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    Turtle Rock Viewpoint Trail

    4.2 (143 reviews)

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    Happy pup
    Dr. Amelia H.

    This was a nice paved walk. to me, this was not a hike? I just felt we were in housing tracks so much it didn't feel like we got away or found that peace you do on a true hike. But it got the job done and we all have burnt some calories. I found other dog owners so respectful even if they had larger ones being cautious with there's around my little ones, very nice etiquette of fellow dog parents. Would come back though as a walk. Unless it brought us to the wrong location? If we ever find a different location I will update this.

    Sandy B.

    It was a challenging trail that starts with a straight incline up a brushy hill then goes through an area behind houses, down to a steep decline to a street. Wear shoes with good traction and bring a lot of water and electrolytes. The trail takes about 2 hours or a little less depending on your pace. I'm not sure the viewpoint was worth it to be honest. Pretty.

    Christopher C.

    Soooo I had to do some driving around to find the bottom trail head's. Most of them are in residential areas but I was not sure if it was a permit parking thing so until I have a better idea of where to park it will be 4 stars. I ended up parking at Chaparrel park. That entrance take you up a good set of cement stairs the. Gets you into the steepest point of the hike and to the highest vista point. It really is nice up there I can see this being amazing for sunset. I then did some scouting and took the trails down to find all the trail head entrances. 1- hike- the hike at the base going up is easy-moderate, if you enter from Chaparrel park.. you have a pretty good difficult steep hike then it kicks back in to moderate than easy.. in all honesty.. this is perfect for trail running with the pup.. 2- people - people for the most part were keeping their distance and wearing masks. It was not to heavy of traffic for a Sunday morning sooo I was pretty happy with it. 3- dog friendly-.. yes..... My dog does great off leash but I did keep him on leash on this run. He loved the hike and I'll definitely be doing it with him again. There are two places at the two points of the Vista that have trash cans.. PICK UP YOUR DOGS POOP... Be a responsible dog parent and pick up the poop... People run this trail and I dont want to step in it.. there are places to throw it away...put your big person pants on BAG IT , CARRY IT THEN TOSS IT IN THE BINS. Overall a good hike if I find a better place to park I'll post it.. be courteous to the neighborhood and to nature !! Cheers C-JAC

    Sharon K.

    Great hiking spot especially during the pandemic. There is a lot of room for social distancing. The time I was there, there were both people who were masked and unmasked. Pros: - i used the AllTrails app for the route to follow. - There is plenty of parking in the residential area across from Turtle Rock Preschool. - Some uphills, but pleasant area Cons: - some people walk their dogs and refused to collect their dog poop. So there are a lot throughout the trail!

    Channel E.

    Easy loop. Used AllTrails app for directions. Started from Chapparal Park and parked in the residential area. Went up the stairs to the viewpoint. Such a pretty view of Irvine. I can see this trail being a hot spot for sunrises and sunsets. Looped around through the neighborhood.

    Julie V.

    "Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory." Ed Viesturs I enjoy that this hike is in Irvine and relatively local. There are tons of homes, so it's a big awkward to try to find the trail. It requires driving past people's neighborhoods in search for this local trail. When you get to the top it's beautiful. The hike itself is relatively paved. It's a pretty easy hike but parking can be a pain. Besides the homes/lights when you get up top, there isn't that much to see...I've been spoiled having hiked in various parts of true wilderness in Kansas, Utah, Korea, and Japan...so when I come here, I'm scaling/inflating it at 4/5 relative to southern California. My fellow comrads who are used to more strenuous and scenic routes in less city areas, please take that into account when considering this trail.

    Trail to peak turtle rock, it gets steep here but nothing too crazy!
    Justin D.

    Used the trail from the All Trail App. It was a decent hike about 5 Miles. See my pictures for what the trail looks like, lots of good scenery and vegetation on the hike. But towards the end you end up walking through normal neighborhoods to get back to the cars. I'd recommend starting at the park at the bottom instead of parking on the random street it starts you at. There are multiple intersecting trails as well so you can explore and mix it up! Dog friendly trail, but please pick up your poop!

    Keep your eye on the road if you hike after it rains.
    Channary V.

    Beautiful view from top of the hill. The hike was short but steep, but that's just how I like. Such a nice hike/walk if you have little time after work, the View is nice and peaceful up there either for sunrise or sunrise or at night. But he cautious for little insects, especially after the rain. The flowers are blossoming, just keep your eyes on the road.

    cactus hehe
    Ann T.

    This is a fantastic hike. The views are super pretty especially during sunset. The incline is a little challenging for beginning hikers like me, but it is a lovely trail. Super beautiful nature in the middle of Irvine City

    our beginning
    Pheary P.

    Fri late morning 4/2/21. Parking on the street was easy. We passed only a handful of people on the trail, including two dogs whose owners were considerate. This was an easy hike for Mason but there really wasn't any shade. I think we must not have followed the trail right because we found ourselves in the housing community. Or is this hike similar to Signal Hill and more of a steep walk through the neighborhood? We thoroughly enjoyed the tall grass and wildflowers with our wild and free GSD. It was a good workout with some steep pathways. I imagine this would be a great spot to see a sunset and city lights at night. But there was lots of broken glass at the top and an odd heap of stones. Doesn't look like it would be family friendly after dark. Maybe we will try this hike at another time and follow someone else's map.

    cloudy day view toward Newport
    Timmy S.

