of the 405 Freeway, 0.7 mile south of the 73 Toll Road, and 0.2 mile south of the intersection of El Toro and Laguna Canyon Roads.
The best single hike within the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is surely the secluded Laurel Canyon loop. Though it lies close to the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor tollway, that roadway and much of its associated urban development is hidden from both sight and sound along most of the route.
Volunteers frequently staff a booth at the Willow Canyon staging area, offering tips about the logistics of hiking in the park as well as the area’s natural history. Follow the fire road beyond—Willow Canyon Road, which gains nearly 600 feet of elevation in the next 1.5 miles. Springtime wildflowers bloom in profusion along this stretch, which cuts along east- and north-facing slopes smothered in thick chaparral.
Banshee Rock, in Laurel Canyon, was formed by sandstone weathering.
At 1.5 miles, turn right on the first intersecting pathway. Traverse a grassy meadow, and then follow the trail as it plunges down through more dense growths of chaparral toward the narrow bottom of Laurel Canyon. The deeper you go, the more you gain a sense of seclusion. Once you arrive in the canyon bottom (2 miles), don’t miss the turn onto the narrow trail that branches right and goes down (not up) the canyon.
Graced with gorgeous oaks and sycamores (and copious amounts of poison oak), Laurel Canyon has recovered from the extremely hot, fast-moving Laguna Beach Fire of October 1993. Nearly all of the vegetation you see here is no stranger to periodic fires. Centuries ago, coastal Southern California landscapes, such as this one, were visited by fire every decade or so.
At 2.4 miles, you pass near the lip of a dramatic dropoff—a seasonal waterfall nearly 100 feet high. During the extraordinarily wet winter of 2005, hikers beheld a spectacular sight of plunging water, but most years, this declivity sports only a modest trickle.
Past the lip of the falls, you swing to the left side of the canyon bottom and descend along a dry, south-facing slope. By 3 miles, you emerge in a grassy meadow that is either green, golden, or transitional in color, depending on the season. Cavernous sandstone outcrops dot the meadow on the left and the slope on the right. The shapes of some suggest grotesque skulls and other figures. The path through the meadow soon flanks busy Laguna Canyon Road, climbs south to an exposed earthquake fault, and returns you to your starting point.
trip 4.3 Emerald Canyon
Distance 8 miles (out-and-back)
Hiking Time 4 hours
Elevation Gain 1,400’
Difficulty Moderately strenuous
Trail Use Cyclists, equestrians
Best Times November–May
Agency OC Parks: LCWP
Permit OC Parks parking fee required
DIRECTIONS Park at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s Willow Canyon staging area on the west side of Laguna Canyon Road, 3 miles north of Laguna Beach. This point is 5 miles south of the 405 Freeway, 0.7 mile south of the 73 Toll Road, and 0.2 mile south of the intersection of El Toro and Laguna Canyon Roads.
Equally as beautiful as El Moro Canyon in neighboring Crystal Cove State Park, Emerald Canyon receives much less visitation. Entry to the lower end of the canyon by way of Laguna Beach’s city streets is blocked by a formidable fence, so it’s only accessible from above.
Both hikers and mountain bikers can follow the route as described here. Hikers and gonzo mountain bikers, either on the way out or the way back if they choose, can also follow a somewhat longer variant of the route by utilizing the singletrack Old Emerald Trail.
Sandstone caves, Emerald Canyon
Follow Willow Canyon Road 1.5 miles to the Laurel Canyon turnoff, but stay straight (south) and climb 0.1 mile to an intersection with Bommer Ridge Road. Turn right, proceed 0.1 mile to a dip in the road, and turn left onto Emerald Canyon Road. That “road”—essentially a wide trail—descends along the top of the ridge for a mile, through growths of sage, encelia, and monkeyflower blooming in shades from orange to yellow.
After a mile on the descending ridge, you arrive on the canyon bottom, at a signed junction where the narrow Old Emerald Trail branches left. The next 1.5 miles of travel down-canyon is along a more moderate grade, and the scenery is simply gorgeous. Gnarled oaks and sycamores (survivors of repeated firestorms) line the trail, and dense willows flank the canyon’s seasonal stream. Take care not to brush against the luxuriant poison oak lining the trail. About halfway down this easy stretch, note the spacious cave pocking a large sandstone outcrop on the left, across the canyon bottom.
At 4.2 miles from the start, you arrive at a place where the trail curls sharply downward and a 20-foot-tall waterfall lies to the right. More like a “dry” fall in most years, it comes alive only with sustained heavy rains. This is a good spot to take a break, and afterward return the way you came. The remaining half-mile down to and back from the secure fence at the edge of Laguna Beach is worth exploring only if you have energy to spare.
trip 4.4 Big Bend Loop
Distance 3.9 miles (loop)
Hiking Time 2½ hours
Elevation Gain 1,100’
Difficulty Moderate
Trail Use Hiking only
Best Times November–May
Agency OC Parks: LCWP
Permit OC Parks parking fee required
DIRECTIONS Park at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s Big Bend parking lot on the west side of Laguna Canyon Road, 2 miles north of Laguna Beach and 2 miles south of the 73 Toll Road.
Both the beginning section on Big Bend Trail and the ending section on Laguna Ridge Trail will test the mettle of any hiker due to their combination of steepness and roughness. Although mountain bikes are technically allowed on the route, much of your effort would go into slinging your bike over your shoulder and slip-sliding down the steepest grades. You might as well walk!
The low-growing coastal sage scrub and grassland vegetation on the slopes and ridges hereabouts does little to block views of the ocean, hills, and distant mountains. This is a hike best taken, then, whenever the air is beautifully transparent.
From the Big Bend staging area, head south and start climbing immediately on the Big Bend Trail, a wide fire road. At 0.2 mile, just as you cross under some power lines, note the obscure path to the left. You will arrive at this spot again near the end of the hike. Turn right and
