Category Archives: Distance hikes

These hikes are 10 miles and longer

MT WHITNEY DAY HIKE

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, The 10 Essentials, Waterfalls

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OC Trail Hikers on the summit of Mt. Whitney 14,508 ft!

Where do I begin… Lets see..

This was the biggest hike of my life and it was far from easy… It wasn’t physically tough but more mentally challenging. The hike to the summit is 11 miles with an elevation change of around 6,000 ft. The hike itself is relatively easy but the higher you get the harder it becomes to breath… and you get really high! In fact, at 14,508 ft., its the highest point in the lower 48!

The Fantastic 4

Our plan was to start hiking at midnight so that if we encountered any difficulties along the way we would still have plenty of time to recover. That idea I was fine, but the idea of getting to the portal and sleeping during the day before our hike totally backfired on us! We spent all day trying to sleep and couldn’t even squeeze in a minute of shut eye. Before we knew it it was already 11pm !

We geared up and hit the trail by 1130pm. Hiking in the dark is something I had only done a couple times before but only for 2 hours at the most… This was going to be a 7 hour hike in the dark until sunrise. It was nice to hike under the cover of darkness but the only downfall was that we missed all the nice scenery on the way up.

Sunrise at Trail Camp

We arrived at Trail Camp just in time to see the sunrise. After a quick break we refilled our water and continued on to the infamous 99 switchbacks. The switchbacks arent so bad on the way up.. The way down is a different story!

Switch-backing it up to Trail Crest

As you can tell by the look on my face the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll…

When you reach Trail Crest you are overcome with this feeling of accomplishment and joy and you almost feel untouchable!

Finally reached Trail Crest!

That feeling lasts about 2 minutes!… as you make your way down, yes down, Trail Crest you begin to realize that getting to the summit is going to require a little more work than a measly 99 switchbacks! If you made it this far, there is no reason to stop here although you might be slightly discouraged, just keep on trekking!

Along the Trail Crest/JMT you will have amazing views into Sequoia National Park. The views are like no other that I’ve experienced on any of my hikes Just plain amazing!

A look into Sequoia National Park

My lovely wife and myself on the Trail Crest / JMT Trail. Sequoia National Park in the background

On Trail Crest/JMT

The final push to the summit is an amazing feeling… Knowing that all your hard work, training and sacrifices are about to pay off, makes that moment one that you will never forget!

Me making the final push to the top!

This was a wonderful journey I was fortunate enough to share this experience with my beautiful wife Martina and my hiking buddies Neal and Scott.

Our total hike time was 19 hours including breaks and stops to regroup. The altitude played a big roll in our long trek. Dealing with elevation sickness and the extreme headaches was something that required us to slow down and take lots of breaks,very frequently. It took us 11 hours to summit and 7 to return back down.

A permit is required to hike to the summit of Mt Whitney. Click here for info on entering the lottery.

Permits can be picked up at the MT Whitney Ranger Station/Visitor Center

Click here for directions to the trailhead

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  • Elevation 14,508 ft
  • hike time 10-20 hours
  • 22 miles
  • 6,000 ft elev. gain
  • Whitney Zone permit required
  • start early and take your time. THE MOUNTAIN ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE!
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SAN JACINTO PEAK (via Deer Springs Trail)

28 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks

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Me on San Jacinto Peak

This was probably up there on the list of tough hikes. I don’t know if it was the late 9:30 am start or the warm summer day or a combination of the two… But I had a hard time on this particular hike.

Anyways, Deer Springs Trail is located off of highway 243 and is actually on a turnout off the main highway. A forest adventure pass is required. You will also need a wilderness permit to day hike in the San Jacinto wilderness. You can pick one up at the ranger station a few miles down the road past the Trailhead. (Follow the signs on the roadside)

This a wonderful trail and I cant wait to bring my wife back to experience it. We have reached the summit before via the Palm Springs Tram which was a wonderful hike but this trail is my new favorite way up to the peak. The 9.3 mile trail makes its way up the west side of the mountain so an early start is recommended or else the sun will be beaming down on you as it was on me.

The trail is well marked and almost impossible to lose. The First marker is always such a drag… nothing but a reminder of how long you have left!

2.3 miles down…. 7 more to go!

The scenery on this trail is absolutely some of the best! Tall pines, lovely creeks and amazing rock formations

Large Boulder on the trail

Usually climbing out of the tree covered forest is not one of my favorite things… sometimes i wish i could stay there wondering around all day.. but on this hot summer day i knew that getting higher meant cooler weather. So we kept pushing on  passing trail junction after trail junction. Finally! blue skies in the distance! This is when you finally get a real feel for how much elevation you have gained..

