A Malibu Vineyard Walk Past Cave Paintings, Ending in Wine
Malibu Wine Hikes takes a small group through planted vines on a private 1,100-acre ranch in the hills above Malibu, with a guide, a rock cave holding Chumash paintings, one drink at the midpoint, and wine to carry out at the end. The walk is the same every day. What changes is the departure you pick.
The word hike is doing some work in this tour's name. What you actually get is a loop through a working vineyard on Saddlerock Ranch, led by a guide who stops to talk about the vines, the rock formations and the family that farms the place.
The operator grades the walk easy to moderate and puts it at about three hundred feet of climb and the same coming back down. The surface is dirt and rock. You are in the sun for most of it, which is why the check-in cabin hands out water and the guide stops for more halfway around.
Its own pages put the loop at two to two and a half miles, and the whole thing runs about two hours.
Departures leave at 10:00 in the morning, three times across the middle of the day, and once at 4:00 in the afternoon. There are no Tuesday departures.
Price is the same for everyone walking. Anyone under 21 pays the full rate, and the operator states it offers no discount for them. Children aged four and under go free. One booking covers up to fifteen people.
Malibu: Guided Vineyard Hike with Photo Stops and WineMalibu Wine Hikes · Saddlerock Ranch · about two hours · wine included · rated 4.8 from 436 reviewswww.viator.comThe Cave, the Frame, and the Halfway Drink
Three things on this loop are not vines.
The first is a rock shelter the ranch calls the Cave of the Four Horsemen, which holds Chumash painted work. The guide stops there and talks through what is on the rock and who made it.
The second is a freestanding yellow picture frame set on a concrete plinth at the top of a rise, positioned so the Santa Monica Mountains sit inside it. The operator calls it The Frame and builds a photo stop around it.
The third is the halfway stop, and it is where the wine in the name first shows up. The operator's tour page lists a mid-way beverage tasting there, and guests describe a frozen wine drink handed out at the break. Its own highlights put it as one beverage tasted on the walk and wine taken home afterwards. There is no tasting table among the vines. The restroom stop is at that same midpoint, and flushing portable toilets in the parking lot cover the start and the finish.
The Paddocks Empty at Sunset
Saddlerock is a ranch before it is a vineyard, and animals live on it. The operator lists llamas, alpacas, miniature donkeys, miniature horses, goats, sheep, horses and cows as residents you may pass.
There is a condition attached, and it decides which departure to book. The animals go into their barns as the sun sets, so a late start is a walk without them. The operator says this is to deter nighttime predators. In December that puts the 4:00 PM departure well past the paddocks; in June it does not.
Whichever slot you take, the animals stay on their side of the fence. Touching and feeding are not permitted.
Check the Forecast for Agoura Hills
This is the most useful sentence on the operator's FAQ page. The operator asks guests to check Agoura Hills temperatures before dressing for this walk. Malibu's coastal forecast is not the one it wants you using.
The operator says temperatures on the property can climb into the 100s and drop into the 30s, and that tours run rain or shine.
Footwear is the other thing worth getting right. The operator asks for closed-toe shoes and names tennis shoes or hiking boots. The terrain is rocky and uneven enough that wagons and strollers are refused outright, though slings and child carriers are allowed.
Bring a reusable bottle. Sunscreen too, since shade on this loop is occasional.
Book the Whole Group on One Reservation
A few things about this booking behave differently from most tours.
- Book everyone together on a single reservation. The operator says separate reservations carry no guarantee that you end up on the same hike.
- Same-day booking stays open until an hour before departure. Walk-ins are accepted but never guaranteed, since it depends on staffing that day.
- Gratuity is not included. The operator suggests USD 10 to 20 per person for the hike and says guides work primarily for tips.
- Wine beyond what the tour includes is not sold on site unless you join the wine club.
- Outside alcohol has to stay in the car. Pets are not allowed anywhere on the property.
- The estate is private, so there is no lingering after the walk ends.
Check-in is at the cabin at 32111 Mulholland Highway, reached down the wooden steps from the parking lot. Park there first, then walk down.
Arrive fifteen to twenty minutes ahead. The operator's FAQ states plainly that it cannot wait for late arrivals.
Cancelling on the booking platform at least 24 hours before your departure time returns the full amount.
The loop finishes back in the same lot you parked in, about two hours after it started, with the wine you were handed at the end still in your bag.