The Colinas Bluff trail is a great mixed-use double-track trail that follows the Colinas ridge between Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano. It’s a suburban trail with terrific, sweeping 360 degree views from Santiago Peak (or the San Gabriel mountains, when it’s clear) to the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. I like this trail because it’s convenient for after work conditioning hikes during daylight savings time. Because it’s an out-and-back route, you can adjust the length to suit the time and distance you want. The geography of the trail lends itself well to two variations: the full 6.7 mile hike and an abbreviated 4.6 miler.
The Trailhead
Time: ~1.5 – 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 1,570 ft (full version)
Dogs: OK
When to go: Year round
If you want to do the full 6.7 miles, you’ll continue down the other side of that big hill, where the trail skirts the behind the McMansions of Bear Brand. At 3.35 miles, you’ll reach the top of another hill with paved walks and benches facing every direction. This is your turnaround point for the full version.
Tips
- Bring water and sun protection.
- Trail runners are fine, though I’d recommend boots when it’s wet and muddy.
- There just so happens to be a Starbucks at that corner, with a nice big patio that makes a great meeting place before or after your hike.
- The trail is wide and well maintained, and shared by bikers, trail runners and dog walkers, so keep your eyes peeled. And I’ve heard that people have seen rattlesnakes here. I haven’t seen any, but I would watch where you step.
- Portions of the trail pass behind resident’s backyards; be mindful of your noise level if hiking in a group.
Trail Map and Elevation Profile
Hike with the SoCal Hiker
I lead a hike on this trail most Monday evenings during daylight savings time. Check the postings in the Hiking OC and FSOCSE meetup groups for details or to sign-up for a hike.
Do you lead hikes on Meetup? Grab our description with maps, links and photos preformatted for use on Meetup. Just click anywhere in the text box below cut-and-paste to your event and edit to suit.
Have fun, be safe, and see you on the trail!
Photo Gallery
About the Author
This site is great! I was JUST telling my computer developer boyfriend that it is obvious that most hikers are NOT tech savvy because most of the Web sites devoted to hiking are aesthetically horrible, hard to read the information, the maps are non-descriptive, and very hard to navigate.
FINALLY someone in our area that can convey the information easily, beautifully, and helpfully!!
We loved this hike. We will do this hike again. thank you thank you thank you for sharing all of this great information with us!
Thanks so much, Jenni! Glad you found SoCal Hiker useful. I’m working on some new trail guides covering the local state parks. Check back for them between now and Christmas.
And if you have feedback or suggestions for making it even better (trails to cover; features to add) I’d love to hear them.
Looking forward to checking this one out!