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Ghost Rock

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LAUREL CANYON-LAUREL SPUR-WILLOW TRAIL LOOP

LAGUNA COAST WILDERNESS PARK

3.5 Miles, 603’ elevation change, 2 hour duration, rated Moderate

January 2, 2020

If you are looking for a quick hike in the Laguna Beach area this is a good one. It has coastal canyons, scrub brush, an oak grove which provides some nice shade for a portion of the hike, interesting rock formations, and on the upper portion of the hike there are views of the OC, Saddle Back and far off mountains. While on the upper portion you could add a short distance to gain some Pacific Ocean views in the other direction.

But as the title of this post suggestions this article is about interesting rock formations. Some that you can climb into for a photo op and then the star of this post the Ghost Rock makes this a fun hike especially for kids. Pay attention because Ghost Rock is not right on the trail and it is in a fenced off area. This is not a long hike, however there is certainly an up hill section and it comes all at once.

The park is open 8AM to 5PM. There is a $3 dollar parking fee, and portapotties are available. I did this trail, Laurel Canyon-Laurel Spur-Willow Trail Loop, going counter clockwise, last year I did it going the opposite direction. Both are good, but if you would rather have the steep section going up instead of down then go counter clockwise.

Ghost Rock
Where are the ‘Ghost Busters’ when you need them? Boooo!
“Hike more. Worry less.”

Thanks for joining Adam, my racketball buddy, and I ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ at Ghost Rock, a fun hike to be sure. Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. The great PBTA Cap and high performance moisture wicking shirt, you see pictured, can be yours for a nominal price at SHOP APPAREL, which helps support this site. Speaking of websites PBTA hosts many different sites all categorized by area. Check them out for inspiration and to gather information on fantastic adventures all over the West. Each is a separate website and thus needs to be Followed independently.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

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San Juan Capistrano Recreational Trail System

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LAS RAMBLAS, PRIMA DESECHA, ENTRADA, CERRO REBAL, FOSTER CANYON, AND DELGADO CANYON LOOP

6.5 miles, 1,105’ elevation change, 3 hour duration, rated Hard

August 21, 2020

This hike is part of the San Juan Capistrano Recreational Trail System.  The area has a lot of up and down hills above some very nice homes.  It is a good workout with views of the Pacific, Dana Point Harbor and Doheny Beach.  

In the later part of the Summer the hills are brown and there are few wild flowers, but some.  This is particular hike is what I would describe as eclectic.  You really have a little bit of everything thrown together, most of the trail is double track or fire road, some portions are single track, but on this particular hike there is some asphalt and even some sidewalk hiking in a neighborhood and along a busy street.  

I call this type of hike an urban hike.  The reason isn’t that you aren’t hiking in some wilderness type of hills because you are, but I call it an urban hike because seldom are you out of view of the urban sprawl.  The houses down below are exceptional, however when I go out into nature I want to get away from that.  Delgado Canyon Trail was the only section going up a ravine that you don’t have views of houses and cars, that section of course was my favorite.  My next favorite section was Patriot Trail and seeing the Stars and Stripes flying high on a proper flag pole.  

I appreciate that this hike was a loop because it is alway more fun to be discovering new places, but now that I have done that and seen multiple different trails in the San Juan Capistrano Recreational Trail System I don’t need to go all the way down into the neighborhood below, and would rather do some out and back and stay a little more into nature.  

This is a good place for the residences of San Juan Capistrano and area to get some hiking in.   

  • Sidewalk hiking, is better than no hiking.
  • Some of this hike is actually on a busy road.
  • Re-entering hiking area after a going through a neighborhood below.
Patriot Trail
  • There are nice leading by example gestures made by the Boy Scouts in these hills.
  • Cactus Flower Starring Goldie Hawn, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Matthau.
Delgado Canyon
I added Harbor View Trail onto my hike, it added a little over 1/2 mile and a little additional elevation change.

“Hiking is the best workout! You can hike for three hours and not even realize you’re working out, and hiking alone lets me have some time to myself.” – Jamie Luner

Thanks for joining me as I hiked up and down hills in San Juan Capistrano, not quite the nature experience that I thrive on, but still pretty nice hike, and great training for my up coming Summit attempt at Mount Langley. I am really excited to be climbing to a much higher altitude than I have in the past, so this hike today with the temperature in the 80’s with good up and down elevation change is just what I need to prepare, and was a great test for my line of Adventure wear. My PBTA Logo Cap kept the sun off my face. My PBTA Logo Neck/Face Gaiter kept my neck from burning and it doubled as a Covid-19 Mask when passing fellow hikers on tight trails. And my PBTA Logo High Performance Moisture Wicking Tee kept me comfortable and not wringing wet. Get yours today at SHOP APPAREL. ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ travels to a lot of great places in the West. Checkout the menu above for some ideas. Each is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED separately. They are categorized for the most part by area. Please take a moment and COMMENT, LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure