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Roller Coaster Ridge Trail

April 13, 2010 By Jeff Hester 29 Comments

Pacific vista

Technically speaking, there is no trail or ridge officially named The Roller Coaster, but if there was, this would be it. This is a great double-track trail with hills that will get your heart pumping. I like to hike this after work most Wednesdays, and enjoy the ocean breezes, the sweeping coastal and mountain views and the sunset over Catalina Island. It’s a little slice of heaven right in the heart of south Orange County.

The Trailhead

Trail Details
Distance: 4.6 miles
Time: ~1.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 1,150 ft
Dogs: OK
When to go: Year round
Although most of the trail lies in the boundaries of San Juan Capistrano, the trail begins at a gate at the end of Camino de los Mares in San Clemente. Note that there is no parking allowed on Camino de los Mares. Instead, park on the side street about 50 yards from the end.

At the gate you have two options. For the gung-ho, take an immediate left and head up the steep hill. When you reach the first junction, turn right to meetup with the main trail on the ridge. The second option is a little kinder on the lungs. Head straight up the main trail to the ridge. It’s a long, gradual ascent.

As you travel the ridge you’ll climb over two hills, then follow the trail as it gradually climbs of the left side of the ridge. At the saddle, take a sharp right up the steep hill. The trail is marked as the Patriot Trail. You’ll follow this ridge all the way to the terminus — a flag pole. You can sign the logbook in the mailbox (or just see who else has been there). Turn around and head back, but at the first junction, veer left and follow the trail along the side of the ridge and retrace your steps to the trailhead.

Bobcat

roller-coaster-ridge

Trail Map and Elevation Profile

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download

Photo Gallery

Click an image for a larger version.

Bobcat
Roller Coaster Ridge map
roller-coaster-ridge
Pacific vista
Easter Fence Post
Pacific Ocean Vista
The Flag
Walking Towards the Light
Views to Catalina Island
Sunset at the Flag Pole
At the turnaround point
Hiking up Patriot Trail
I was training for a backpacking trip
On the ridgeline
At the flag pole
Pacific vista

Tips

  • Bring a liter of water (my recommendation).
  • There is no shade, so wear sun protection. I prefer to hike this early or late in the day, especially during warmer months.
  • The trail is shared with bikers and horses. Keep your eyes and ears open.
  • I have seen one rattlesnake on this trail, and heard others say they’ve seen them. Nothing to be fearful of, but keep your eyes open so you don’t step into one.
  • My favorite après-hike dinner is the Number 1 combo (grilled fish taco, black beans, brown rice and extra salsa) at the Wahoo’s on Camino de los Mares. Highly recommended, and healthy, too.

 

Resources

  • Trailhead on Google Maps

Have fun, be safe, and see you on the trail!

Related

Filed Under: Trail Guides Tagged With: 3-6 miles, dog-friendly, hills, loop, moderate, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, vista

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Jeff H

About Jeff Hester

I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. My wife Joan and I are on the trails every weekend. I started SoCal Hiker to share my passion for outdoor adventure.

Comments

  1. Derek (100 Peaks) says

    April 13, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    It looks like a great hike. It’s nice to be able to get an ocean breeze while hiking.

    Looks pretty green out there. Will be brown soon!

    Reply
  2. SoCal Hiker says

    April 13, 2010 at 5:08 pm

    Derek, yes, it’s very green right now. The wildflowers are blooming! It’ll be interesting to see how long before it all turns brown.

    And it’s hard to beat an ocean breeze, or the view, to keep you going on the trail.

    Reply
  3. Cari Galperin says

    April 24, 2011 at 3:26 am

    I did this hike today and it was excellent. I was with another member of the OC Miniature Pinscher Meetup group. In January, we did a hike of similar difficulty called Weir Canyon Loop. Our Meetup does hikes ranging from easy to difficult so I always have my eyes out for new hikes. This website is really well done. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Jeff Turner says

    May 10, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    This looks like a fabulous hike, Jeff. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply
    • Jeff Hester says

      May 11, 2012 at 5:45 am

      Thanks for visiting, Jeff T. I love the Roller Coaster Ridge–it’s a perfect length and workout, and the views are terrific. Doing it mid-week at sunset is just about perfection.

      Reply
  5. Janet says

    February 9, 2014 at 6:16 pm

    Great hike, but…. your directions say to take a right when you come to the first junction (if you take that immediate left up the hill when you start out) and it’s really a left! We wound up way out east – got back to start point after hour and a half and then went up the hill and found the flagpole – although it all looked quite a bit different than the pics here… very big flagpole! Anyway, we had a great adventure! wouldn’t have found it without this website, so thanks… and the getting lost was half the fun (and the workout!)

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      February 9, 2014 at 6:40 pm

      Thanks for the comment, Janet. I’m glad you enjoyed the hike in spite of that wrong turn.

      I checked my instructions and think they’re still correct. It reads “At the gate you have two options. For the gung-ho, take an immediate left and head up the steep hill. When you reach the first junction, turn right to meetup with the main trail on the ridge. The second option is a little kinder on the lungs. Head straight up the main trail to the ridge. It’s a long, gradual ascent.”

      So IF you take the first left inside the gate (straight up the steep hill), then you would turn right at the first junction. If you go straight (which it sounds like you did) you turn left at the ridge.

      I agree that it can be confusing, but now that you know the trail, I hope you’ll explore it further in the future.

      Reply
      • Janet says

        February 10, 2014 at 5:48 am

        We definitely will and others that you have on your site. It’s a great site… thank you for sharing your discoveries!

        Reply
  6. Roxane says

    March 22, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    Hiked the Ridge this morning. It was perfect weather! It took us a little longer than 1.5 hours but we were geocaching along the way. 🙂 One side note….I noticed this morning that there actually is a small amount of parking on the very last block of Camino De Los Mares. As you are pulling up to the trailhead you will see 2 “No Parking” signs but if you look a little closer…right underneath them it says “from dusk to dawn”. As long as you park in between those two signs you are great! 🙂 I was going to take a pic of the signs for you but I forgot on our way out. Really happy I came across your site! You give great trail info! 🙂 See you on the trails! 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      March 24, 2014 at 10:24 am

      Thanks, Roxane. That’s right — you CAN park on Camino de los Mares between those signs. I’ve actually parked there on after-work hikes, getting back a little bit after sunset with no issues.

      Thanks for the kind words!

      Reply
  7. L says

    June 6, 2015 at 1:36 pm

    LOVE this trail! Thanks for this wonderful website.

    Reply
  8. Hannah says

    July 11, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    Just wanted to let you know that this is one of my favorite hikes! It’s official name is the Patriot trail or flag pole hike 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      July 13, 2015 at 1:00 pm

      Thanks, Hannah! Yes… Roller Coast is my nickname for the trail. Each of the trails up there has a name, but the Patriot Trail makes sense, especially with the flag.

      Reply

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About Jeff Hester

I created SoCal Hiker while preparing to thru-hike the John Muir Trail. My goal? Create guides for the best hiking trails throughout Southern California--and occasionally beyond. I personally hike each trail to create these guides, sharing practical advice on gear and outdoor skills. Read more...

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