The walk to Escondido Falls starts on asphalt. From the parking lot at Winding Way, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority directs hikers up the paved road for about a mile and asks them to stay on the trail "along this winding road with multiple blind curves." Only after that mile do they reach the Edward Albert Escondido Canyon Trailhead sign at the top of a meadow and turn down into the canyon.
That first mile matters more than usual this fall. On September 1, 2026, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge decided who controls the public trail easements along Winding Way and Murphy Way. The ruling answered the ownership question. The City of Malibu's complaints were about shoulder parking, closures that go unenforced, brush, trash and the highway at the foot of the road, and none of those were part of what the court decided.
The Walk, Section by Section
MRCA's description of the route explains why most of the disagreement sits outside the canyon itself.
- The lot. The Winding Way parking lot is the official start, and MRCA lists a $12 fee. It is also the last restroom on the route. MRCA notes there are no facilities past the parking lot at PCH.
- The paved mile. Hikers walk the road for about a mile, past the blind curves MRCA warns about, until they reach the trailhead sign at the meadow.
- The canyon. The trail drops down and crosses Escondido Creek, which runs dry part of the year, then bears left and crosses the creek several times on the way to the waterfall.
- The lower falls. About a mile into the trail, hikers reach the base of the lower tier of the limestone falls. MRCA states that "the public parkland ends here."
MRCA lists the whole Edward Albert Trail at 4.2 miles, through oak woodland, riparian woodland and coastal sage scrub, to a multi-tiered 150-foot waterfall that the agency calls the highest in the Santa Monica Mountains. The scenery is in the canyon. The legal and practical questions are concentrated in the first two stages, where the hike runs along roads the neighborhood also uses every day.
What the Court Decided on September 1
The City filed suit in April 2026 against the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and MRCA. It argued that public hiking and equestrian easements along Winding Way and Murphy Way, granted to the County of Los Angeles in the late 1980s, passed to Malibu when it incorporated in 1991.
The City's theory relied on California Streets and Highways Code Section 989, which moves county interests in qualifying highways to a city when territory incorporates. The judge found that recreational hiking and equestrian trails are fundamentally different from the roads that law covers. The court also found the claim untimely. For decades the City had worked with the Conservancy and MRCA on trail maintenance while treating them as the owners, and it did not raise its ownership theory until 2024.
The court sustained the agencies' demurrers and dismissed City of Malibu v. Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Case No. 26SMCV02052, without leave to amend, finding that the additional facts the City proposed would not cure the problems. In its statement on the ruling, the agencies quoted the judge's wording:
The judge described the City's position as a "creative legal argument" and said the contention that the City had no actual or constructive notice of who owned the trails "strains credulity."
George Lange, Chair of MRCA's Governing Board, said the decision "provides clarity about the ownership and management of these public trails and allows us to continue our work protecting these lands and maintaining public access." For people who walk the route, this means control stays where it has been for decades.
Why the City Sued
The ruling dealt with a property theory, but the City has said consistently that the case was about conditions on the ground. After the decision, it said the suit was prompted by trails and surrounding public lands it described as "unmanaged in a way residents believe contributed to recent wildfires," and by trash it said had gone uncollected in environmentally sensitive coastal areas.
The City's specific complaints focus on the road and the highway:
- Trail users parking along Pacific Coast Highway because of what the City calls inadequate parking
- Sunset closures the City says have not been enforced
- Vegetation on MRCA-managed land the City says has not been adequately maintained
- Trash collecting along the trails
The City also cited the February 8, 2026 incident involving a person on PCH near Winding Way. "Those are the conditions that led the City Council to act, and the court's ruling does not change them," the City said.
These are the City's positions, not findings by the court. In its April filing announcement, the City also said it was not trying to close Escondido Canyon Park or the waterfalls or to restrict public access. After the ruling, it said it remains willing to work with MRCA on parking, closure enforcement and vegetation management. Both sides say they want public access to continue. They disagree about how the road and the shoulder should be managed.
No public record yet shows a change aimed at that stretch. Malibu's planned PCH speed cameras are at Decker Canyon, the Morning View and Guernsey area, Latigo Canyon, Carbon Beach Terrace and Carbon Canyon, and Tuna Canyon. Winding Way is not on the list.
The Dates Ahead
The City first said it was "evaluating its options, including appeal," and that no decision would be made until the City Council reviewed the ruling and gave direction to its attorneys. Here is what the public record shows since then:
- September 11: Councilmember Haylynn Conrad's newsletter said the Council would consider its options, "including appeal," in the coming weeks.
- September 14: The case was listed on the Council's closed-session agenda as existing litigation.
- September 28: The open-session agenda had no item on Winding Way, the Escondido trails or MRCA.
- October 22: The case management conference, which the court continued to this date.
Neither the September 11 newsletter nor the two September Council agendas reports a decision on an appeal. Any direction given in closed session would stay confidential unless the City announces it. The Malibu Times noted that the ruling settles the ownership claim but not the larger disagreement over how the trails should be maintained and managed.
The Falls Themselves This Fall
The canyon itself is open. In January 2025, MRCA's fire-emergency order closed all of its parks, lots and beach accessways in and next to Malibu, and the order named Escondido Canyon Park. The amended order of June 16, 2025 lifted the closures generally and did not include Escondido Canyon Park among the properties that stayed closed.
How much water there is depends on the weather. MRCA says the falls depend on rainfall and are "minimal or non-existent during dry weather," so the creek crossings and the lower tier can look very different from one visit to the next. The upper falls remain closed to the public. MRCA asks hikers not to climb past the lower tier, both to protect fragile habitat and because of the risk of serious falls. MRCA classifies Escondido Canyon as a high fire risk zone, and smoking and open fires there can bring fines.
The conditions that decide whether a winter visit is worthwhile are unchanged by the case. The open questions for October 22 and after concern the paved mile from the Winding Way lot to the meadow sign, and the highway shoulder below it.
If you own property along Winding Way or Murphy Way, public trail easements are part of your parcel's story, and they belong in any honest assessment of its value. Irene Dazzan-Palmer and her team follow these local details closely and can explain how they apply to your home. Request a Private Market Valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