Little windows like this were breathtaking!

view of The Santa Ana Mountains to the West

View of The Santa Ana and The San Gabriel Mountains

The views were amazing!!

We passed a lot of streams along the way making note of them and their distance just in case we needed to refill on the way back.. (which we did)> The last water source before the peak was at The Little Round Valley Campground. From here it is about 1.3 miles to the top. On our way back we refilled our 3L waterpacks here before heading down.

The climb out of little round valley was tough about 1,100 ft in in 1.6 miles. Not to worry The views from here were great! I got s sneak peak of my soon to be next hike San Gorgonio! (which was easier than expected)

View of San G

The Final Push! This was the longest 1.6 miles EVER! But being that close to the peak is nothing but motivation to keep on going.. So thats exactly what I did.. Reaching the last trail junction is always such a good feeling especially when it reads……

.3 MILES TO GO!!!

This is the Longest, Hardest .3 miles around! At least from my experiences.. The trail leads to the emergency shelter and from there its a rock scramble to the peak. Take your time and be careful  the high altitude can get you even at this point. I saw a guy sick as a dog throwing up just before the peak. I made sure to take some advil every 3 hours or so to prevent the killer headaches associated with high elevations hike.

Happy Trails!
AlexG

  • 18.6 MILES ROUNDTRIP
  • 5,000 FT ELEVATION GAIN
  • ALL DAY HIKE (10.5 HRS)
  • SUNBLOCK
  • HIKING POLES
  • WATER FILTER/PURIFIER
  • ADVENTURE PASS

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MOUNT BALDY (via the Ski Hut Trail)

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls

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SAN ANTONIO FALLS

With my Mount Whitney hike fast approaching I decided to get serious about my training. Already have done Mt Baldy (via Old Baldy Trail) which was a butt kicker I decided to try out the shorter but equally as hard route to the summit. At 4.2 miles and with a gain of 4,000 ft. This is the shortest and quickest way to the top.

The trail begins at the intersection of Mt. Baldy Rd and Falls Rd. there is plenty of parking and a Forest Adventure pass is required. The first mile of this hike is on a road. At .5 miles you will reach San Antonio Falls. On this particular May day the falls were less impressive than I had imagined.. but hey it was a pretty dry winter.

After making a sharp right turn past the falls the roads turns to the left and at about .8 miles  there will be an unmarked steep  single track trail to your left. This us the Ski Hut Trail. If you aren’t paying attention, you will miss it. We almost did if it wasn’t for a fellow hiker.

The next 3.5 miles are unbelievable, amazing and breathtaking! (Especially the breathtaking part) As soon as I started I immediately knew it was going to be a tough hike. I caught myself stopping more frequently than ever before.

It felt like the torture would never end!

What seemed to be an eternity was really only like an hour and a half of hiking… Finally through the cover of the clouds I got a glimpse of the ski hut.

FIRST VIEW OF THE SKI HUT ON A CLOUDY MORNING

Finally! The halfway point… great place to rest, re-energize, take a bathroom break and carb up before continuing on the final half of the hike.

ONE OF THE MANY PLACES TO REST AT THE SKI HUT

After a nice 30 minute rest. We geared up and continued on our mission! Just 2 more miles! Sounds easy but there is still one last hard section before the final push!

My buddy Neal

Winding our way up the mountain through a series of boulders and pines. There was no snow left on the mountain but there was a lot of ice covered trees. Which made for great photos.

After the last hard part the trail becomes relatively easy and the blue skies begin to open up indicating that the top of the ridge is getting closer. This usually gives me that extra motivation to keep on trekking!

NEARING THE TOP

YOURS TRULY, ON THE SUMMIT

This is probably the best 4.5 mile hike around. It offers a bit of everything.. A waterfall, a steep incline, beautiful scenery and an amazing view! Definitely a must do for all serious hikers!

