Fossils of millions of clams, snails, and small-shelled, squid-like creatures left behind during the five times that seas washed over the ground can be found.

They arrived to find dense woods filled with live oaks, sycamores, mountain ash, and pines buffeted by winds.

After collecting the acorns, they carried them to canyon streams and immersed the nuts in the running water to leach out the bitter tannic acid.

[citation needed] Once done, they carried the acorns to a large boulder or rock outcropping, where they used mortars to grind the nuts into powder.

Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi noted in his diary entry for July 27: "It [the creek] comes down from the mountains, and shows that it must have plenty of water in the rainy season.

All homeowners in those communities were placed under mandatory evacuation, with the roads Plano Trabuco and Live Oak Canyon being temporarily closed for the use of emergency personnel.

Bird watching is also a prominent activity in the canyon; native birds in the area include the turkey vulture, red tailed hawk, and bald eagle, all of which can be seen in the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary in neighboring Modjeska Canyon as well.