Preface

      Hidden within or just beyond Orange County’s urban sprawl lies more opportunity for the appreciation of the natural world than most county residents imagine. Barely a few hundred yards from busy highways and shimmering glass high-rises, shorebirds haunt protected estuaries and marshes. Along the southern coast, ocean swells roll in and spend themselves against lonely sands and jagged cliffs. Over the foothill country, hawks and eagles cruise in search of a furry meal. And deep within the corrugated fastness of the Santa Ana Mountains, mountain lions, deer, and coyotes roam cool, dark canyon bottoms and sun-warmed, chaparral-covered slopes.

      Surrounding Orange County’s densely populated coastal plain are parks, preserves, designated open spaces, and public lands totaling approximately 200,000 acres. Within this domain, intriguing pathways introduce explorers to natural landscapes ranging from the intertidal zone to oak and coniferous woodlands. Orange County boasts, either within or abutting its rather compact borders, 8 state parks and beaches, 19 regional (county) parks and wilderness areas, more than 130,000 acres of national forest, and more than 500 miles of trails and roads for hiking.

      Our goal in writing this guide was to bring into sharp focus virtually every walk worth taking on still-wild public lands conveniently accessible to the average Orange Countian. The hikes range in difficulty from short strolls through selected urban parks and preserves to canyon treks in the Santa Ana Mountains that challenge any adventurer.

      Because of Orange County’s rather small area (782 square miles) but larger sphere of influence, a number of hikes in this book lie either partly or wholly outside the county boundaries. These are found in the following areas: Chino Hills State Park, extending into San Bernardino and Riverside Counties; Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, in southwestern Riverside County; San Onofre State Beach, in northern San Diego County; and the entire Trabuco Ranger District of Cleveland National Forest, spilling into Riverside and San Diego Counties. (Two other units of the Cleveland Forest, the Palomar and Descanso Districts, extend farther east and south across Riverside and San Diego Counties. Those units, along with other public lands in San Diego County, are covered in Afoot & Afield San Diego County. For those interested in hikes in other parts of Southern California, the Afoot & Afield series also encompasses