  • 4.5 miles to the top
  • Difficulty – strenuous
  • 4,000 ft elevation gain
  • beautiful scenery
  • waterfall
  • 10,064
  • highest point in LA

RETURN OPTIONS:

  1. Return the way you came (9 miles)
  2. go down the devils backbone which will take you back to the trailhead with an added 2 miles on the return (apprx. 11 miles  r.t)
  3. go down Old Baldy Trail (6.4 miles) requires a car shuttle (11 miles r.t)

MOUNT BALDY (via Old Baldy Trail)

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Plaque on the top of Baldy

This past April our group decided to hike up to the summit of Mount Baldy (officially Mt. San Antonio).  There are 4 ways to reach the peak. With Mt. Whitney just a few months away, we decided to challenge ourselves and take the Old Baldy Trail which is 6.4 miles long and has a gain of about 5,800 ft making it a very challenging and difficult hike.

The parking lot for this hike is located right next to the Mt. Baldy Village Church. A forest adventure pass is required.

After a quick bag check we started up Bear Canyon Rd for about .4 miles to the trailhead.

Trailhead at the end of Bear Canyon Rd

After enjoying the the sounds of the creek and sights of the cabins for .4 miles we left the paved road behind and continued on the dirt single-track trail that is Old Mt Baldy Trail. Our next destination was Bear Flat (1.8miles) here we regrouped and took a short break before continuing on for the remaining 4.6 miles.

The First 1.8 miles are the easiest…

The rest of the hike has a gain of 900 feet per mile making it very difficult.  As soon as you leave Bear Flat you start to switchback up the south side of the mountain leaving you exposed to the sun , so bring a hat and pack on the sunblock! Views of Ontario Peak are all you can see from here.

Ontario Peak

After about 2 miles we hit the end of the switchbacks and continued up the ridge. This is where SoCal began to reveal itself.

getting higher and higher.. The Santa Ana Mountains are starting to reveal themselves!

If you make it here.. Just keep on going as the hardest part is now over. My favorite part of this hike(other than reaching the peak) was when we I reached the Narrows Ridge This was an Amazing experience with awesome views!

My Wife making her way up Narrows Ridge

View of Mt Baldy from Narrows Ridge

When we reached the top of the ridge my jaw dropped!

Jaw is Dropped! top of the Narrows Ridge

Up until here we were on a dirt trail which was easy to follow and easy to walk on.. This was a first for me.. hiking in the snow.. it sounds nice in ones head but the fact of the matter is this stuff was slushy and knee deep in some places.. With Baldy in our sights we had no choice but to fuel up and keep on trekking!

Once we hit the saddle between West Baldy and Baldy we had a choice to visit WB but we were just too drained, so we continued to the right and made the final push up to Baldy!

WE MADE IT!!!!

My krew and I on the highest peak in LA

Happy Trails,
Alex G.

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  • 12.8 round-trip
  • 6.4 miles to the top
  • 900 ft of gain per mile
  • 5,800 ft of gain
  • 10,834 ft peak
  • Tallest peak in LA
  • 3rd tallest peak in So Cal
  • adventure pass required
  • Difficulty– Very Strenuous
  • start early to beat the heat 6 or 7am
  • total hike time 7-11 hours depending on pace

LIMESTONE CANYON GRAND TOUR

02 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Strenuous Hikes

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Early this week I was lucky enough to be able to join the IRC on their Limestone Canyon Grand Tour hike. This hike covers all trails exterior and interior within the boundaries of Limestone Canyon Open Space Preserve . Totaling a little over 16 miles this is a long hike with multiple ups and downs. The trailhead for this hike is located at the Augustine Staging Area just off of Santiago Canyon Road. This hike is only available by signing up on the Activities page on the IRC website.

The Sinks from East Loma Ridge

This is a great way to see the whole park in its entirety with limited distractions. You will have the whole park to yourselves!

Dripping springs


The IRC hosts an open access day once a month for self guided tours of the park, although not all trails are open one can still see most of the park within 7-8 hours.

Along the way you will make multiple stops
1. To catch your breath.
2. To visit Box and Dripping springs which have water year round (great opportunities to see wildlife).
3. Stop on Limestone Ridge and Loma Ridge to check out the views of The Santa Ana’s, Orange County and Catalina and the San Gabriels on a clear day.
4. Last but not least, to visit The Sinks! A natural landslide that occurred millions of years ago!

CLICK HERE FOR MAP AND HIKE DETAILS OF MY HIKE

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  • estimated hike time 7 hours
  • 16 miles
  • only available through IRC
  • over 1,500 ft elev. gain

 

BLACK STAR CANYON TO SILVERADO CANYON

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls

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This 20 mile hike begins at the Black Star Canyon Trailhead and ends at the Maple Springs Trailhead. We used the car shuttle system to complete this hike, meeting at the Maple Springs Trailhead, leaving a car there and carpooling to the beginning of the hike.

