Sep 26 (Sat) — Miramonte → Los Angeles

Stay: Airbnb — DTLA · ✅ extra night confirmed Sep 15 — booking now runs Sep 26–30 · check-in from 4:00 PM PDT · 1100 W Temple St

All times are PDT.

Logistics

Checkout day at Miramonte — out by 11:00 AM (booking shortened to Sep 26 on Sep 16)
8:00 AM PDT target departure · approximately 4.5–5 hours to Los Angeles before stops and traffic
LK is already in Los Angeles; reunion time depends on the group's arrival
Avoid another driving excursion after the Miramonte transfer

Plan

Menu: la_sights.md

1:00–2:00 PM Group reaches Los Angeles; lunch and luggage. Airbnb check-in begins at 4:00 PM PDT. Use the host's temporary curb-parking and front-door instructions, then retrieve the parking fob and move the car to the assigned gated spot on level 2; do not use level 1. Detailed access credentials are in the booking record.
Afternoon Rest
Late afternoon Easy walk near the accommodation; save Santa Monica for the Sep 27 group itinerary
Evening Dinner together

LK solo options before returning the car

These options do not repeat the group's Malibu, El Matador, Point Dume, Santa Monica or Venice day. Schedules use the Brand Plaza Hotel as the starting-point baseline and target an early LAX return at 4:30–5:00 PM, although Budget is booked through 18:45 PDT. Drive times below are routing baselines—allow additional time for Saturday traffic.

Option A — Crystal Cove and Laguna Beach · recommended

Best balance of ocean, hiking and manageable driving. Approximately 112 miles total from Brand Plaza via Crystal Cove to LAX; about 2 hours 55 minutes of baseline driving.

Crystal Cove hiking choices:

Recommended if hiking is the priority: Moro Canyon → East Cut Across → Moro Ridge → BFI loop · 4.9 miles / 7.9 km · about 2 hours · 1,053 ft / 321 m cumulative gain and loss. The steep climb reaches a ridge with Pacific views before descending to the canyon
Easy alternative: Moro Canyon out-and-back · 3 miles / 4.8 km · about 1 hour · broad coastal-sage canyon with oak and sycamore near seasonal Moro Creek
This is a dry, open canyon—not a narrow slot canyon like Annie's Canyon. Carry water and stay on marked trails

Laguna Beach afterward:

Start at Crescent Bay Point Park for the headland view
Walk the coastal path through Heisler Park toward Main Beach
Have lunch downtown; if time remains, continue to Treasure Island Park for another bluff walk
Tide pools are worthwhile only when the tide is low and the rocks are safe. The predicted low on 2026-09-26 is 3:39 PM PDT, later than the conservative airport schedule

Working timing:

6:30 AM Leave Los Angeles
8:00–10:30 AM Crystal Cove hike
11:00 AM–1:30 PM Crescent Bay, Heisler Park, Main Beach and lunch
1:30 PM Leave for LAX
3:45–4:45 PM Return the car; meet the group afterward

Option B — Palos Verdes coast · least driving

Best low-stress choice. Approximately 58 miles total from Brand Plaza via Point Vicente to LAX; about 1 hour 30 minutes of baseline driving.

8:00 AM Leave Los Angeles
9:00–11:30 AM Point Vicente Interpretive Center and the open coastal paths
11:30 AM–1:00 PM Scenic Palos Verdes Drive and lunch near Redondo Beach
2:00–3:00 PM Return the car; meet the group early

Avoid Abalone Cove Beach, Sacred Cove Beach and their access trails; the city lists them as closed because of land movement. Recheck trail alerts before departure.

Option C — Vasquez Rocks · geology and desert scenery

Best non-ocean option. Approximately 93 miles total from Brand Plaza via Vasquez Rocks to LAX; about 2 hours of baseline driving.

7:00 AM Leave Los Angeles
8:15–11:30 AM Vasquez Rocks Natural Area: rock formations, viewpoints and a short section of the Pacific Crest Trail
12:00 PM Lunch in Agua Dulce
1:00 PM Leave for LAX
2:30–3:30 PM Return the car

This route is exposed and can be hot; carry water and start early.

Live change — Vasquez Rocks → Point Dume / Zuma Beach

LK finished Vasquez Rocks around 10:20 AM and had already checked out with her luggage in the rental car. She chose to drive toward Point Dume instead of Point Vicente.

Official advisories checked at 10:57 AM say the Point Dume lower parking lot is unavailable because Westward Beach Road is closed, and the Point Dume/Westward entrance at Birdview Avenue is closed during active construction hours from 5:00 AM–3:00 PM. Use Zuma Beach's open main parking lots as the practical fallback and obey posted controls; do not attempt to cross closure barriers.

Approximately 1 hour 25 minutes baseline from Vasquez Rocks to Zuma Beach before live traffic
Keep valuables with LK and all bags concealed before arrival; luggage in a parked rental remains a theft risk even in the paid lot
Make this a short beach/view stop rather than leaving the vehicle for a long hike or restaurant meal
Leave the coast by about 3:30 PM for the Budget return at LAX; baseline Zuma → Budget is about 50 minutes, but Saturday traffic can add substantially
This overlaps the group's Sep 27 Malibu route, so Point Dume should not be treated as a new group stop tomorrow

Option D — Annie's Canyon and Torrey Pines · ambitious

Best scenery, but by far the most driving: approximately 225 miles and 4 hours 35 minutes of baseline driving before traffic.

5:30 AM Leave Los Angeles
8:00–9:15 AM Annie's Canyon Trail — 1.4–2 miles, 40–60 minutes, narrow slot canyon with stairs and short scrambles
9:45 AM–12:00 PM Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve — coastal overlooks and a short trail; gates open at 7:15 AM and all trails were open when checked
12:00–1:00 PM Lunch in Del Mar
1:00 PM Leave for LAX
4:00–5:00 PM Return the car, allowing a substantial traffic buffer

Choose this only if the drive itself is acceptable and both places matter to LK.

Addresses

Place	Address	Map
Airbnb — DTLA	1100 W Temple St, Unit 703, Los Angeles, CA 90012 · temporary curb access, then gated parking for 2 cars	34.06325, -118.25149
Gilmore Cabin — Miramonte	48753 Todd Eymann Road, Miramonte, CA 93641 · door code 0110 + unlock · Booking PIN 2531 · host +1 559-790-6432 · no cell service	search
Brand Plaza Hotel — LK	339 1/2 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203	search
Budget rental — LK	5251 W 98th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045 · LAX · 18:45 PDT return	search

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