It is not particularly well-known that the caves located at the top of Corral Canyon in Malibu are part of the California State Park system. Although these caves have been extensively written about over the years, particularly the sandstone cave mistakenly known as the “Jim Morrison” cave, most of the articles and blogs fail to mention that they are in the Kaslow Natural Preserve area of the Malibu Creek State Park. As such, access to the caves including the “Jim Morrison cave” is regulated by the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. While hiking to this cave has increased in popularity over the years, some visitors have been quite disrespectful to the property. The cave is painted bright pink and covered with graffiti. Additionally the surrounding rock area has become littered with trash and some people have begun or continue to use this secluded area as a haven for drinking or doing drugs. Perhaps most dangerous of all, some people continue to ignore the “no open flames” rule in an area that is highly sensitive to wildfires. This rule is extremely pertinent following a fire that was started near these caves in 2007 which resulted in the destruction of 49 homes and approximately 4,700 acres of land.
State park officials have been following this growing problem for some time now and have now decided to take action to curb the abuses. Accordingly, effective May 2nd, the sandstone cave will be closed to public access indefinitely.
As you can see from the embedded document that All Things Malibu received from the California Department of Parks and Recreation:
“Effective immediately, the sandstone cave and the surrounding bare rocks forming the cave, located 4/10 of a mile east of Corral Canyon Road and 150 feet north of Mesa Peak Fire Road (GPS coordinates 34 degrees 4’50.11” N, 118 degrees 44’57.47” W) in the Kaslow Natural preserve area of Malibu Creek State Park is hereby closed to public access. This restriction shall apply to all park visitors.
“The purpose of this closure is to provide for the safety of visitors and the protection of fragile natural and cultural resources.”
“Violators shall be subject to ejection from the park, citation, and/or arrest, pursuant to Title 14, California Code of Regulations.”
‘This Order shall remain in effect until further notice.”
It is unfortunate human influence has forced the hand of State Parks to close an area off to the public. Residents and non-residents should take this as a reminder of the consequences that occur when we don’t treat our environment with the proper respect that it deserves.