    This is NOT a hike. More like a short walk up a hill in a suburban neighborhood. The "trail" starts at the rear of Chaparral Park (next to Bonita Elementary). The first part is all paved and mostly stairs. This provides some good cardio but about the time your heart really starts pumping you are done with the stairs. The second part is a loose dirt and rock trail to the top of the hill. From the start of the trail to the top of the hill only took me about 10-15 minutes and I'm not all that nimble. There is a great view of Irvine, Costa Mesa and Newport from the top. I continued to walk a trail along the ridge line of the hills but within a quarter mile it was heading back down into the neighborhood so I just turned around and went back. I did get a glimpse of a fairly substantial snake crossing the trail on top of the hill, probably 3 feet long. Not sure what type of snake it was but definitely not a rattlesnake. If you want a short walk and get a bit of cardio along with a great view, this is your baby but only worthwhile if you live in the area.

    1st hill sunset

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    3 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Beautiful scenery from the top. The sunset view is amazing. Nice hike to the top. Be careful with dogs as we saw coyotes on the trail.

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

    It's a very very short trail. Not steep at all. The view looks great Yelp ! It's actually not high up !!

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    2 years ago

    Definitely recommend during sunset or even at night. Such a vibe, especially if you're in the Orange County area.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Easy walk with nice scenery . Great hiking trail for a weekend if you wanna stay in the area

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    10 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Had a fun time with my friends and the view just amazing just that if we went in the night it would of been way better

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    11 years ago

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Turtle Rock Viewpoint Trail

    Is there free parking?

    Yes, parking is free. It's in a residential area so plenty of parking on the streets.

    Is this trail still open during Covid 19?

    Yes

    Can you park your car and look at the view from the car?

    no you can't. need to hike up

    Hi, is this trail good for a 6 and an 8 year old kid? Is there a way to circle back to the starting place without doing a path twice? We are looking for maybe 1-2 hours of light walk... thanks!!

    Yes it's good for your kids if you only plan to stop at the stairs level, because there are some very steep and slippery rocks you need to climb if you want to get to the very top. The whole trail is very short; it takes about 1 hour at most, at… Read more

    Does anyone know the hours?

    beginning in september 2018, the upper dirt trail closes from dusk to sunrise and is patrolled by the irvine police who will write citations for trespassing. the lower park area closes at 10 p.m.

    View All 7 Questions

    Review Highlights - Turtle Rock Viewpoint Trail

    While looking deeper into previous yelp reviews, we realized the entrance was at Chaparral park.

    Mentioned in 20 reviews

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    Black Star Canyon Trail - Peacock on the trail

    Black Star Canyon Trail

    (393 reviews)

    Love it! It's a lot of climbing over rocks but it's great exercise. The best part of everything is…read morereaching the falls and eating a good sandwich. I do notice that many people leave their trash behind in this particular trail. PLEASE TAKE YOUR TRASH! You'll definitely get a good nap after getting home.

    First time visiting Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park to check out the "falls" and it was just as…read moreexpected. By doing a little bit of research, we learned it was best to go early - my husband and I got there at 7:45am in October on a Saturday and the lot was already starting to fill up. When we left at 11:30, the lot was very full. There is technically plenty of parking but the busier it is, the farther you would have to go just to get to the trailhead. We had a very good weather for hiking. It was overcast for the first hour or so, and there is shade when hiking along the creek, and it was partly cloudy on our way out. If hiking during the afternoon, I would recommend bringing twice as much water as you think you would need. Overall, the trail was long but not too difficult. The first 3 miles are fairly easy/moderate and only the very end being somewhat difficult because it is steep. We think the total hike was about 7-8 miles round-trip and took 3.5-4 hours at a moderate pace. In October 2025, the falls and creek were dried out after a hot summer and only one storm in months. It made crossing the creek a non-event (only a little mud and puddles in a few areas), but it also meant the waterfalls were non-existent. The trail was still very scenic and a fun hike. The end of the trail is still very beautiful when dry. Note, there are lots of mountain bikers so be alert and stay to the right side of the trail. No bathrooms, trash cans, or water fountains but still very clean; thanks to the regular hikers who help to clean up the trails. Please be kind to others and respectful to nature. Pack it on, pack it out.

    Quail Hill Trailhead - very peaceful

    Quail Hill Trailhead

    (158 reviews)

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    Peters Canyon Hike - 1st timer here w Powee Dowee. Started @ 11:15 finished at 12:37 p.m. 9,031 steps 2.04.26

    Peters Canyon Hike

    (386 reviews)

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    Review 30/365 day challenge 2.04.26…read more Finally made it here to PC for a late morning hike w my hiking Gfren Pow. She's a regular here and been coming. Have told mee several times she loves this hike and it's a good hike where it's a bit more busier than other hiking trails that you feel safe to go to. Started the hike a little late morning around 11:15 a.m. and finished right before 12:40 p.m. A little over 4 miles. We went to a much easier hike trail. Where it was much shading area until you enter the hiking trail and then it was full of sun. Luckily it was a bit breezy so wasn't too fully hot. There's different areas to park, some where it's free of charge and they have the main parking where supposedly have av actual public restroom for $ 3. We parked near some residential area. Right before entering the entrance where the trail started, there was about 5 porter potties available. As all hikes there are warning signs of Rattlesnakes, poison ivy, mountain lions etc. Located in Tustin borderline of Orange. Not too far from Irvine Regional park off Jamboree. Will definitely return to hike here and check out the different trails.

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    Turtle Rock Viewpoint Trail - hiking - Updated May 2026

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