Top 5 Places To Hike In Orange County
- Mike
- Jan 20, 2022
- 5 min read
If you’re looking for a place to hike in Orange County. Then I have top five places for you. These five will range from ocean view to mountain view. I guarantee you will find a trail you will love in at least one of these places. Each of these places has trails for beginners, intermediate, and advanced hikers. I will give my recommendations on the places and which trails are my favorite. Listed in alphabetical order.
1. Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park
Located in Laguna Niguel this park has a ton to offer. One of the biggest attractions here is being able to see the ocean as you hike. A perk for this area is the trails are marked. Also there are trail maps throughout the park. So, it is good for those who get lost often or are exploring for the first time. Expect quite a few mountain bikers on these trails. The two main points of entry are, down at the parking lot, off of Alicia Parkway. And at the top, where it is known as the "Top of the World". Now if you’re trying to decide where to begin, The two biggest factors are if you want to start hiking downhill or hiking up...as well as which trails you are trying to hike. A less important factor will be you have to pay three dollars to park at the bottom, whereas there is free parking at the top. So have this figured out before you go. There are certain trails you are allowed to have dogs on in certain ones you are not, so make sure you know which ones you’re allowed to be on if you want to bring your pup.
Favorite trails - Rock It, West Ridge, and Lynx
Check out my other blog for more information on this park.
2. Chino Hills State Park
Located between Yorba Linda and Chino Hills, this state park has miles and miles of trails. Now this park has a ton of entry points, but I can only recommend the ones I have used. There is a parking lot off of Carbon Canyon Road which leads to the trails. Also a few of the neighborhoods in Yorba Linda have access to the trails. This park is not dog friendly. No dogs allowed unfortunately. You may encounter mountain bikers here, I myself have biked 25 miles in this park. One thing I want everybody to know is how hot this park can become in the summer. It has a very desert like feel to it and NOWHERE to get water. The trails here are pretty cool for being in the middle of the city, as most of these parks in Orange County are. But what I like about Gilman‘s Peak, is the 360 view. Which includes the Angeles National Forest, all the way out to Catalina in the Pacific Ocean on a clear day.
Favorite trail - Gilman Peak
Check out my othfer blog for more information on this park.
3. El Moro/Crystal Cove
Located between Newport Coast and Laguna Beach. Hands-down best trails to hike if you want to have an ocean view or even hike to the beach. Almost every single trail here will give you an ocean view...now that’s awesome. And there are two ways you can access the beach from the trails. 1. Park at the top and hike all the way down until you reach the bottom parking lot and go under the tunnel, you will arrive at the beach. But then hike back up to your vehicle afterwards. 2. Park in the parking lot at the bottom of the trails/off PCH. Then go directly to the beach. Or hike up into the trails and have a nice ocean dip to cool off after. Now the two biggest factors determining where you should park will be; one, if you want to pay $15 to park in the parking lot off PCH or if you’d like to park for free at the top. And two, knowing if you’d like to start hiking uphill and coming down or if you don’t mind going downhill first. The only other reason I would suggest parking somewhere specific would be if you knew exactly which trails you wanted to do. It may be more enjoyable if you can park closer to it. An added bonus to this park is...if you go to the far side closer to Highway 73, there is a couple trails with tree coverage. This will give you the forest feel, completely opposite of the beach vibe. Check these out if you prefer it over the ocean view. Unfortunately no dogs allowed. This park also has all of its trails marked as well as trail maps throughout.
Favorite trails - Lizard, Bommer Ridge, and Rattlesnake
Check out my other blog for more information on this park.
4. Peters Canyon Regional Park
Located in North Tustin, this Regional Park has a good variety of trails for all levels. There are plenty of rolling hills to give you the up and down style hike. Some are much steeper than others. You can also avoid this trail and do more of a nature walk down the middle if you prefer.. The two main parking areas I have seen are at either end of the park. And per usual the main entrance is a pay for parking, parking lot. While the other one is free street parking. Now this park is much smaller than the ones listed thus far, so I don’t really see there being a difference on where you park. Unless you were trying to do a specific shorter style hike. So to me the only difference would be which direction you are arriving from, or if you just don’t want to pay to park. As long as your dog is on a leash they are allowed throughout this park. There aren't any spectacular views in my opinion but it is definitely a great place to get a good workout in.
Favorite trails - East Ridge View and North Loop
Check out my other blog for more information on this park.
5. Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park
Located in Lake Forest, this park has something to offer which none of the other four do. Now let me warn you, if you want to see this special area, it is a solid hike not meant for beginners. So if you’d like to check it out make sure you are prepared. Known as the Red Rock Canyon. This reminds me of something you would see in Utah or somewhere else besides California. I find it crazy there is such a hidden gem inside this wilderness park. You’re looking at about an 8 mile round-trip hike, with a good amount of elevation gain. In summer it gets extremely hot here, so make sure if you’re tackling this one you’ve got a lot of water. But, if you decide you just wanna mosey through the trails before you reach the infamous "Dreaded Hill". You will discover it is covered with trees and you feel like you’re in another world. I have encountered plenty of deer here, but beware as there have been a ton of mountain lion sightings! I personally have not seen one here, but of all the places in Orange County, this park has the most mountain lion reports. Actually, last time I had checked this park was closed for this issue. Make sure to check if it's open and safe to go. No dogs allowed on these trails. The main parking lot once again has a three dollar pay station. But if you’d like to know where I park for free right around the corner then go ahead and shoot me an email.
Favorite trails - Red Rock Canyon and Billy Goat
Check out my other blog for more information on this park.
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