This is a great hike with lots of points of interest: A coal mine, school bus, historic Indian site, Beeks place, doppler radar, Pleasants Peak and amazing views are things that you will experience along the way.

The hike begins at the parking lot just past the large steel gates.This is Black Star Canyon Rd. The first 2 miles are on a wide level fire road. Along the way you will see a closed off coal mine on the right and shortly after an old abandoned tractor and an old school bus in the creek are visible on the left.

New Bridge on Black Star Cyn Rd

School bus in the creek

A little past the the 2 mile mark you will see a house to your right, this is Black Star Bills house. If you see him say hi and keep on walking. When you reach the large concrete cylinders make a left and continue up the road. Making a right and dropping into the creek will take you to Black Star Waterfall

The next 3 miles are a gradual climb consisting of a few switchbacks and several hundred feet of elevation gain. (aprox 800ft) for the most part this section of the trail is exposed with very little shade and hardly and trees but around the 5 mile mark you will notice a bunch of Oak Trees on the right. This is the site of the Historic Indian village. This is a wonderful place for a break and an even better place to do some exploring. There’s a large amount of grinding rocks here which indicates that there was a large group of Indians that called this place home. There is a great lookout point located in the southwest section of the site.

Entering the Historic Indian Site

Grinding Rocks

Historic Indian Site

After a quick break and a small snack we continued on to the next of many points of interest on this hike. Next up, Beeks place, which is at the 8 mile mark. Beeks place sits on the Main Divide Rd and offers amazing views of Orange County, The San Gabriel Mountains and IE.

Entering the Cleveland National Forest

Beeks Place

We continued right, passing Beeks place and headed to our next destination, The Doppler Radar which is just over 1 mile from Beeks place.

Break time at the Doppler

On our way to Pleasants Peak we stopped at Little Pleasants Peak to check out the views

view from Little Pleasants Peak

Our next stop was Pleasants Peak (4,007 ft) This peak is much like the Santiago Peak but on a smaller scale of course. 360 views are not possible because of the many communication towers that call this place home but a quick scramble up the ridge provide awesome views!

Pleasants Peak

My beautiful wife an I before leaving Pleasants Peak

Leaving Pleasants Peak

From here we still had 8 miles to go! We thought it would be all down hill from here but we were mistaken. The rest of this trek on the Main Divide consisted of rolling hills once we reached the 17 mile mark we reached the junction with Main Divide and Silverado Truck Trail. We took the Silverado Trail (straight ahead)  for the remaining 3 miles to the car. Making a left will take you to Bedford Peak.

On our way down the Silverado Trail we had amazing views of Santiago Peak as the clouds rolled in.

Santiago Peak from Silverado Trail

Happy Trails,
Alex G

RECAP:

  1. ****STAY ON WIDE FIRE ROAD THE FIRST 17 MILES****
  2. First 8 miles are on Black Star Canyon Rd
  3. Make a right at Main Divide towards Beeks Place and continue for 9 miles
  4. At 17 mile mark go straight past the brown rails and take Silverado Trail for 3 miles to Maple Springs.
  5. Once on Silverado Canyon Rd make a right towards the Maple Springs parking lot
  • 20 MILES
  • 3,400 FT ELEV. GAIN
  • HISTORIC INDIAN SITE
  • DOPPLER RADAR
  • PLEASANTS PEAK(4,007FT)
  • 8 -10 HOURS TO COMPLETE
  • >>>>NO SHADE<<<<<
  • CAR SHUTTLE

CLICK HERE FOR MAP OF HIKE

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LIMESTONE CANYON LOOP

08 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors

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The sinks are that way --->

 

Earlier this month a couple friends and I signed up for an open access day at Limestone Canyon. The Irvine Ranch Conservancy opens up the wilderness park a few times a year to the public. They offer a lot of other outdoor programs that can be found on their activities page.

The Sinks

Most people hike directly to the sinks and back, the 9 mile round-trip hike is great for families and for beginners. The Limestone Canyon trail is pretty flat and has no elevation gain making it ideal for a quick in and out hike. The park itself is made up of over 10 different trails and if done all together can easily add up to about 18 miles.

On this particular day my friends and I decided to take the long way to the Sinks.  From the parking area we headed right on Hicks Haul Rd. and then a quick right on Blue Diamond Haul Rd (paved road) which leads to the Shoestring trail.  The Shoestring Trail is 2.12 miles long, is very steep and offers great views of Irvine Lake. The first .58 miles parallels Santiago Canyon Rd.

