Dana Point Sea Cave Trail

Dana Point Sea Cave Trail

If you’re cruising down Pacific Crest Highway in Dana Point, you should set aside 90 minutes to see one of the better sea caves in Orange County. The hike to the cave is probably only a half mile round trip, but it will feel like more because the coastline is rocky and slick in a few sections due to the seaweed and algae. You should be careful to avoid this hike during high tide or large wave swells because you're essentially trapped along the coastline next to a large cliff for the duration of the hike and there is nowhere to hide if the ocean comes crashing down on you.

There is a free parking lot for this trail at the ocean institute in Dana Point. The easiest way to find the trail-head is to enter this address into your GPS: 34558 Scenic Dr., Dana Point, CA 

The trail for the sea cave starts at a large fenced-in set of stairs at the edge of the beach. These stairs can be locked during periods when the tide is high or the ocean is too rough. Once you descend the stairs to the beach, just head west (right) on the beach and follow the coastline for about ¼ of a mile. There is a large rock outcropping which marks the cave. The entrance to the cave is hidden until you get up right next to it. Here is the outcropping along the beach that you’ll want to look for:

Hidden Entrance to the Dana Point Sea Cave

This particular sea cave is one of the largest I’ve seen in Orange County, but it's really only about the size of a your living room. We actually don't have very many large caves in the county, so it's unique. The hike will take most people around an hour to complete from start to finish. It may not be suitable for small children or people who may have trouble traversing the slick rocks. 

Inside the Dana Point Sea Cave

If you want to make a day of it, there are several other great areas to explore near the Dana Point sea caves including:

1000 Steps Beach- A great secluded beach with a large sea cave and great waves for surfing and bodyboarding

Crystal Cove State Park/Moro Canyon- A huge park located just north of Laguna Beach with hiking and mountain biking trails, a tent campground, a dedicated snorkeling area and amazing views from Coastal Peak Park at the top of the mountain.

Alta Laguna Park- A smaller park located high above Laguna Beach with basketball courts, a picnic area and a paved 1 mile bike trail. 

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park- A larger park next to Laguna Beach with amazing mountain biking and hiking trails. This park is breathtaking in the spring or anytime when we’ve had some rain and the entire mountain is covered in a blanket of greenery.

The Back Bay Loop Trail at Newport Beach- A wetland preserve in Newport Beach with a fantastic paved bike trail. I highly recommend renting a kayak and experiencing this park from the water.

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7 Caves in Southern California

Crystal Cove State Park Sea Cave

This is a link to a cool article with 2 caves I didn't know about.

http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/southern-california/8-caves-so-cal/

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Indian Cove Campground. Joshua Tree National Park

Indian Cove Campground in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is one of the best places for a fall camping trip in Southern California. The weather is mild and breezy, the night sky is cloudless and perfect for stargazing, the crowds are relatively thin and the chance of rain is basically zero. Joshua Tree is a short 2 hour drive from the beach in Orange County.  If you absolutely hate camping, you always have the option of staying in nearby Palm Springs about 50 minutes outside the park. If you’re headed to Joshua Tree from San Diego, you might even consider a stop in Temecula to visit a winery.

I've stayed inside the main part of the park on past trips, but this time we opted to stay in the Indian Cove Campground located in the northern part of Joshua Tree,  just outside of the town of TwentyNine Palms. The Indian Cove Campground is less cramped than many of the campground located in the main part of the park. Most of the campsites in Indian Cove are situated in between giant rock formations that offer a fair amount of seclusion from neighboring campsites.  The tent sites are extremely reasonable for only $15 a night. You can even avoid paying the 15$ entrance fee into the main part of Joshua Tree by hiking the trails located within the Indian Cove Camping area.

The best trail in the Indian Cove section of Joshua Tree has to be the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail. The word “trail” is a bit misleading, as Rattlesnake Canyon is really a maze of giant boulders you’ll have to hop, squeeze through and climb until you've had your fill. There are countless small caves and crevices to explore among the boulders. We even found a few small arches. This is also a popular spot for rock-climbing.  We saw several groups of people climbing in this area of the park.  We spent 3 hours in the canyon navigating through the boulders up the mountainside. We took a break at the top of a large pinnacle of rocks. We came back down limping like wounded birds and covered in scrapes and got ourselves into a little trouble while exploring a pool in a slot canyon when I accidentally disturbed a wasps nest. They chased me up the side of an eight foot granite wall, but I avoided getting stung. I didn't notice how tired I was until we reached the car. This not a hike for beginners or small children. If you plan on hiking to the top of the boulders, do not be mislead by other sites claiming this is a moderate hike. Rattlesnake Canyon will kick your butt. With that said, this was one of my all-time favorite desert hikes.

