Ahh...! I love Limstone Canyon. It's fairly well-preserved since it's accessible by wilderness access days or organized event only. You can have advanced beginner or intermediate hikes here, based on the trails you take. You can get some good elevation on some of the hills that seem a bit never-ending. Things are still looking green with the rain this winter/spring. Definitely recommend a visit. Look at LetsGoOutside.org for events. 2023: 31/100 read more

Access is very limited. I visited on a Wilderness Access Day; I think this is about once a month. I planned on visiting the previous month but like many trails in OC after it rains, they close for couple days after. It was my first time visiting so I am not sure whether this happens on every open Access Day that traffic builds up on Santiago Canyon Rd about a mile from the gate. Parking is at the Augustine Staging Area. The main lot filled up so I was directed to park up the hill on Hicks Haul Rd, a little extra mileage. If I were to estimate how long I was in traffic to get inside, I would say 40 minutes. By the time I parked and got to the trailhead, they were not letting any more cars in. I overhead a hiker saying she had parked somewhere else and took an Uber in. I intended on hiking to "The Sinks"; likely the most scenic view throughout the park. It is referred to as a mini Grand Canyon. They have a platform you view it from and you actually do look down into it. I consider it an easy hike to The Sinks and pretty straight forward, staying on one main trail. I took on some extra mileage by hitting up the small off-shoot trails which actually had some gain, recommended if you're looking for a workout. A second platform exists off Limestone Ridge for the "East Sinks" but the view isn't as great. It's a little more work to get to. They want you in your car and out of the park by 2:00pm so keep that in mind. They also patrol the trails not only on foot but also bike to make sure people get the steppin' when it gets close to closing time. As other reviews mentioned, check the website for other activities. Unlike Wilderness Access Day, they require you to sign up and limit the number of people. read more

Limestone Canyon Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Silverado, California

I did the Limestone Canyon Eco Challenge 12k Trail Race and loved every minute of running through the beautiful Limestone Canyon! This is a hidden gem, in my opinion, in the OC w.r.t. hiking trails and runs. Luscious green canyon, beautfiul and majestic mountains, oak woodlands. This place is full of plants and iconic geological formation called "the Sink." What does this reminds me of? Grand Canyon! =) This is a great place to run, walk, hike, and bike. You'll need to purchase through the Irvine Ranch Conservancy in order to get in! This place is not a public access all the time so be sure to look on their web site for the dates that they are offering hikes. Happy hiking and running! read more

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Elevation gain: at least 600 feet, but this is an estimation based on several websites Distance: 10 ish miles Time: 4 hours Trails: Limestone Canyon, Agua Chinon sinks, and the other side of Limestone Canyon Parking free: At Portola Staging Area or Augustine Staging area, but you have to sign up through letsgooutside.org first. This is a hidden gem in Orange county! I signed up for this hike months in advanced since it's a popular one. We went on a fairly shady day, but much of the hike is not covered. On our hike, we were lucky enough to see a horned tail lizard, which is great at camouflaging in the dirt. The hike leads you through so many different geological transformations that you forget youre in orange county. The limestone canyon definitely felt like a mini grand canyon. Worth checking out if you haven't and worth returning if you have. Tip: If you can't seem to get any signups because they are full, try again the day before during lunchtime. They typically send out reminder notices and if people cancel, they tend to do it during their lunchtime. Unfortunately, there is no waiting list so it will just open up again. read more

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Pretty nice area for hiking, though a little flat and too sunny. Open only during open access days or by appt (check website of Irving Ranch Conservatory). If headed out check the "sinks" area. read more

Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve Irvine Ranch Silverado, CA 6February2016 This spectacular and lush canyon includes thick, live California oak and sycamore ( deciduous and are found close to underground water/streams) woodlands. There is a lot of beautiful mistletoe which is species specific hanging from these trees. There are streamside habitats, year-round springs and an iconic geological formation called "the Sinks," often compared to a mini-Grand Canyon. It is 8 miles round trip to the sinks with some shades areas. Start out early and carry extra water. A rich diversity of plants and animals as well as an unusual variety of natural habitats make Limestone a true favorite among hikers, mountain bikers and naturalists of all types. Access is limited to Wilderness Access Days due to sensitive habitats. Registration is required online. Dogs not allowed. Horses OK. For more information: http://letsgooutside.org/explore/limestone-canyon-nature-preserve/ read more

