One look at the seemingly never-ending waterfall at Santa Monica Mountains’ Solstice Canyon Trail and it’s easy to see why the Native American Chumash tribe was known to use the area for food, water and shelter. It’s the same reason Matthew Keller built a stone cottage circa 1865 and why grocery store proprietors Fred and Florence Roberts amassed property in the region and in 1952 hired renowned African-American architect Paul R. Williams to construct their dream home. The cascade — and its serene ponds — offers a tranquil slice of nirvana to hikers who traverse the 2.1-mile trail, but more adventurous types know the bumps and bruises collected from a moderately safe ascent up some rocks are rewarded not only by better views, more immaculate waterfalls and even larger ponds, but also the ideal locale to drop their drawers and do the nasty. The odds of being caught by any live being that isn’t a lizard or bug is minimal yet possible, but hey, ain’t that half the fun? Intersection of Corral Canyon Road and Solstice Canyon Road in Malibu. From Pacific Coast Highway turn inland on Corral Canyon Road. Drive 0.25 mile to park entrance on left. —Ryan Ritchie

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