The entrance--for lack of a better description--is just off of PCH, across from Paradise Cove (but slightly south). You'll turn off of PCH on to a small side road called Winding Way that is easy to miss (and I think it's West Winding Way, but not 100% sure). There's a tiny parking lot to park in, or you can park along the edges of the road to the side (which dead ends in a gate, I think). Just read the signs!
After parking, walk up the paved road. You'll be walking through some hills, with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and Malibu--and you'll get to see some cool houses. The paved road will dead end after about a mile, with a chain across the road, marking the spot where the trail begins (there is also a path that leads up to the paved road, prior to the chain, which I think might actually be marked with a sign--we kept walking down the road, though). The paths would appear to lead to the same spot...anyway, the paved road turns to a dirt road/path, which you will follow down into the canyon. You pass a small picnic area, but keep on going.
(View of the Pacific, from the paved road.)
We read that, when reaching a fork in the path, the smart thing was to go to the left, so that's what we did every time we came across a fork. It worked out well for us. :) The winding path to the bottom falls is fairly even and level, with a few ups and downs here and there. It's not too narrow, but not too wide either. The path does traverse the stream a few times, so be prepared to hop from rock to rock to cross the stream if there is water present--and be okay with getting your shoes/socks wet!
(RIP somebody's shoe...was left inside the river bed)
I believe the bottom falls are about a mile from the paved road. The hike through the woods is beautiful and often shaded, and you'll see the appearance of more boulders/larger rocks the closer you get to the falls.
(Bottom falls.)
The bottom falls are tall, but not particularly big, if that makes sense. There's a small pool at the base, and I did see a number of children/families in the area. This is the furthest point that I would recommend for any families; any pets; older/less agile folks; anyone afraid of heights. It's a pretty spot for relaxing or even eating a little snack/lunch. In fact, we did see some people with picnic baskets, but that seemed like a long way to walk if you're carrying something heavy!
To get to the two upper sets of falls, there is a steep path uphill to the right of the lower falls. We found it pretty easily, but it is not for the faint of heart! It's the sort of hillside that you scramble up, looking for good footholds/handholds, even branches to help you up. The ground can be loose, so BE CAREFUL.
(Pretty sure this is the view from the base of that first hillside, looking up.)
(Amy climbing up the first incline.)
At the top of that first incline, there is a very, very narrow strip of land leading to the right, and a drop off to the left. Edge your way along the strip to the right, against the brush, and continue upward (on our visit, there was a white strip of cloth tied to a tree at that juncture--on your left if you're going upward--and that's an important marker!!! You'll need it on the way down). There are a few more twists and turns along the cliffs, but it's fairly easy to follow.
Following the paths will lead you along the river and to the middle falls. These are smaller in height, but very cool looking, as the water spills down some boulders in an interesting fashion. As you approach the middle falls, you will walk along the stream and hop from boulder to boulder often. You must jump over the stream/collection pool, via boulders, to get to the point where you can continue higher. This requires climbing up a set of boulders to the left of the middle falls.
(The middle falls.)
The cool thing about the middle falls is that you can actually stand in the water, at the top of the mouth of the waterfall, if you're feeling adventurous (I peeked--wasn't sure that I felt safe enough to wade through the water that was about to rush over a boulder to drop below!). Anyway, after getting to the top of the middle falls, you can continue via two paths--one through some high grasses/shrubs/trees, the other by walking through the stream itself. If you follow the stream backward (which you can do from either path--the shrub path is simply a short cut around a bend in the stream), you will find your way to the gorgeous upper falls.
(Upper falls)
The upper falls themselves are very tall--150 feet?? There's a lot of mossy overhang under the falls, with a larger collection pool and a rope swing, I think. There's a large fallen tree that kinda hangs out to the right of the pool, which you can climb on if you're nimble enough (it's tricky). The tree is a neat place to pose for photos, or to even use as a jumping off point for the pool (I think this is where the rope swing comes into play?).
(Me, on the tree.)
To the left of the pool, there is a way to get up to a man-made wooden ladder, which allows you a peek into the inside of the falls. The ladder isn't terrific, and neither my friend or I felt great about actually boosting ourselves up to crawl inside the cave, as it was VERY slippery & muddy...but I did hear that you might be able to get a true view of the waterfall from the inside if you make it inside that cave-thing (it's low, requiring you to crawl, I would think...)
(Rainbow at the base of the upper falls, above the collection pool.)
The upper falls are really beautiful and would be a nice place to hang out & relax. We did see some folks swimming, too. We also saw more hikers on the cliffs surrounding the falls, but did not investigate any paths in that area.
(Another view of the upper falls.
The way back down is pretty much what you would expect, but I remind you to keep an eye out for that fork in the path at the top of the first big incline, where I mentioned the fabric strip on the tree!!! You'll need to go left there, along that narrow edge of dirt along the shrubs, so you can go back down the less-steep way. We missed the marker and tried to go down a really, really steep, crumbly hillside. It did not go well. At the bottom, there is a sheer drop off of a boulder that you must do if you're going to get down. My friend managed it with help from a bystander below--I chose to scramble (slowly and with some difficulty) back up the hillside, using any means I could to pull myself up--including tree branches--to reach the marker I'd missed.
I would recommend going early--parking is very limited and the path did get more crowded the later it got (I think we arrived around 10:30/11am?). When the path is crowded, you will have to wait for others to pass on the upper trails. Also, wear lots of sunscreen, bring water (and even snacks, if you plan to relax), wear pants (some poison oak and definitely a chance of ticks, I'd think) and good hiking shoes. While we did not see any wildlife, I would bet that there would be rattlesnakes up there in hot weather (especially along the paths to the upper falls, which are more exposed).
Also, for what it's worth...we went a couple of days after it had rained, so there was more water in the stream and in the waterfalls, making for a prettier experience. I've heard that, if you go during a dry spell, there's very little waterfall to experience. So, something to consider...
PROS: beautiful; unusual workout; decent length (~4 miles, plus uphill climbing): free parking/access; good for families/less agile/perhaps even elderly folks/dogs up to the bottom falls
CONS: limited parking; no facilities; upper paths can be tricky/dangerous; crowded later in the day; some poison oak
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