O’Neill Regional Park offers camping facilities for park users. The camp sites are close to Live Oak Canyon Road and are popular throughout the spring and summer months. The campground is family friendly. Lots of kids are riding their bikes, skating, and running around the campground. In short, the campground would be great for people with young kids, families, or someone trying to get outside. I do not recommend the campground for those looking for solitude.
O’Neill Regional Park is situated in Orange County, California, it is about an hour south of Los Angeles in the heart of Orange County. It is bordered by Trabuco Canyon, Whitings Ranch, Cleveland National Forest, and the City of Rancho Santa Margarita, making it easily accessible. The park offers camping, hiking, mountain biking, equestrian trails, day use facilities, and connects to the trails running running south west towards the beaches.
O’Neill park is run by OC Parks and they limit the type of use of each trail. Some trails will allow a combination of hikers, equestrians, dogs, and mountain bikers. Single tracts are typically limited to hikers and equestrians. Dogs are only allowed in camping facilities and the Mesa Trail (paved). Since L is spending 3 months at home with Baby S (thank you California Paid Family Leave), we have been frequenting the park a lot due to the proximity to our home. Below are some of the trails we’ve explored:
Edna Spaulding Trail
Live Oak Trail – Vista Trail – Hoffman Homestead Trail – Coyote Trail Loop
Mesa Trail
Camping at O’Neill Regional Park
Mountain biking Arroyo Trabuco – Tijieras Creek
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It was another beautiful day out at the Mojave Desert as we woke up camping beneath the Granite Mountains. As usual, Baby S woke up at 6AM. We had breakfast and took our morning hike around the campsite trails. This schedule seems to work out for us since it coincides with Baby S’s nap time. We were sad that our stay at Mojave National Preserve has come to an end but were so grateful to have spent the last 3 days exploring this hugely understated park. We still cannot believe we stayed away from this place for so long! Mojave National Preserves has made its way into one of our favorite places.
Eating dinner and trying to stay warm at the Granite Mountain campground
The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Klamath River and Miner’s Ridge Trail near Elk Prairie Campground.
Distance: 2 miles of walking around Klamath River and 8 miles round trip to Miner’s Ridge Trail
Terrain Type: Coastal, partial shade and good coverage on Miner’s Ridge Trail
Good to Know: Spend some time walking around the beach at the mouth of the Klamath river. It’s a good spot to watch for marine wildlife.
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The drive from Medocino to Redwood State and National Park was about 3.5 hours. We checked out from Glendeven Inn at 11AM and arrived at Kuchel visitor’s center at 3pm. The park ranger gave us some car camping choices and we decided to camp at Elk Prairie campground for the next two nights. Campsites at the park before Memorial Day weekend can be reserved at a first come first serve basis. Elk Prairie is located within the Redwood State park boundary. Much of the campsites are located underneath old growth redwood trees, camping underneath these old growth trees definitely gave a mystic feel the whole experience. Continue reading
Hike Now, Work Later 