only one other hiker all day.
Here are some pictures from our hike.
At the trailhead. The yucca (Hesperocallis whipplei) in front is in bloom, the tall one to the left behind the dog sign is in bud and will be blooming a little later, and the others farther back are dead stalks that bloomed other years and are still standing.
Golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) with some sierra lotus (Acmispon) draped over it
Golden star (Bloomeria crocea)
Gumweed (Grindelia)
Boney Ridge in the distance. Photo Alan Schimpff.
Canyon sunflower (Venegasia carpesoides) in front, golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) behind
Monkey flower (Diplacus aurantiacus) behind and Cardinal catchfly (Silene laciniata) in the dry grass in front
Red paintbrush (Castilleja) surrounded by stems and foliage of mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus) and bush mallow (Malacothamnus)
Alan gazing out over the Pacific Ocean
Bush mallow (Malacothamnus) flower in front of a bush mallow bush
Catalina mariposa lily (Calochortus catalinae)
Morning glory (Calystegia) on a mallow bush
Morning glory vine (Calystegia) crossing a rock
Morning glory (Calystegia) in a greenbark ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus)
Greenbark ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus) setting seed maybe earlier than normal
Chaparral currant (Ribes malvaceum). They bloom in Winter and fruit in Spring.
Hummingbird sage (Salvia spatheca)
Blue larkspur (Delphinium) collapsing next to the trail
Two color schemes of woolly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum)
Nicholas Flat Pond. Photo Alan Schimpff.
Our lunch spot on the rocks facing the ocean
A panoramic view from pond to ocean showing the same rocks in May, 2021. It was drier then than this April, and the Woolsey Fire had burned through this area in 2018. this year.
