

Phone (213) 744-3466.Īnyone wishing to obtain a list of those California state parks frequented by monarchs can send a self addressed stamped envelope to the Monarch Project, 10 Southwest Ash St., Portland, Ore. MEANDERINGS: The County Museum of Natural History is featuring an exhibit entitled “A Multiplicity of Monarchs.” You can view monarch-inspired art and a monarch video, and learn about the fantastic migration of this butterfly. Oak trees predominate over the sycamores along Wood Canyon Creek however, the romantic prefer the sycamores, some of which have large clumps of mistletoe in the upper branches.Īs you hike down the canyon back to the campground, the large and cranky blue jay population will continually scold you, but don’t let them stop you from enjoying one of California’s finest sycamore savannas. Drinking water and picnic tables suggest a lunch stop. Bear left on the signed Wood Canyon Trail and in a short while you’ll reach Deer Camp Junction. If you continue up the canyon, you’ll pass beneath more of the giant sycamores and soon arrive at Wood Canyon Junction, the hub of six trails which lead to all corners of the park. The total round-trip distance, then, would be a little over four miles. The oaks might be a good turnaround spot for a family with small children. The trail begins on the other side of the gate.Īnother easy mile of walking beneath the sycamores brings you to a picnic table shaded by a grove of large oak trees. Walk past the campground entrance through the campground to a gate. Outside the campground entrance there’s a dirt area where you may park. (Ask park rangers where the monarchs cluster in large numbers.) Bring your swimsuit when you finish this hike, you can take a plunge into the ocean.ĭIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Drive up Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1), 32 miles from Santa Monica, to the Big Sycamore Canyon Campground. During October and November, Sycamore Canyon offers the twin delights of falling autumn leaves and fluttering butterflies. The trail follows the canyon on a gentle northern traverse across Point Mugu State Park, the largest preserved area in the Santa Monica Mountains. Hawks and owls roost in the upper branches. Enjoy a guided tour through 14 immersive rooms with projection mapping, painting, virtual reality, and more Tickets for Flutter in Los Angeles. The lower branches, stout and crooked, are a delight for tree climbers. Rated as America’s number one art experience, go on a multisensory journey designed to inspire you to play, create, imagine and explore. The sycamores that shade the canyon bearing their name are incomparable. Sycamore Canyon Trail takes you through a peaceful wooded canyon, where a multitude of monarchs dwell, and past some magnificent sycamores. This milkweed diet makes the monarch toxic to birds after munching a monarch or two and becoming sick, they learn to leave the butterflies alone. The butterfly feeds on milkweed-the favored poison of assassins during the Roman Empire. The monarch’s evolutionary success lies not only in its unique ability to migrate to warmer climes, but in its mastery of chemical warfare. “One of the best places in Southern California to observe the arriving monarchs is near the campground in Big Sycamore Canyon at Point Mugu State Park.” “All monarch butterflies west of the Rockies head for California in the fall,” explains Chris Nagano, an entomologist with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The monarchs’ awe-inspiring migration and formation of what entomologists call overwintering colonies are two of nature’s most colorful autumn events. Learn more about the future NHM Commons here.Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies migrate south to the forests of Mexico’s Transvolcanic Range and to the damp coastal woodlands of Central and Southern California. The South entrance is expected to reopen on or before the opening of NHM Commons, which is currently scheduled for 2024. For guests parking in the NHM Car Park off of Bill Robertson, our North Entrance and ticket booth still remain open. General admission, tickets for all NHM add-ons experiences and Memberships can all be purchased at this location and Members will still receive special access. ADA and stroller accessibility are available at this entrance. Visitors and Members coming to NHM from other areas around Exposition Park should enter our East Gate Entrance, which is located across from the Rose Garden. Our South Entrance, which faces Exposition Park, is temporarily closed as part of the next phase of construction on NHM Commons. Individuals who are aggressive toward staff or other visitors will be expelled from NHM and escorted off the property. Please note, the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County will not tolerate inappropriate behavior, including, but not limited to, yelling, violence, intimidation, threats, harassment, aggression, swearing, damage, abuse, or sexual harassment. Active or retired United States military with IDįree tickets are available onsite only at the Museum ticket windows.County residents, Monday-Friday from 3-5 PM with valid ID
