EL MORO CANYON | BEACH HIKING
It’s Sunday and let’s have a fun day in the sun and sand!
This weekend’s hike will be at El Moro Canyon in the city of Laguna, CA which is right next to PCH and the ocean will be in your view most of the hike!
Here is the address to the trail head: 8471 N Coast Hwy Laguna Beach, CA 92652.
Now when you get there you will have to pay for the parking which is only $15 and the pass will work all day for the rest of our Sunday Funday and I will explain later.
More of the day’s adventures can be found here: Sunday Funday in Laguna, Ca

Once you start the hike you will have a moderate climb up the hill and have the ocean in the background. Make sure you get a map to plot your course. I have some hi-res maps here for you: El Moro Canyon Map 1 and El Moro Canyon Map 2. The hillsides are covered in several trails to give you an easy trail for 30 minutes or a 5-hour hike depending on what you want to do.

Don’t worry if you lose your map since the trail will have a clear and easy to read the sign, at every junction so you can find your way. Hikers Tip of the day: Don’t wander off the trails and if you get lost walk downhill until you get to the Pacific Coast Highway.

Depending on the trails you want to go on you can see the difficult trail in the distance but it is not that hard. This trail will be used by people of all walks of life and you being outside is the first step so go ahead and take some more.

We hiked this in middle November and the only wildflowers were the cactus but during the spring months, the rolling hills will be several swatches of yellow and purple. The rest of the hillsides will be a mix of brush and small trees but mostly low ground vegetation.

When you are on the top or spine of the hill you will have this great view from the “Moro Ridge” and this is the view you worked hard to see so take it in. From here the trail will start to wind down and present more and more beautiful views of Laguna and the coastline that most people miss while driving by.

On top of the world it seems up here and you were only in the parking lot a few minutes ago. This is the best feeling when hiking to get away and clear your mind and burn some calories while you are at it.

At the end of the trail, you will come across the large bridge and sign at the secondary trailhead. Head on back to your car and hydrate since the day is not over and the Crystal Cove Tide Pool is the next stop for us today!
I took a lot of pictures along the way and most did not make the cut for the blog but I have them posted on my Flickr “Brian Holt 87” in the Photostream, if you want to check them out.