Spring hike in Malibu Creek State Park

From the Reagan Ranch parking lot in Malibu Creek State Park, take a walk down a paved road and then head down the Yearling Trail to the heart of the park.

Yellow fiddlenecks grow high along the Yearling Trail en route to the “MASH” site at Malibu Creek State Park.

Chinese houses, as these wildflowers are known, bloom in shady areas along the Yearling and Deer Leg trails.

Blue larkspur and violets, also called Johnny-jump-ups, are out at this time of year.

Mariposa lilies in Malibu Creek State Park.

Owl’s clover is a low-to-the ground flower that brings deep magenta to the landscape.

Indian paintbrush is among the wildflowers blooming at Malibu Creek State Park.

At the intersection of Cage Creek Trail and Crags Road is ceanothus, a shrub that dominates the Santa Monica Mountains.

Hikers along Crags Road in Malibu Creek State Park. It’s about an six-mile round-trip hike from the Reagan Ranch to the rock pools at the park’s northwest boundary.

A view of Malibu Creek from a bridge along Crags Road. This is a well-traveled route through the park where hikers, bicyclists and runners share the road.

The Crags Road Trail leads to the former filming site of the “MASH” TV show. Signs here give the history of the popular program and other filming locations in the park.

This waypoint sign was a familiar sight on “MASH,” the TV show about a mobile U.S. Army hospital during the Korean War. The mountains here served as stand-ins for Korea.

After crossing the bridge at Malibu Creek, look for a small path -- called the Forest Trail -- to find this little field of poppies. Some are cream colored, most of them are golden.

You should see plenty of lizards scurrying along the trails too.

Make sure you stay on marked trails as you hike. Otherwise you could find poison oak or a rattlesnake like this one in off-trail brush.

The reward for the outbound hike: a quiet, little-traveled stretch of Malibu Creek.

Views of Malibu Creek’s fabulous rock pools. Hike toward the park’s northwest border to find this spot.

On the return, you can take the Lake View Trail, parts of which are downright lush. It’s a surprisingly green find during California’s devastating drought.

As you return to Reagan Ranch, look back for views of Malibu Creek’s craggy profile.