Category Archives: Crystal Cove State Park

Crystal Cove State Park

CRYSTAL PEAK PARK LOOP

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CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK

Activity: Day Hike

7 miles, 1,115’ elevation change, 3.5 hours duration, rated Difficult

Date: 7-21-20

As I have mentioned in previous posts regarding Crystal Cove State Park this is my local hike, a great training area for upcoming adventures, but it is more than that as it is a stand alone great place to hike.  It has so many positives: Pacific Ocean views, Catalina views, even San Clemente Island can be spotted on a clear day.  Then there are the mountain ranges inland including nice views of Saddle Back.  

The Park’s strength is there are lots of trails to mix and match. I invite you to browse through my Crystal Cove State Park hikes because they are all wonderful with subtle changes in views, and terrain so checkout the difficulty and length of the hike which will help you choose what is right for you on any given day.  

Crystal Peak Park Loop has some good distance and elevation changes and is rated difficult.  It starts at the top of the park and I decided to do the loop clockwise, be forewarned this puts the steepest section of the hike downhill which although this makes it easier cardio wise it can be tricky maneuvering steep slippery sections.

The trek starts on “Bommer Ridge Trail” which runs the length of the upper portion of Crystal Cove State Park. From there you will take “Slow n’ Easy.”  Don’t be fooled by the name, while you certainly should take it slow, because of the footing, there is nothing Easy about it.  This portion puts the Difficult in this hike. Slow n Easy will dump you out on “Morro Canyon Trail” which is, besides the fantastic vistas looking out to sea and towards the mountains, my favorite part of the park.  A stroll through the shady oak grove is a welcome respite from the beating sun during the summer. Take a turn on to “Poles” it will transfer you up to “Pacific Ridge Trail” which has fabulous views looking out over the canyon and the ocean blue beyond.  This trail will take you back up the Westside of Crystal Cove State Park back to beginning.  Great hike!

Besides the beautiful vistas of the ocean, canyon and distant mountains- the bottom of the canyon is my favorite featuring a delightful and cooling stroll through a lovely oak grove.
Nature, cheaper than therapy.

Nature is the answer… it doesn’t matter what the question is. Nature can bring peace of mind, make you forget your woes, provide a needed break, reduce the stress and anxiety of our crazy work a day schedule, and bring some meaning into an otherwise mundane boring week. We all need to rebalance from time to time and what a great way to do it in the pursuit, and it is a pursuit… a journey if you will… towards balance. Perfect balance is unattainable, but we can certainly strive towards that Shangri-La. Get out into nature! Get out there and adventure! ‘Pursing Balance Through Adventure’ is good for what ails you, it cleanses the soul. Let’s stay in touch on this trek toward balance: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. Like my hat? It’s yours. Want the shirt off my back? Done. Just go to SHOP APPAREL and lay your money down and you will be sporting top quality adventure wear with the theme we need to shout from the mountain tops “Pursuing Balance Through Adventure!” Need help finding a mountain top? Go to the Menu above for all of the special places that PBTA travels to. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Crystal Cove State Park

Bommer Ridge-Slow ‘n Easy-El Moro Canyon-Mach 1-Rattlesnake Loop

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CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK

Activity: Day Hike

7.5 Miles, 1217’ elevation change, 3.5 hour duration, rated: Hard

Date 4-14-20

Crystal Cove State Park in the Spring Time is green and flowering. It is a great time to find that balance between the stressed out feeling of a busy work a day life and the peaceful tranquil feeling that getting out into nature can bring. We call that feeling ‘Pursing Balance Through Adventure’. Stretching the legs, getting the heart beat up, filling the lungs with the good ocean air and engage all of your senses with a prescription of adventure in nature.

This particular half day hike has a fair amount of mileage to it, pretty descent elevation gain, and you can throw in a steep rocky section or two for good measure. As far as views, this hike has the scenic views such as Saddle Back and other more distant mountains inland, as well as the blue Pacific, much of the time you can catch a lovely view of Catalina Island to cap off the trek. Then down in the bottom of the canyon is a shady oak grove, which is a welcome respite from the midday sun.

Picking a trail is like picking a hotel room. Do you want Ocean View or Mountain Vista or perhaps you prefer a View of the Canyon? That is one of the great things about Crystal Cove State Park, there is a lot of variety in what to see, how easy or difficult of an outing you are looking for, and how far you would like to hike. I have documented some of my Crystal Cove State Park hikes. The links are posted below for your reference. Checkout the links to tailor your outing to the time and effort available for that day.

Crystal Cove State Park Hikes

Gyms are closed, all except Mother Nature’s Gym. So I say, “Corona Virus Take a Hike”! – Pursuing Balance Through Adventure
Crystal Cove State Park is enjoyed by hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers.
Pursuing Balance Through Adventure YouTube Channel
“It’s not where you take the trail, it’s where the trail takes you.” 
The Face Mask have become part of hiking popular trails. Here I am wearing my stylish PBTA Face Gator and Cap. Besides the New Age Covid-19 deterrent it is good protection from wind, sun, dust, and bugs.

As always thanks for tagging along. ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ is a perfect way to basically take a deep breath and calm yourself down. We all can get a little stressed out getting the kids from this checkup with the doctor, to that with the dentist, Covid Test, don’t forget the orthodontist, add the dermatologist, and then of course a trip to the pharmacy, okay now you know what my last couple weeks looked like, lol. So, to get out into nature even if it is your go to local hike, like Crystal Cove State Park is for me, a couple hours or so in the great outdoors really recharges the battery. To keep the enthusiasm up and get inspired stay tuned by these extremely important steps, (especially to PBTA), LIKE, FOLLOW, COMMENT and SHARE. If you go to the menu above you will see that PBTA goes to many locations throughout the West. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. Once you get inspired and decide on where to go you will need to outfit yourself. I have the perfect suggestion: SHOP APPAREL. Not only will you be looking and feeling the adventure you will be carrying the mantra ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure