Category Archives: Trail Reports

Trail Running the James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve

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The Quick and Dirty:

Location: James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve is located north of Hwy 73 on Laguna Canyon Road inside Laguna Coast Wilderness park in Orange County, California. Use this Google Map link for exact driving directions and use this link for the trail map.
Distance: About 3.4 miles on the Lake, Edison and Ridge Top trail loop (this is the outer loop of the preserve) and additional 2 miles for the Canyon Trail to the Mariposa Trail loop (this is the inner loop of the preserve).
Difficulty:  Easy hike, moderate trail run, lots of good rolling hills for a good workout.
Duration: It took us about 1 hour to finish the 5 mile run with a break at the top of the ridge line.
Dogs Allowed? No dogs or mountain biking are allowed inside the preserve.
Best time to visit: Year-round but spring during the wild flower season is a great time to see all the California native wildflowers blooming inside the preserve.
Trail Parking: Parking is $3 at the designated preserve parking lot. There was plenty of parking early in the morning when we started the run but the lot got pretty full by the time we left.

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The entrance to the James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve on Laguna Canyon Road shortly passing Hwy 73 heading northbound.

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Trail Report- Momyer Creek Trail

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Momyer Creek Trail to Dobbs Cabin campground, see rough trail map from Caltopo.
Distance: About 3.8 miles to Alger Creek campground and 5.9 miles to Dobbs Cabin (Dobbs) campground
Difficulty:  Moderate, it’s a short hike for a backpacking trip but there’s about 1,500 ft of elevation gain to Dobbs campground.
Duration: Overnight backpacking trip
Dogs Allowed? Yes, Dakota joined us on this trip as dogs are allowed in San Bernardino National Forest
Best time to visit: Whenever there is water! Water in the creeks seem to be plentiful on this trail, we’ve been during spring and fall and have always had luck. You may want to avoid hiking during the hottest months of the summer as the switchback section are exposed to full sun.
Trail Parking: Located close to the town of Forest Falls, there is a designated parking lot next to the trail head and parking has been manageable the last two times we went hiked this trail. On weekends, if you arrive later in the day, the lot does eventually fill up with day hikers. National Forest pass is required to park at the trail head.

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Nice trail sign at the trail head

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MTB Trail Report- Arroyo Trabuco – Tijeras Creek Loop

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location – Starting off at the south end of O’Neill Regional Park on Mesa trail, the Arroyo Trabuco – Tijeras Creek loop takes you around the city of Ranch Santa Margarita. See route on geoladders.com.
Distance – It is roughly a 14-mile loop if you don’t miss the turnout to Tijeras Creek like we did.
Terrain Type – Mix of double track and single track.  Rocky stretches, creek crossings, wood stretches and sand.
Difficulty – Good for beginner-intermediate mountain biking with a few climbs where I had to descend my bike and walk up the hill
Best Time – Year-round, there are a few stream crossings that can get quite deep after a big rain storm. Personally, I do think spring is the best time to see this trail, because everything was still lush from the recent rain events.
Parking- Parking at O’Neill park’s main lot is not free, we park on El Camino Montana Road parallel to the Mesa Trail.

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Chasing the sunlight at the end of the ride

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Badlands Park- Laguna Niguel, CA

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: 31671 Isle Vista, Laguna Niguel, CA. Free parking can be found on Isle Vista street. Park on the street before entering the private, gated community.
Distance:  Short 1.5 mile walk with panoramic views of Dana Point and Laguna Beach. 
Difficulty:  Easy, this trail is not really a hike but a leaisure walk. It is super short but perfect to bring friends and family who wants an ocean view by can’t walk or hike very far.
Dogs Allowed? Yes, dogs need to be leashed on to be on the trail.

If you want a panoramic ocean view in south Orange County without the crowd, this is the place to come. We stumbled upon this short hiking trail during a dog Meetup for Dakota and have been taking family and friends to visit this place ever since.

Located in Laguna Niguel, Badlands Park is a short 1.5 walk  with a view of the Dana Point to Laguna Beach coastline on one side and equally impressive cliff-side houses on the other. We think this trail is great if you are looking for a leisure stroll with a panoramic view and without needing direct beach access. Picnic tables are also available at the beginning of the trail for a meal and a nice view of the coastal sunset.

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Coast view looking north towards Laguna Beach. On a clear day, you can see as far as Long Beach toward the north and Catalina Island towards the west.

 

 

 

Los Pinos Peak, Cleveland National Forest

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Los Pinos Peak from Blue Jay campground, Cleveland National Forest
Distance: 5 miles round trip from Main Divide Truck Trail and Long Canyon Trail 
Difficulty:  Easy but watch for mountain bikers on the trail
Duration: 2.5 hours out and back
Dogs Allowed? Yes

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