Peters Canyon Loop Trail is a 5.9 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Villa Park, California that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for walking, running, horses, and mountain biking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Park is open 7 a.m. to sunset. There is a $3 parking fee (cash or credit accepted). SEASONAL CLOSURE: This area is subject to seasonal closure due to weather conditions. For more information, please visit http://www.ocparks.com/parks/peters/. Parking fills up fast so be sure to arrive early. The trail is well-maintained and there are a few steep hills but you can avoid these to make for an easy hike. Not much shade.
5:30PM From parking lot head east. Next right turn southbound .. at seven minute mark don’t miss the slight right trail or face the dead end with an eight foot chain link fence. Either jump the fence (not a great idea) or return to make the slight right to stay on trail. Rest of hike was uneventful. Very few hikers on trail and all were in good spirits of which most were wearing masks. I returned to the parking lot (starting point) at 6:25PM. Recorded on Pacer app 4,700 steps. Overall a nice evening hike! The trail was in great shape which is a constant.
At over 1600 reviews, this is one of more popular trails in Orange County. I’ve hiked bits of it here and there but this is the first time I’ve gotten around the whole loop. Since I prefer solitude on hikes (especially during a pandemic), I went on a weekday thinking it might be a bit less busy. Still busier than I’d like - I started around 11:30 - maybe it’d be better if you started earlier. Peters Canyon is, in a word, overrated, Don’t get me wrong - if you hiked this trail with no expectations, you would likely be impressed with the area. Rolling green hills, challenging inclines, fields of sunny yellow wildflowers (at least right now in the spring), a “lake” view and even a ridgeline view of the rustic charm of Spanish style homes nestled amongst the greenery. But when I consider how popular this trail is, how I’ve previously had to drive off even on a rainy day after seeing the parking lot . . . I just don’t quite get it. Especially since whatever pet peeve you have about encountering people on the trail . . . you’ll likely run into it on this popular trail. Let's just say there are a fair amount of what appear to be casual "hikers" on this trail. The irritant I ran into was people who treat nature less as a sanctuary and more as their extended back yard for talking loudly on the cell phone. I'm not saying it's the grossest violation of trail etiquette - just pointing out that I find it irksome. Also, make sure you bring proper shoes with solid grip for this hike. The declines will be rather perilous without them. I watched a pair of hikers in what appeared to be sneakers struggling mightily with a steep decline as if they were navigating an ice field. Make life easier for yourself by bringing your hiking shoes and your hiking poles (or a walking stick). In summary, it's a worthy trail to check out - just temper your expectations a bit.
Trail parking does not open until 7:00 am. Took some great short uphills. After 6:00, the trail had a lot of traffic. Beautiful surroundings.
It was really cool! Lots of up and down on the 2nd half of the trail but the views are spectacular at the top of the peaks