Best forest trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, California

Note: this park closes for muddy conditions. To check on the status, please visit https://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ Trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be subjected to closures due to mountain lions. Check here for more information: http://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/Show more

Note: this park is currently closed due to wildfire. For updates, please visit https://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ Trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be subjected to closures due to mountain lions. Check here for more information: http://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ During the winter this park may close due to rain. Show more

Note: Note: this park is currently closed due to wildfire. For updates, please visit https://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ Trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be subjected to closures due to mountain lions. Check here for more information: http://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ During the winter this park may close due to rain. Dreaded Hill rises to the south of Four Corners where you can find water and information about the area. This is the gentler of the two approaches. The Dreaded Hill Trail begins an eighth of a mile west of Four Corners and rises 300 feet in about the same distance. On good days, you may see as far out into the Pacific as Catalina Island. The Santa Ana mountains rise to the northeast: you may lay claim to an excellent view of these as well as of Portola Hills and the Little Grand Canyon. Look for the redrock face to the northwest. Regardless of which approach they take, hikers should walk the Dreaded Hill loop in a counter-clockwise direction. The Serrano Cow Trail connects the Dreaded Hill Trail with the Whiting and Line Shack trails in the south. A fine grove of sycamores and coast live oaks shades your passage here. Watch for mule deer. Leave small children at home: mountain lions have been sighted in these parts.Show more

Note: Note: this park is currently closed due to wildfire. For updates, please visit https://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ Trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be subjected to closures due to mountain lions. Check here for more information: http://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ During the winter this park may close due to rain. This is a rougher route to Red Rock Canyon than the Borrego Trail. You'll go up some steep sections and then down the steep Billy Goat Trail which is choked in chapparral and treacherous in spots where the knifeblade sandstone ridges have eroded. The Billy Goat Trail itself is closed to bikers. Watch for loose rock on the ridge leading into the elfin forest. Be on watch for mountain lions, particularly in the elfin forest and areas of thick brush. Like all Whiting Ranch hikes, it is best avoided during the summer months when temperatures can reach the low hundreds. There is little shade along this route except at the very bottom of Mustard Road. Wear a hat in all seasons.Show more

Note: this park is currently closed due to wildfire. For updates, please visit https://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ Trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be subjected to closures due to mountain lions. Check here for more information: http://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ During the winter this park may close due to rain. Whiting Ranch affords the casual hiker ample opportunities for experiencing the many moods of the chaparral. Keep an eye out for mountain bikers and mountain lions. The Cactus Trail segment of this loop marks the location where a biker was killed by a lion in January 2004. During the winter months, you will find signs along these trails, particularly near the Upper Pond. A more common hazard are heedless bikers who zip down this trail at speeds well exceeding the posted 5 mph. They have cut a deep groove down the center of the path and in many places it is extremely slippery even in dry weather. You will be glad to reach Sleepy Hollow, a hiker's-only-area which leads off to the right. Live oak trees shade and clutter the path with their leaves. Show more

Note: As of November 2020, this trail is closed due to fire damage. Please see the park website for more information: https://www.ocparks.com/parks/whiting/ Please note this trail is sometimes closed due to mountain lions. Show more