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First off, you have to go to LetsGetOutside.org to sign up to tour, hike or bike this trail. The trail I signed up for was at 7:30am and you must be prompt because they open and close the gate for you. On my hike, there were more guides/volunteers than guests. Be warned, while they were at least 30 years older than me, they were outpacing me... And I'm in pretty good shape! It's mostly hard on your shins and feet because it's 8 miles on paved road. I wouldn't do this hike again, but I was able to get my mind off the physical discomfort by talking to people. You can do 3 or 6 miles, but I don't know where the halfway point for that is to turn around. I did 8 because we hit a gate at 4 miles and turned around. You have to be able to finish within the 2.5 limit. read more

Signed up with www.LetsGoOutside.org to join a wonderful team of volunteers and master trekkers. Had an awesome cardio workout with the massive hill--elevation over 1000ft!!! Will continue and sign up for other adventures as well! read more

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I visited on Wilderness Access Day in October. The OC Parks team and rangers were amazing! So helpful at every point. Someone helped us plan our hike on a map based on what we wanted to see and how much of a challenged we wanted. The people at both of the sinks were great to talk to about the park and wildlife. The sinks were cool, but a little underwhelming for something with such restricted access. I loved the West Sinks the most. We did a little over 9 miles to see both Sinks. From the west sinks I spotted a trail in the distance going up a larger mountain/hill. I heard the view from that point is amazing. Turns out if you keep going to the other side of that hill, you end up in Whiting Ranch (I think it's mustard trail??). However, it's a closed trail. I heard rumblings that one day they could open up Limestone Canyon and open up the trail to connect to the 2 parks making them one. THAT'S what would inspire a 5 star review for me! read more

Hiked at the Limestone Park through the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks program. I guess this park is normally not accessible to the public and you need to go through a program to be able to hike it. I really love how the Irvine program sets up all these hikes for people to do throughout the week. I decided to try this one because it was marked as "moderate". The bf and I only hiked about 2 mi and got bored pretty quickly since the hike was pretty flat. We didn't keep venturing further down the hike and just turned around. I can't say what the rest of the hike is like, but for the first 2 mi, the scenery is pretty nice. It's pretty open and there's a lot of green. If you enjoy strenuous hikes with constant elevation changes, this is not for you. (Or at least the first 2 mi is not for you). read more

Private closed off roads and trails so it's a hidden gem. Fortunate enough to see parts of the scenery because of YIKING event sponsored by The Great Parks/Irvine Conservatory. Explored about 3 miles of the paved roads that went deeper in the canyon. The paved roads is great for those with ankle problems. There's some incline and will take about 2 to 3 hours depending on pace. Saw unique cactus, plants, birds, and rattlesnakes. I also did a bit of yoga off the top of a hill and enjoyed the view. Minus the red ants swarming around my yoga mat. read more

The nature here is nice, but beware the "volunteers!" They're extremely rude! They seem to think it's their job to harass you. One of them on a bike even made sexually suggestive remarks to my girlfriend and me when he saw her sitting down taking a break by the side of the path. Luckily a park ranger showed up, immediately comprehended the situation, and shooed him away. I think the rangers must realize how bad the volunteers here are. My message to the volunteers: Stop harassing the visitors! read more

This place is probably a great place to ride a bike or hike but because it's closed to the public and guarded by rangers it gets one star. I have heard stories and read articles describing Limestone Canyon but each time I attempt to go here I am greeted by barbed wire, locked gates, and grumpy rangers. I hope one day they open this place for everyone to experience. read more

Participated in a docent led mountain bike ride starting at Hicks Haul Road. By the time we were done, it was a total of 18miles with 2800 ft of climbing. Lead docent (Christian) was awesome. Stopped frequently to make sure all was ok and no bikers left behind. The other docents were very helpful also. The ride took us through loma ridge, sandtrap, sinks, boxsprings, shoestring and limestone ridge. I probably have those out of order but you get the idea...we rode everything! Would definitely recommend it and will do it again. read more

I hiked here at their Open Access day last weekend. We got there about 10am and had to be back from our hike by 2pm when they closed, which worked for us. We are beginners/moderate hikers and didn't want to do a 9mile hike to the Sinks, so the ranger recommended Shoestring Trail, which turns into Loma Linda and then return via Hicks Road, I believe. It was 4.5 miles. Shoestring starts out nice alongside the main road going toward Irvine Lake, but when it cuts inward, the elevation climbs rather quickly in 1 mile. For me, it was a bit difficult, but I'm sure more experienced hikers would be ok with it, or would go to the Sinks instead. That was the biggest hill, though there are also small other elevation climbs throughout. The view at the top of Loma Ridge was very nice; I think we saw the ocean. The trails and wildlife is well protected and maintained, probably since it is not publicly accessible. I bet it'd be great to bike ride. Next time, I'm bringing a lot more water and will probably try the Sinks! read more