As part of our trolley tour down south OC, we visited the scenic Bluff Top Trail. Not far from…read moreDana Strand Beach and a short walk from the bus stop (Del Prado & Violet Lantern). It's still as stunning as before with fun photo ops everywhere on a sunny day. The trail is an easy walk path within the neighborhood, and I loved the ocean view and taking pictures of the arches.

5 for views, 2 for challenge! The Dana Point Too Trail is near the Del Prado Lantern District in…read moreDana Point. It is Cliffside behind a number of very nice homes and condos. This is a beautifully kept up and manicured trail with safety rails and a variety of places for photos such as a wooden bridge and some historic ivy covered arches. The view of Dana Point Harbor is breathtaking. The trail is very short with some serious stairs, so for distance you're not getting much challenge but for stairs you get a little. Overall, it is a beautiful find in an area where it's nice to be able to take a little walk before or after grabbing a drink and a bite to eat! I just wouldn't put on my hiking sneakers and sunblock to make a day of it.

Great place to walk, bike, hike, roller skate, etc. and enjoy nature. There is a paved path and…read morethen a wide variety of trails of all difficulty levels. You'll love it! You can park for $3 for the day right next to the visitors center or you can park on the street. It's super accessible.

Great place to do any type of activities. Walk, run, hike, bike anything you can think of.read more

Awesome ocean view trail tucked in a residential neighborhood. Street parking only. Not stroller…read morefriendly. Dirt path. Wear appropriate shoes and sun protection! Totally worth it!

This park is very big, dog friendly. It has a magnificent view of the canyons and the ocean as…read morewell. Walk towards the interior of the park and you'll start to see picnic tables. That's when you'll eventually see the Laguna Beach ocean view. Breathtaking! Hope this park stays a secret because it's just so clean and great for hiking/walking your dog. More photos here: https://ourwelltraveledlife.wordpress.com/2015/08/15/valido-trail-laguna-beach/

A great hike for a great view of Laguna Beach. It's just 1 mile total round trip, but it's very…read moreinclined, so it's not exactly easy, and on a hot day, you gotta bring plenty of water or you'll overheat. There are some trees on the way up that give a tiny bit of shade, but there's not much breeze until you reach the very top where there is one bench.

This hike is moderate because it is short. It's about a mile round trip but the stairs can be…read morebrutal, especially if you are short. The views are worth it. There is only bench at the top.

My hiking friends told me about this route that they affectionately call "Bigfoot". It's because…read moreif you look at the route on Strava, it looks like Bigfoot. Bigfoot runs through Irvine, Crystal Cove and the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. It was about 33 miles long. Well, we extended it to include the Shake Shack at Crystal Cove and I renamed the route, "Bigfoot dragging toilet paper." We passed through the Laguna Wilderness Park and it was nice terrain to navigate. We were running out of water and the parking areas did not have water but there was the Nix nature reserve that had full facilities and what we needed to finish this massive route. Please come and create your own adventure.

Yelp directions took me to a gated residential area down the way…read more I was glad to see I wasn't too far off. 3 dollars to park and several trails. I get lost easily, but here I felt safe. This is a perfect place to hike solo. I saw a bunny cross the hwy wish I would've seen some on the hiking trail. Much needed lovely hike.

Amazing views and easy trails may be a bother for some with stairs but worth the effort added plus…read morewalking distance to san Clemente outlets for shopping and food.

There are two small parking lots, so parking is convenient. The hiking route is relatively short,…read moremaking it perfect for a relaxing walk. From here you can overlook the Pacific Ocean and Highway 1. If you come around sunset, the view should be especially beautiful.

This is a really cool trail that starts out from Pacific Island Street goes past some residential…read moreneighborhoods and ends up with a beautiful view of Pacific Ocean it can continue down to PCH as well

Aliso Peak Trail is a little gem with various combo of extension trails. The trail starts out flat…read morewith a few picnic tables on the side of the trail. Then you proceed down on a steep, narrow dirt/rocky path. There are just a few rolling hills before you reach the peak. Before the final peak, there are wooden planks to step on/assist in hiking up. On a clear day you can see the canyon with a clear coastal view of Laguna Beach; on a foggy day, you'd still enjoy the ethereal view where mountain meets water/coast. Distance: ~ 2 miles roundtrip Trailhead: Seaview Park at Talavera and Casalero Parking: free along residential street Condition: dirt path, steep climb with little rocks Level: Advanced beginner NOTE: there are no restroom nearby or on the trail. If you're on time constraint and want a short cardio workout (~ 2miles roundtrip), start from Seaview park and descend down for a view of the ocean coast, coastal fog, and breezy wind. For more mileage, start from Aliso Summit Trail (Ridgeview and Highland, add about 6 miles roundtrip) then connect to Aliso Peak (total ~8 miles roundtrip); for additional adventure, descend via Valido trail to the beach.

"Trail still closed as of Thanksgiving."…read more Visiting from the bay area, I've always wanted to hike this trail. From Plano Trabuco/Trabuco Creek Road, you can still drive in, up to the gate, which is securely closed. Since I was driving someone else's car, I parked about a mile after the model airplane runway. My in-laws Toyota Camry did pretty good, and I inflicted hardly any damage to their vehicle. The day that I visited, there were four cars parked at the gate. Of course, you have to hike from that point on. It's a few miles to get to the volunteer fire station it's a nice run or hike from that point on. I had an opportunity to talk to some locals, who explained that the local fire marshal, Mike, died a few months ago. He lived in the last cabin right before the official trailhead-- the one that is now closed. So I was disappointed that the Falls trailhead is closed, but I still enjoyed running the road.

I took my first hike of the year after being out of commission for the past six months and I really…read moreenjoyed this hike. I compare this to black star canyon trail except.... This one is easier. Especially after the rain it was even more gorgeous. Difficulty- this is an easy hike, the incline is not to crazy with some minor challenges but there is quite a bit of water running through so just keep in mind there will be some crossing points where it is more slippery. Take your time especially with the kiddos. Environment- the trail is kept up pretty well but the drive out to the trail was REALLY... REALLY bumpy. There are so many pot holes even in my buddies 4wheel drive we really had to take our time. There were some Hondas they made it out there but just take your time on the road... Don't destroy your car trying to get out there quick. There were not a lot of insects and I did check my pup and I did not find any ticks. But always check your fur babies lol Traffic - we got out to the trail at about 1pm , there was not a whole lot of foot traffic so it was comfortable. I also wanted to send a thanks to the holy gym volunteer fire department. They left a wagon full of waters with a tip jar at the beginning of the trail and I thought that was pretty amazing. You don't see that very often but it was Greatly appreciated. I'll definitely be back to this hike it's great for beginners and your pups. Just come out and enjoy it .