Hiking Las Ramblas at Sunrise

Done at a brisk pace (3.5 miles per hour) hiking the Las Ramblas trail makes a great early morning workout. There are some steep hills and sweeping vistas of the coastline from Dana Point to Oceanside, and Santiago Peak and the Santa Anas to the east. The trail follows dirt double track, but the junctions are not all well marked. You can hike this year-round, though avoid it in (and immediately after) heavy rain, unless you enjoy carrying an extra 10 pounds of mud on your shoes.

Trail Details

Distance: 3.4 miles
Time: ~1 hour
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 900 ft
Dogs: OK
When to go: Year round

As you can see in the elevation profile, this trail starts with a gradual incline, and has one very steep hill. It really gets your heart pumping. After the big hill, you follow the ridge out to your turn around point — the flagpole. On the way back, take the first left around the ridge you came in on. It adds a little distance and gives you a good warm-down.

This trail is shared by horses and mountain bikers, and dogs are okay. I have spotted deer, rattlesnakes and even one bobcat on previous hikes in these hills.

The best times to hike these hills are early morning and early evening, mainly because there is no shade and the views are all the more spectacular at sunrise and sunset.

Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Download

Looking to hike this trail with others? There are two groups that post early morning 6am hikes on this trail pretty regularly, often on Tuesday and Thursday mornings: Crystal Cove Cardio and Hiking OC (both on Meetup.com). Both groups are free to join, and provide a great way to experience the trail for the first time.

Comments

Traci Lehman says
December 19, 2013 at 4:50 pm

I have hike Las Ramblas at sunrise more times than anywhere else at sunrise!! I love sunrise hikes and they are super way to start the day. The best thing about this hike are the views both east and west!

Jeff Hester says
December 19, 2013 at 5:12 pm

You nailed it, Traci! It’s a perfect spot for sunrise hikes… if you live nearby. It was awesome when I lived down that way but now? I’ll stick to the occasional after-work sunset hike (during daylight savings time). 🙂

Bobby Scruggs says
June 10, 2015 at 8:17 am

This has been my backyard since I was born!!! Ive hiked back here for almost the past 18 years haha. I feel lucky to have my house basically right up against this trail, and have explored this place extensively! Although in the last few years, it has become very crowded it still remains one of my go to hikes.

Lindsey says
May 30, 2018 at 11:41 am

I wasn’t able to find Las Ramblas on All Trails… I was able to find what looks like the trail under “Patriot Trail and Cerro Rebal Trail Loop.” Is this the same one? Looking forward to hiking this! Sounds wonderful and challenging.

Nick says
September 25, 2018 at 9:02 am

Hi Jeff,

I really like this trail. I was wondering what are the best times to go to get a clear view of the ocean? Please let me know as I went a few times mid day 10am-1pm and it was quite muggy from the marine layer… couldn’t really get any clear views as I wanted.

Thanks!