My Hike in Orange County
Hey friends, I’m taking you on a hike today! A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a hike I took in Altadena that I said was more of a brisk walk.
Well this time, I went on a hike that is perfect for those who actually want to feel the burn.
On a quest to live a more active lifestyle, my cousin Yanny and I decided to head to Orange County to do the El Moro Canyon Short Loop Trail, here’s what you need to know to do the hike yourself!
Where?
To go on this specific hike you have to head to Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach
Below is a screenshot of the address you can put in Google Maps on your phone to get there
I’m providing this screenshot because we made the mistake of going to Crystal Cove State Beach first
Although next to each other, the beach and state park are two different areas with different parking lots
Parking
The address above will lead you to the small parking lot
This was probably the most difficult part of the entire excursion; we circled the lot for about 20 minutes until we finally got a spot
Another downside: parking is $15.36 for the entire day and you have to use the Passport Parking App
PLEASE PAY BEFORE YOU GO ON THE HIKE; there is no machine or ticket you get when you enter to pay when you leave, you have to use the app
Park Rangers will walk around and scan your license plate to see if you paid or not
The hike
Now let’s get physical and talk about the hike itself!
There are several different trails, however, we chose to do the moderate El Moro Canyon Short Loop
I would say it’s good for both beginner and intermediate hikers
This hike is nearly 3 miles long and takes about a 1.5 hour or less (depending on how fast you are) to complete
This is a pretty busy trail so keep that in mind, especially if you’re looking for something a little more secluded
The elevation gain is 485 ft
There are two ways to do this hike; clockwise and counterclockwise (we went clockwise)
Right in the middle of the trail, there is an area that is VERY steep
Since we went clockwise, we went downhill and had some trouble gaining traction
Neither of us slipped but it was a little daunting
If you go counterclockwise, you’ll go up uphill and get an amazing booty workout guaranteed
There are plenty of maps posted throughout so you know where you’re going and so you don’t accidentally end up on the trail that is 9 miles long
As you can see, the views are amazing so make sure to take a moment to take it all in
At some points, you can even see the ocean!
What you need to bring:
I packed very lightly and didn’t bring much but water, sunscreen, and a sweater
I wore activewear and running shoes of course (mind you I did see someone in jeans while doing this hike)
I will say that if you have hiking boots, wear them!
The steep hill I mentioned above was the most difficult part and I did feel like I was going to slip!
