Live Oak Trail (West), O Neill Rp
Despite the name, live oaks only shade a short portion of this trail which passes through the Vedanta Wilderness section of O'Neill Regional Park. The route takes you through foothill meadows and cactus forest up to the h... localhikes.com
Trabuco Canyon Trail, Cleveland Nf
If you leave out the beautiful falls at the end of Holy Jim Canyon, I'd favor this trail. Canopies of the tallest oaks, sycamores and pines that I have seen in OC vault from the forest floor. If you seek solitude, a respi... localhikes.com
Holy Jim Trail
Make the long climb up Holy Jim Trail. The trail begins in a stream-fed canyon, then switchbacks up toward Santiago Peak. Before you reach the peak, turn right on Main Divide Road. It?s a long, arduous trek along the divide t... trails.com
Vulture Crags Santiago Trail, Cleveland Nf
This trail takes you over an ancient route with a view of the ocean on clear days and multitudinous wildflowers in the Spring. localhikes.com
Silverado Motorway, Cleveland Nf
Two thousand feet in three miles. Let me say that again. Two thousand feet in three miles. You won't find many more arduous trails than this and though the altitude is only 3900 at trail's end, every step of the way is un... localhikes.com
Upper Arroyo Trabuco Trail, O Neill Rp
Poison oak grows faster than new subdivisions along the south bank of Trabuco Creek. For this reason, it may be best to attempt it during the winter months when the rash-provoking vegetation has mostly died off. Some guid... localhikes.com
Oso Creek Trail
The City of Mission Viejo calls this "the backbone" of its trail system. Lovers of wilderness will probably be annoyed by the proximity of the houses and shopping malls. Families and seekers of exercise may enjoy the pave... localhikes.com
Chiquito Basin, Cleveland Nf
This pleasant path winds in and out of oak woodlands and chaparral before it descends 600 feet to a broad meadow filled with bunch grasses, yarrow, and buckwheat. Chiquito Basin is named after the horse of the discover. G... localhikes.com
Billy Goat Loop, Whiting Wilderness
This is a rougher route to Red Rock Canyon than the Borrego Trail. You'll go up some steep sections and then down the steep Billy Goat Trail which is choked in chapparral and treacherous in spots where the knifeblade sand... localhikes.com
Cactus-sleepy Hollow Loop, Whiting Wilderness
Whiting Ranch affords the casual hiker ample opportunities for experiencing the many moods of the chaparral. Alas, that this beautiful trail is plagued by two hazards: mountain lions and suicidal mountain bikers. localhikes.com
Los Pinos Peak
In the summertime, rangers open the gate to the Main Divide Road allowing you more direct access to this short ridgeline trail. Your ascent begins abruptly from the parking area, up a talus-strewn slope. The worst is over... localhikes.com
Borrego Trail, Whiting Wilderness
A stunning obelisk dedicated to the native wildlife -- both living and extinct -- marks the beginning of this easy family hike that begins next to a shopping center. Though pressed in by recent subdivisions on two sides f... localhikes.com
Laurel Spring, Harding Truck Trail, Cleveland Nf
The trail climbs steadily from the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, granting you superb vistas of the neighboring ridgelines, Vulture Crags, Santiago and Harding Canyons, the Orange Coast, and, on clear days, Catalina and the P... localhikes.com
Dreaded Hill Loop, Whiting Wilderness
Dreaded Hill rises to the south of Four Corners where you can find water and information about the area. This is the gentler of the two approaches. The Dreaded Hill Trail begins an eighth of a mile west of Four Corners an... localhikes.com
Wagon Wheel Loop, Riley Wilderness
Baronial manor houses owned by theCoto de Caza elite press against the boundaries of this 500 acre wilderness. The land was formerly used as a cattle ranch and a hunt club so there remain problems of nonnative mustard, wi... localhikes.com
The Sinks, Modjeska, California
The 5500-acre Limestone Canyon parcel of the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve awaits its future as a fully accessible wilderness park, much like the adjacent Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park is today. Meanwhile, The Nature Conservancy ... trails.com
Walnut Trail
This great trail shares a wide corridor with an active railroad line, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe route, through a section of Orange County known for producing oranges and strawberries. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe... traillink.com