Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Emerald Canyon in Orange County's Laguna Coast Wilderness Park attracts hikers and mountain bikers

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is a spacious Orange County preserve covering several thousand acres of natural landscape adjacent to Laguna Beach. Emerald Canyon, one of its finer natural features, carves its way down a three-mile linear course from the crest of the San Joaquin Hills toward the ocean. There is no practical or legal access to the canyon from the bottom (city of Laguna Beach) side, but topside a fire road turned recreation trail will get you there via a route entirely on park-owned land.

Hikers and mountain bikers can follow the 8.4-mile round-trip route as described here, which is entirely on fire roads or wide trails. As a somewhat more lengthy option -- either on the way out or the way back -- hikers and bikers can choose to follow the single-track, semi-overgrown Old Emerald Trail.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Begin at the Willow Canyon Trailhead, which is located on the west side of Laguna Canyon Road, 0.7 mile south of the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road (Highway 73). On foot or by bike, take the dirt road signed Willow Canyon Road 1.5 miles to a turnoff to Laurel Canyon on the right. Stay straight (south) and climb 0.1 mile to an intersection with Bommer Ridge Road. Turn right, proceed 0.1 mile to a dip in the road, and turn left onto Emerald Canyon Road. That "road" -- essentially a wide trail -- descends along the top of ridge for a mile, through growths of sage, encelia, and monkey flowers blooming in shades from orange to yellow this time of year.

After a mile on the descending ridge, you arrive on the canyon bottom, at a place where the narrow Old Emerald Trail obscurely branches left. The next 1.5 miles of travel down-canyon is along a more moderate grade, and the scenery is simply gorgeous. Gnarled oaks and sycamores -- survivors of repeated firestorms -- line the trail, and dense willow growth flanks the canyon's seasonal stream. About halfway down this easy stretch, note the spacious cave pocking a large sandstone outcrop on the left, across the canyon bottom.

At 4.2 miles from the start, you arrive at a place where the trail curls sharply downward and a 20-foot-high waterfall lies to the right. This waterfall is more like a "dry fall" in most years, and comes truly alive only with sustained heavy rains. This is a good spot to take a break, and afterward return the way you came.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

How to Get Legal Assistance When Your Car Accident Insurance Claim is Denied?

Next Article

2024’s Best Bitcoin & Crypto Casinos – Play BTC Casino Games Online

Best Bitcoin Casinos (2024): Top 10 Crypto Casino Sites for BIG Payouts

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is a spacious Orange County preserve covering several thousand acres of natural landscape adjacent to Laguna Beach. Emerald Canyon, one of its finer natural features, carves its way down a three-mile linear course from the crest of the San Joaquin Hills toward the ocean. There is no practical or legal access to the canyon from the bottom (city of Laguna Beach) side, but topside a fire road turned recreation trail will get you there via a route entirely on park-owned land.

Hikers and mountain bikers can follow the 8.4-mile round-trip route as described here, which is entirely on fire roads or wide trails. As a somewhat more lengthy option -- either on the way out or the way back -- hikers and bikers can choose to follow the single-track, semi-overgrown Old Emerald Trail.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Begin at the Willow Canyon Trailhead, which is located on the west side of Laguna Canyon Road, 0.7 mile south of the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road (Highway 73). On foot or by bike, take the dirt road signed Willow Canyon Road 1.5 miles to a turnoff to Laurel Canyon on the right. Stay straight (south) and climb 0.1 mile to an intersection with Bommer Ridge Road. Turn right, proceed 0.1 mile to a dip in the road, and turn left onto Emerald Canyon Road. That "road" -- essentially a wide trail -- descends along the top of ridge for a mile, through growths of sage, encelia, and monkey flowers blooming in shades from orange to yellow this time of year.

After a mile on the descending ridge, you arrive on the canyon bottom, at a place where the narrow Old Emerald Trail obscurely branches left. The next 1.5 miles of travel down-canyon is along a more moderate grade, and the scenery is simply gorgeous. Gnarled oaks and sycamores -- survivors of repeated firestorms -- line the trail, and dense willow growth flanks the canyon's seasonal stream. About halfway down this easy stretch, note the spacious cave pocking a large sandstone outcrop on the left, across the canyon bottom.

At 4.2 miles from the start, you arrive at a place where the trail curls sharply downward and a 20-foot-high waterfall lies to the right. This waterfall is more like a "dry fall" in most years, and comes truly alive only with sustained heavy rains. This is a good spot to take a break, and afterward return the way you came.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
Next Article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.