Malibu Creek State Park and the M*A*S*H Set

Malibu Creek State Park and the M*A*S*H Set

15 minutes north on Las Virgenes Road. Sandstone cliffs, oak valleys, a year-round creek in a landscape so cinematic Hollywood's been filming here since the 1920s. The M*A*S*H television set — reachable by a flat 3-mile hike — still holds rusted military vehicles and set pieces left in place like artifacts of a fictional war in real landscape.

The Rock Pool is the natural centerpiece — a deep green swimming hole beneath a volcanic rock face, one of the most photographed spots in the Santa Monica Mountains. The water is cold, clear, and exactly right for a hot-day swim that makes you grateful for public land.

$12 parking, main lot fills by 10 AM weekends. Trails from flat creekside to strenuous ridge climbs. Bring swimsuit for the pool. Dogs on some trails. The combination of morning hike and afternoon beach on the PCH ten minutes away is the most Southern California day possible without a SAG card.