Dinghy Ride to Malibu Club for Ice Cream

Craving a Refreshing Cold Confection at Malibu Club

One of the things we had come to enjoy while cruising in the Pacific Northwest this year was our time exploring away from the boat by dinghy. We would try to get as much information about where to beach our dinghy so that could do a nice hike and maybe encounter a freshwater lake or woodsy waterfall. On our last full day at Chatterbox Falls, we decided to spend the day taking a dinghy ride from the dock at the falls all the way back to Malibu Rapids (5 miles) to visit the Malibu Club, a summer camp for high school students.

First off though, we needed to clean up somewhere and we’d heard about a waterfall that might be just the ticket. Off we went, scouting out the shoreline for signs of a possible waterfall and preferably a small pool of water to splash around in. Thirty minutes later we came to the approximate spot we’d been told about, we tied the dinghy to some boulders and began our short hike up some rugged terrain. What we found was a waterfall and rocky riverbed that had found its way from somewhere 3,000 feet above. Over the years natural pools of waist-deep water, lined by rocks, boulders, and fallen tree remains, had been created, making it the perfect place for a refreshing dip or, in our case, a fresh air bath. The water was a bit nippy at first but we soon got used to it.

We stopped at this dock located at an anchorage spot, the golden mossy boulders stood out in great contrast to the surrounding forest, water, and sky.

Now that we were all cleaned up it was time for our dinghy ride to Malibu Rapids for a visit to the Malibu Club, where we had heard they sold ice cream, it was a hot day and this sounded like a great treat for us. Malibu Club was created in 1941 as a high-end resort for the likes of John Wayne, Bing Crosby, and Bob Hope. It has been owned by Young Life, a Christian organization, since 1953 and is run as a summer camp for teenagers. Upon arrival, we had a guided tour and a short history lesson about the facilities by one of the campers, then we found a great vantage point to watch a few boats ride the forceful current of the rapids into the inlet as the tide was coming in. Later we sat on the lawn in front of the cafeteria and had a long overdue ice cream treat.