Whiting Ranch Wilderness, Class of 2018

September 23, 2018



One of favorite trails in Orange County that HikingOC.com offers on a weekend is at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

Most often, it could be a group of 20s, 30s, 40s, or more, but sometimes it could be a small group of five. There are some different levels of speed and endurance in a hike, but when Red Rock Canyon includes in a hike, it is mainly for the new group (beginners, those who don't hike often or haven't been hiking before).

It was a full house at the beginning. After ten minutes into the hike and 30 minutes into the flat trail, the group will be separate out in many subgroups by hiking pace and elevation gain.






Each week, each month and each year, we will meet different hikers, but most often only some or few will be remaining in the memories from photos. Thanks to the camera and the phone, many sweet memories stay with us and at the moments writing down, it will share to many others. Hope that the beauty of nature and the exercise in fresh air, hiking will not only be good for an individual who joins the hike for the benefits of body and mind, it will also be inspiring those who have not known about this activity to come out and experience for themselves.

It was Winter time somewhere else, but for Whiting Ranch in Orange County, it was Summer time on the trail...

It was August, early morning or late afternoon to get away with the warm Summer heat...

The past Saturday was the second year in the row without planning, we got exact the same hike on the same day offering to new hikers. With the excited to hike a new trail and to get one progressing to higher levels of hiking, it gave a different inspiration to those who have been hiking for so long. It is a group energy and a begin of a journey to friendships in an activity.

 For more details and photos, check here https://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/events/254693979/

Not too often, but when you had hiking buddies joined, then it was bonding time after the hike was good food to cool down. We got to get in Boiling Point in Irvine, the busy place anytime of a day. It was good for an early hike and came there at the opening time. 

HikingOC Annual Eastern Sierra Trip: Devil's Postpile National Monument, Thousand Island Lake and a Group Gourmet Dinner

Mammoth Lakes in the Nevada Eastern Sierra, a favorite destination with so many beautiful trails for hikers and outdoor lovers. HikingOC.com has at least a trip per year in this area.

Labor Day Weekend last year-September, 2017 after few attempts from previous years, we finally got a chance to hike and complete the Thousand Island Lake in a good weather and a nice group of hikers.














Starting before sunrise leaving town, the drive is long (about 350 miles/6 hours one way from Irvine), but it is best driving early morning or late evening when no traffic.

Beautiful sky show before sunrise by Burbank hills. There was a fire going on that added more dramatic to the clouds http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brush-fire-verdugo-20170901-story.html#

When the sun was out, we were looking ahead of the high 90 s degrees up to three digits temperatures in Southern California.  

To beat the heat and have a nice cool air in Mammoth Lakes, we visited and got short hikes to a special landmark: Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls. 

For more details and photos, check out from the link:  

https://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/photos/28139622/464716002/

The best part of the trip was a group gourmet dinner as a family at the campground (sometimes we would have it at a cabin, a lodge or a house). There were several dishes and HikingOC.com often had it as a "buffet" style that would fit anyone (including vegetarian and vegan). 

 For more details and photos of the trip: https://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/photos/28139577/464297580/

Los Pinos: "The Pines" and Peaks in the Santa Ana Mountains

Have you ever heard of evergreen trees at the coastal mountains in Southern California? It sounds strange, but it is true. Let us take you to the Santa Ana Mountains with peaks at 4000s-5000s feet. Actually there is a peak named after the Pine trees.  "Los Pinos" is Spanish for the pines. There are many pine trees that make up the name for this peak near the northern slope and southern face of the peak just below the summit. 









Photo by Elena

There are numerous ways to hike to Los Pinos Peak. Trabuco Canyon to West Horse Thief trail is the  most popular. Organizer Paul Agnew first introduced Trabuco Canyon trail to our HikingOC group and its members a day after Christmas of 2009. http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/photos/792131/ The hike was for intermediate hikers with 10 miles distance and  moderate pace. We only hiked the lollipop loop and did not summit any peak.







Our hike goes through chaparral and a varied forest of spruce, Coulter pine, maple, coastal live oaks, sycamores, alders, madrone, and California bay laurel. The trail is a great break from city life offering cool green woods filled with local flora and fauna. 

After the first time, many members in the group asked to have more hikes at this lovely area with scenic and challenging trails. A month later, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we went back to the area via a different trailhead and hiked to Los Pinos Peak . We accessed the trailhead via the Ortega Highway 74 to the North Main Divide by the Blue Jay campground.  http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/photos/804448/ 

That fall, November 2010, we hiked there again for fall foliage with sycamores leave changing color. http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/photos/1139937/



It's been over a year and we haven't had a chance to go back to this area. The group is training for hiking Grand Canyon next month, so we need a more challenging hike. We are going to explore Trabuco Peak and Horse Thief Peak besides Los Pinos Peak. It is a 15-20 miles hike with about 3500+ft elevation gain. To join us on this event: http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/events/56765722/

Even though its elevation is only at 4510ft, Los Pinos Peak does rank fifth in the range with 450 feet of prominence (after Santiago Peak, Trabuco Peak, Sitton Peak and Modjeska Peak). It is prominent above Lake Elsinore and San Juan Capistrano and looms above the Ortega Highway. Los Pinos Peak is the southern most 4'er in the range, so the views from this peak are endless with views way down south, of the Pacific Ocean (Catalina and San Clemente Islands), San Jacinto Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, San Gabriel Mountians and much more of Southern California. 