Irvine Lake from Shoestring Trail

The trail continues to the left at the first junction and starts to leave the sounds of the road behind, leaving you in this beautiful open meadow. This a very beautiful part of the trail and since we started early we had this section all to ourselves. Soon the trail begins to climb, gaining several hundred feet in less than 2 miles.

Shoestring Trail heading towards West Loma Trail

The next junction is with the West Loma Trail from here make a left and continue on for another 1.34 miles the views from here are amazing. Irvine lake and the San Gabriels can be seen from here. Lucky for me, it was a clear day.

Irvine Lake and The San Gabriel Mountains from West Loma Trail

As you can see the views on this 3.5 mile detour offers splendid views and for me, was well worth the extra effort.

After looping back around and meeting up with the Hicks Haul Rd we continued south (right) and picked up the East Loma Trail which is about 3.10 miles long. This is another great trail that offers a great work out as well as great views. We took the Box Springs trail which is a single track trail that loops around and meets back up with the East Loma trail leaving you a few feet from Box Springs. I definitely recommend this detour.

Since the Santa Ana Winds had blown by 2 days prior to this event the skies were crystal clear. Santiago Peak and Catalina seemed close enough to reach out and touch.

Catalina Island from the East Loma Trail

Santiago Peak from East Loma Trail

After a quick visit to Box Springs we retraced our steps and headed north (right) at the junction and back onto East Loma Trail, there is a junction a few feet away, I believe it’s also called East Loma, We made a right and in about half a mile we had an awesome view of one Orange County’s Natural landmarks.

View from the Loma Trail

After a quick visit and a small break we continued on to Limestone Canyon Trail for the long haul back to the parking lot. This is truly one of my favorite places to hike, I look forward to the next open access day. Thank you IRC and OC PARKS.

CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

Happy Trails,

Alex G

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CLICK FOR MAP OF THIS HIKE

  • 11.81 mile loop
  • great views
  • only accessible on open access days
  • difficulty – moderate/strenuous
  • elevation gain – 922ft

MT. LOWE

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Summit of Mt. Lowe

After conquering Santiago Peak and  enjoying the  wonderful views of the San Gabriels we decided that our next hike would be somewhere in the San Gabriel Mountains. Initially we had planned on doing Baldy but a winter storm caused us to change our plans. So reaching Mt. Lowe(5,603ft) became our new objective.

Parking is located on residential streets anywhere near the Cobb Estate.  Parking is free and it does get crowded so arrive early. We started at 7am and had no problem with parking.

From the entrance of the Cobb Estate you will continue on the paved road for 100 yards or so until the road turns to the left, from here go straight and continue on a dirt trail until you reach two trail markers. You are looking for the Sam Merrill Trail which is the trail on the right. This trail drops down to the wash and soon begins  You will be on this trail for 2.7 miles until you reach the junction.  Make a right and continue to the end of the trail to the ruins of White City on Echo Mountain. The views from here are worth the 2.7 miles but if solitude+views is what you are after then the hike up to Mt. Lowe is definitely worth the extra effort.

View from Echo Mountain

Return onto the Trail and look for the Castle Canyon Trail it will be on the right. This is a 2 mile trail that takes you deep into the the canyon and provides some much needed shade on those sunny days.

Castle Canyon Trail

After 2 miles on the the Castle Rock Trail you will come to the end of the trail and be at Inspiration Point. This is a great spot for a quick snack and makes an excellent spot for take some pictures. There are a lot of viewfinders here that point to many So Cal locations.

Inspiration Point

View Finders at Inspiration Point

View from Inspiration Point

By now you have traveled at least 4.7 miles and  would definitely be an awesome hike all in it’s own, but if you came all this way what is 2 more miles.. Facing away from Inspiration Point make a left(north) and continue on the fire road for a short distance. The sign, on your right hand side, is kind of hard to see but it reads “East Trail to Mt Lowe” Take this trail and Continue up to Mt Lowe for Amazing views of The Pacific , Catalina, Los Angeles, Santiago Peak as well as close up views of Mt. Wilson, San Gabriel Peak, and even a glimpse of Mt Baldy

Catalina in the distance

Mt. Wilson to the left and Santiago Peak in the distance

My Wife and I on the summit of Mt. Lowe

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  • 5,603 ft summit
  • elevation gain 3,800 ft
  • 13.5-15 miles round-trip
  • difficulty – strenuous
  • free parking
  • great views
  • dog friendly

SANTIAGO PEAK

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Anyone who hikes in Orange County knows of or has heard of Santiago Peak. It is the hikes of all hikes in OC. 16 miles! The prize for OC hikers.

