How to Plan a Waterfall Seekender Escape in LA!

Make your hometown exciting again by jumping onboard Hampton by Hilton’s Seekender project! I gave it a whirl this weekend with epic goals of finding a waterfall to chase within an hour of where I live in Los Angeles, and you better believe I succeeded! I hit not just one, but TWO waterfalls this weekend!

In fact, I turned my whole waterfall chasing escapade into an awesome weekend seekender vacation with Hampton by Hilton, which gave me that massive dose of adventure that I need to maintain my wanderlust! You’ll never know what you’ll be able to find nearby where you live, but if you happen to be coming to where I live and want an awesome adventure, check out my waterfall seekender escape in LA!

Day 1: Paradise Falls Waterfall Hike

Location: Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

Distance: 2.5 mile round trip hike

Difficulty: Easy

Paradise Falls is by far one of the prettiest, actually-flowing waterfalls that I’ve seen around the area, and the hike to get to it is quite nice as well! It’s located in Wildwood Park which is in Thousand Oaks, just 45 minutes from West Hollywood depending on our lovely traffic.

The hike is super easy and extremely beautiful, especially right now (March) thanks to all of the rainfall we’ve been getting! The entire hike is super-blooming like crazy, and it’s completely lush and green rather than the normal dry desert landscape!

Mid-way to the waterfall there’s also a really cool wooden teepee you can stop at for a break, or even a picnic! Although, let’s be serious, you’d probably rather do that once you actually get to Paradise Falls!

Where to Stay:

Once I figured out the area that Paradise Falls was in, I searched for a Hampton by Hilton nearby that I could head to after my hike. There’s one extremely close by that’s only a 10 minute drive to the trail head, and it has a beautiful pool to cool down in after the hike.

Since you aren’t allowed to actually swim in this waterfall due to sharp rocks, the pool and jacuzzi at Hampton Inn are definitely a nice alternative!

Sleep soundly in your fluffy comfy bed and enjoy being away from home on your seekender staycation! Don’t forget to snag a few of their fun coffee cups that have funny mouths or a mustache on the lid! Be sure to fill up on their hot, delicious breakfast, or take one of their complimentary to-go bags if you want to get started on your hike ASAP!

Day 2: Escondido Falls Waterfall Hike

Location: Escondido Canyon, Malibu

Distance: 3.7 mile round trip hike

Difficulty: Moderate – Hard

Wake up early and enjoy your included breakfast at Hampton Inn before heading 35 minutes over the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains to Escondido Falls! You’ll get a beautiful glimpse of Malibu’s beaches as you head there, which you’ll definitely want to stop at afterwards!

Escondido Falls is usually a hit or miss because of the drought in California, but as I mentioned before, with all the recent rainfall, it’s currently a-flowin’! The hike is also very beautiful, but to get to the main waterfall you have to do a bit of climbing. Definitely be sure to wear non-slip sneakers!

What’s cool about Escondido Falls is that there’s a little cave you can climb up to and stand behind the waterfall! The waterfall itself looks like a mossy chandelier with three tiers of mushroom shaped overhangs!

Where to Eat:

After that lovely little hike to Escondido Falls you’ll probably have quite the appetite! The great news is that you’ll be in Malibu where there’s tons of amazing restaurants! My favorite one is Paradise Cove because it’s right on the beach where you can go relax after eating.

They have an UH-MAZING cold seafood platter that I would highly recommend, and of course paired with some of their house-vineyard white wine!

Disclaimer: I was fortunate enough to experience this awesome waterfall weekend thanks to a collaboration with Hampton by Hilton. All photos, writing, experiences, and awesomeness are all my own!