 | GREEN markers are short nature trails, gently-graded pathways, and routes that are relatively easy. | |
 | BLUE markers designate the “moderate” difficulty hikes. These trails may be lengthy, or have areas of intense elevation gain. They may require some scrambling, but most of these trails are easy day hikes that can be done by anyone in fairly decent shape. | |
 | RED markers are for the “strenuous” trails. These are long, leg-busting paths that will require lots of time and effort. Some of these trails may venture through dangerous areas and require river crossings, backcountry orienteering, or more serious rock scrambling. In other words, if it’s your first time on the trail, don’t pick one of these. |
Trail Listing
A complete, sortable listing of all the trails found here on SoCal Hiker.Trail | Mileage | Difficulty | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panhe Nature Trail | 1 | Easy | San Onofre State Beach |
| Valley View Loop | 1.5 | Easy | Mount San Jacinto State Park |
| Bee Rock and Old Zoo | 2.4 | Moderate | Griffith Park |
| Crystal Cove Green Route | 3 | Easy | Crystal Cove State Park |
| Doheny Beach | 3 | Easy | Doheny State Beach |
| Batiquitos Lagoon Trail | 3.2 | Easy | Carlsbad |
| Las Ramblas Trail | 3.4 | Moderate | San Clemente |
| Hollywood Reservoir Loop | 3.4 | Easy | Hollywood |
| Fish Canyon Falls | 3.5 | Easy | Duarte |
| Escondido Falls | 3.6 | Easy | Malibu |
| Tour de Trestles | 3.7 | Easy | San Onofre State Beach |
| Cristianitos Fault Loop | 3.8 | Moderate | San Onofre State Beach |
| Carlsbad Beach Loop | 4 | Easy | South Carlsbad State Beach |
| Huntington Beach Walk | 4.1 | Easy | Huntington State Beach |
| Mt. Hollywood | 4.2 | Moderate | Griffith Park |
| Shoestring Loop in Limestone Canyon | 4.5 | Moderate | Limestone Canyon Wilderness Park |
| Ridgeline Trail | 4.5 | Moderate | San Clemente |
| Roller Coaster Ridge Trail | 4.5 | Moderate | San Clemente |
| San Clemente Beach Trail | 4.5 | Easy | San Clemente |
| Crystal Cove Red Route | 5.5 | Moderate | Crystal Cove State Park |
| Bald Mountain | 6 | Moderate | Sugarloaf Ridge State Park |
| Peter's Canyon Loop | 6.5 | Moderate | Peters Canyon Regional Park |
| Schabarum Regional Park | 6.5 | Moderate | Schabarum Regional Park |
| Colinas Bluff Trail | 6.7 | Moderate | Laguna Niguel |
| Salt Creek Trail | 6.8 | Moderate | Laguna Niguel |
| Hollywood Sign & Bronson Caves | 7.5 | Moderate | Griffith Park |
| Boat Canyon Lollipop Loop | 8.2 | Strenuous | Laguna Beach |
| Chiquito Falls | 8.6 | Strenuous | Ortega Highway |
| San Gabriel Peak +4 | 9 | Strenuous | Angeles National Forest |
| Crystal Cove Blue Route | 9.1 | Strenuous | Crystal Cove State Park |
| Morgan Trail | 9.6 | Moderate | Ortega Highway |
| Sitton Peak Trail | 10 | Moderate | Ortega Highway |
| Mt. San Antonio (Baldy) | 10.2 | Strenuous | Baldy Village |
| Cucamonga Peak via Icehouse Canyon | 11.6 | Strenuous | Baldy Village |
| Mt. San Jacinto via Marion Mountain | 12 | Strenuous | Idyllwild |
| Mt. Wilson via Chantry Flats | 14 | Strenuous | Arcadia |
| Holy Jim Trail to Santiago Peak | 16 | Strenuous | Trabuco Canyon |
| San Bernardino Peak | 16.5 | Strenuous | Angelus Oaks |
| San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek | 16.9 | Strenuous | Forest Falls |
| Blackstar Canyon to Beek's Place coming soon | 18 | Strenuous | Santiago Canyon |
| Trans-Catalina Trail | 37.2 | Strenuous | Catalina Island |
Do you know of a trail I should add to this list? Leave a comment and let me know! I’ll hike it and write it up.
looking for a backpacking trip a few miles in to a place I can have a campfire? seems like everywhere is SoCal fires are banned except at the rings in carcamping sites – is there anywhere backcountry I can have one? Thx
Hey! Has anyone tried http://www.wannabuddy.com to find a hiking buddy? I love to hike, but most of my friends have already graduated and moved away to take jobs. This wannabuddy.com site seems to have a lot of information about parks and organized races (5k, 10k and marathons) but I couldn’t see anyone near me looking for a buddy. Has anyone had success with wannabuddy?
Hi PomonaGeek. Thanks for the heads-up on wannabuddy.com. I had never heard of it, but I will check it out. If you’re looking for people to hike with, I suggest also checking out http://www.Meetup.com — they have probably a dozen or more local hiking groups that are pretty active. The nice thing about it is that you can check out the calendar and see what’s scheduled.
While not necessary, it’s almost always more fun to hike with someone who knows the trail, and you’ll find them in spades in the hiking groups on Meetup.