Since the Santa Ana Winds had ruined my first attempt. I had to reschedule  and find a new hiking partner to reach the 5,689 ft peak.

Trying to convince friends to climb OC’s biggest mountain proved to be harder than the hike itself.

After my cousin agreed to make the trip with me ( Thanks Gary). I planned our route and we met up the next morning to conquer the Santa Ana’s highest point.

The parking lot and trail head for this hike is the same as the one to Holy Jim Waterfall. A forest adventure pass is required. After parking and checking our gear we headed left onto the post trail that leads to the Holy Jim Trail.

From the parking lot you will head about a mile and a half into the canyon until you reach the junction.

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Make a left here and proceed onto the Holy Jim Trail towards the Main Divide Rd. Making a right will take you to the waterfall.

Once on the trail you gradually begin to ascend the mountain for the next 4 miles until reaching the Main Divide Rd.  The trail itself is a single track trail that is well shaded and in pretty good condition.

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As you gain some elevation the views to the south are amazing. Getting a glimpse of the ocean and the canyon below where you started the hike.

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Once you read the Main Divide Rd you can either go left or right, they both lead you to the peak. Upper Holy Jim Trail is to the right, which is steeper, but offers great views of Baldy and Gorgonio. After making a right the trail will be on your left after about an 1/8 of a mile (look for the sign). This is the route I took and the views were worth it.

imageAfter a mile or so on the Upper Holy Jim Trail you connect back up with the Main Divide Rd. Once here you will make a right and continue up towards the peak for the remainder 2 miles.

imageOnce at the hates to the peak you can go left for views of San Jacinto and Palomar Peak our you can go right on continue to the western must part of the summit for views of all of OC, the Pacific, Catalina and Baldy

imageimageHappy Trails,
Alex G

 

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  • Elevation Gain 4,000 ft
  • Distance – 16 miles
  • 5,689 ft above sea level
  • Highest point in OC
  • Creek crossings
  • Adventure pass required

click here for directions

WEST HORSETHIEF – TRABUCO CANYON LOOP

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Cave, Distance hikes, Strenuous Hikes

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Trabuco trailhead

This is a wonderful 10.5 mile loop that begins at the Trabuco trailhead. To reach the trailhead you you have to travel about 5.5 miles up Trabuco Creek Rd. This parking lot is a mile or so past the Holy Jim parking lot and is a lot smaller. It only fits about 6 vehicles so arrive early.

From the trailhead you will hike through a well shaded single track trail with a couple creek crossings, an old abandoned car and a sealed up mine. You will be on this trail for 1.7 miles until you reach the junction with the west horsethief trail.

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abandoned car from the mining era

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Sealed up mine

Once here you can go either straight or hang a right and the continue on the Trabuco Canyon trail. They both lead you up to the Main Divide Rd. The west horsethief trail is slightly harder since it is nothing but switchbacks and is fully exposed. The Trabuco trail partially exposed for the first mile or so then changes to a well shaded trail.

We took the easier route and took the Trabuco canyon trail. This trail offers great views of Santiago peak.

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Santiago Peak from Trabuco Canyon Trail

The first part of this trail it fully exposed and can be a bit difficult but gets relatively easy once in the shade. About a mile before reaching the Main Divide Rd we came across a Christmas Tree that was decorated with ornaments apparently its a tradition amongst mountain bikers to decorate a tree during the holidays. This made for a great picture spot and a quick rest break.
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Christmas Tree in the CNF

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Pacific Ocean in the distance

Once you reach the main divide rd you will have a great view of Lake Elsinore.
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Lake Elsinore

From here take the first left you will be on this trail for 2.5. On a clear day you will have great views of the 3 biggest peaks in So.Cal

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Mt. Baldy, Mt. San Gorgonio, Mt. San Jacinto

After being on this trail for 2.5 miles you reach the West Horsethief Trail.
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Trail is directly behind this post

This is a 2 mile trail that consists of nothing but switchbacks. It offers great views of Trabuco Canyon. From here it’s a total of 3.7 miles back to the parking lot.

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Happy trails, Alex G. * HIGH CLEARANCE VEHICLE RECOMMENDED * • 10.5 mile loop • Creek crossing • sealed mine • Adventure pass required • 2,300 ft elevation change