Trabuco Peak is at 4607ft elevation, the third most prominent peak in the Santa Ana Mountains. The summit lies on the border of Orange and Riverside Counties. The peak is located at the top of Trabuco Canyon and above Temescal Canyon, giving it a commanding view of both canyons. Trabuco or "musket" is a famous name for everything in the area. A story of a soldier who lost his musket when camped a few miles east of the San Juan Capistrano. More details:  http://www.summitpost.org/trabuco-peak/507606  





Horsethief Peak is an unnamed peak. This is a great peak to get away from the crowds that can often be found on Santiago Peak. The views from this peak are just as good as any other peak in the range. Located between Trabuco Peak and Los Pinos Peak, Horsethief Peak is at an elevation of 4,313ft

This link will give more information of different ways accessing these peaks: http://www.summitpost.org/los-pinos-peak/515463

Point Mugu State Park: Secluded and Gorgeous Campgrounds

Last year, our group: HikingOC was camping and exploring the trails at Point Mugu State Park. We are going to have a similar event this coming April. It'll be a weekend during Spring break, from Friday to Sunday April 13-15, 2012.

If you are interested to join our group for hiking, check here for more information: http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/events/37866542/

To see photos from last year: http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/photos/1369261/

Flowers photos by Mai and more on her link : http://photos.think-concept.com/?page_id=288

Point Mugu State Park belongs to our neighbor county: Los Angeles and borders with Ventura county. The park located in the Santa Monica Mountains, features five miles of ocean shoreline of Malibu city that is next to Point Mugu Naval Air Station. Situated 8 miles south of Oxnard, Ventura county and approximately 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Malibu not only is a famous community for its warm and sandy beach, it is a home of many Hollywood movie stars and others associated with the entertainment industry.

Point Mugu campground is famous for its "pure heaven on earth", a beautiful place for camping with family and friends. With rocky bluffs, sandy beaches and sand dunes, rugged hills and uplands, two major river canyons, wide grassy valleys dotted with sycamores, oaks and a few native walnuts, this place provides campers, hikers and backpackers both ocean and mountain view. There are more than 70 miles of hiking trails. The beach also features swimming, body surfing and surf fishing. The 13,300-acre park includes the jagged pinnacles of the Boney Mountains State Wilderness Area. Check Reserve America's website for camping information: http://goo.gl/mte2Q

There are few campgrounds at this park, but the most beautiful and convenient campground is Sycamore Canyon. It has flush toilets, hot showers, paved drive-in parking, beautiful ocean views, coastal chaparral, spring flowers, a peaceful wooded canyon and some magnificent sycamores, the sycamores that shade the canyon. Moreover, in the fall this campground is one of the best places in Southern California to observe the arriving monarch butterflies http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25211

Let's take you back to our trip last April.  We stayed at Sycamore Campground and hiked several trails. The first hike was Sycamore Canyon-Boney Mountain-Deer Canyon
We started from the campground at Big Sycamore trail, to Overlook-Backbone trail, continued to Old Boney trail, to Serrano Canyon trail and backed to Big Sycamore trail to the trailhead. We got almost 14 miles and gained 2000ft elevation. Half of a group went on a smaller loop for a shorter distance taking Big Sycamore trail instead of Serrano Canyon trail loop.

Late afternoon, we met at Ray Miller trailhead, and went on a sunset hike; it was about 6 miles with elevation 800ft. This was a shuttle hike: Ray Miller, La Jolla Canyon to Sycamore Campground. We carpooled out to Ray Miller trailhead at La Jolla Canyon to start. From there hiking up the Backbone trail, then connecting a little bit to Overlook trail, and continuing downhill to the campground. The hike had ocean views a whole way and a beautiful sunset.

Our third hike was Point Mugu Peak and loop to La Jolla Canyon trail. It was a shuttle hike. We drove to Ray Miller trailhead, left few cars, and then carpooled to Chumash trail trailhead. We got another 7 miles with about 1000ft elevation gain.

"The Sinks as a mini-Grand Canyon": Limestone Canyon Wilderness Park

Today, we will take you to one of the parks in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, the land that stretches in a giant green crescent from Weir Canyon near the 91 Freeway, connect with the Cleveland National Forest, to the hillsides of Irvine and extend all the way to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Crystal Cove State Park near Laguna Beach.

Limestone

Canyon Wilderness Park, another hidden gem of Orange County wilderness, situated in Silverado, in the Eastern side of Central Orange County

As described on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks'website : "this spectacular and lush canyon includes thick oak woodlands, streamside habitats, year-round springs and an iconic geological formation called "the Sinks,” often compared to a mini-Grand Canyon. A rich diversity of plants and animals as well as an unusual variety of natural habitats make Limestone a true favorite among hikers, mountain bikers and naturalists of all types" https://www.irlandmarks.org/Explore/Limestone-Canyon-Wilderness-Area.aspx

"The activities at the Irvine Natural Landmarks are offered by a variety of organizations and their dedicated volunteers. These activities are guided or supervised programs. Some locations are open daily for self-guided access as well. All programs are FREE unless noted below. Pre-registration is required. Walk-up registrations are not allowed."

There are almost daily scheduled hikes with docent leads at Limestone Canyon Wilderness Park, but once a month there is an Open Access Day that will allow trail lovers to enjoy self-guided access in magnificent Limestone Canyon. Designated trails will be open for self-guided hiking, biking, and equestrian use from 9am to 3pm

For more info and join a group to hike the next open access day March 3rd, 2012 http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/events/53525802/

Also check out last year event with lots of wildflowers when we visited in May: http://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/events/17281373/