A few words of warning: The sun can be intense in Joshua Tree and you can end up severely sunburned, even when the temperatures are cool.  Sun tan lotion and plenty of water are the two most important things you can have in Rattlesnake Canyon. I also recommend bringing a pair of leather gloves because the granite in Rattlesnake Canyon is rough and will tear your hands up.

Rattlesnake Canyon was closed for 5 months this year due to graffiti in the canyon. If you see someone vandalizing the park in any way, please report them immediately by calling park headquarters at
760-367-5502. 

Indian Cove Campground can be booked in advance by visiting http://www.recreation.gov/

Rattlesnake Canyon in Joshua Tree National Park

Directions to Rattlesnake Canyon Trail-head:  From TwentyNine Palms Highway 62, turn right onto Indian Cove Road and drive approximately 3 miles. You will pass both the ranger station and the group camping area. Make your first left onto Indian Cove East and continue one mile through the campground until you reach the parking area for Rattlesnake Canyon. 

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Aliso and Woods Canyon Wilderness Park

Top of the World Park

Aliso and Woods Canyon is one of my favorite places to mountain bike in Orange County.  I usually park at the entrance on Alicia Parkway,  take the paved  Aliso Creek Trail south, and then head off road on right-hand spur trail for the Wood Canyon Trail.   The Wood Canyon Trail leads slightly uphill to Dripping Hole Cave.  It’s an easy trail for beginners.  If you feel like exercising, you can continue a few miles past Dripping Hole Cave and head up the steeper section of the Woods Canyon Trail to Canyon View Park. Canyon View Park has water fountains and a public restroom for a well-deserved rest at the top.

If you really want to try a butt-kicking ride, you can continue past Canyon View Park and pick up the Cholla Trail, then the Lynx Trail, and finally connect to the West Ridge Trail which will take you to the Top of theWorld Park. You can re-fill your water bottle in the park and then head back down to your car. I would only recommend attempting to bike from Alicia Parkway to Top of the World Park if you’re in pretty decent shape. The last section can be rough trip, especially when you’ve already been heading uphill for several miles. If you’re a beginner, a great way to do this ride is to use a two car shuttle.  You can park at the Top of the World Park  and bike downhill to the parking lot on Alicia Parkway and then drive back up the to your car.  It’s about an 11 mile drive back to the parking lot on Alicia Parkway.

Regardless of whether you plan on hiking or biking all the way to Canyon View Park or the Top of the World, I highly recommend taking the spur trail and checking out Dripping Hole Cave.  It’s not a huge cave by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s one of the largest natural inland caves in Orange County.

Aliso and Woods Canyon Trail Map

Aliso and Woods Canyon Wilderness Park Address:

28373 Alicia Parkway

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

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Scripps Park, La Jolla Sea Caves

La Jolla Sea Cave

Scripps Park in San Diego features several of the largest sea caves in Southern California. To be honest, there aren't many large, natural caves in Southern California. As a cave enthusiast, I try to explore as many as I can.

The sea caves in La Jolla are unique because they are located under the bluffs of a major metropolitan area just a hundred yards from the hotels and restaurants on the streets above.  Many of the caves are only accessible by kayak. There are several companies in La Jolla that offer guided tours and rent boats to explore the caves. I've never rented from them because I own my own boat, so I won’t vouch for any tour group in particular.

At least one cave can be reached during low tide from the beach.  It’s actually an open-ended 50 foot tunnel. When the tide is out, you will almost certainly have company, because this is a very popular beach.

One of the best things about Scripps Park is the huge population of seals who inhabit the area. On a good day, you might see a a hundred seals sunning themselves on the rocks. Scripps Park is also home to a large population of

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The Grotto Trail, Malibu

The Grotto, Malibu

The Grotto, Malibu

The Grotto trail is a short, but fun 3 ½ mile round-trip hike to see a 20 foot waterfall that flows into a hidden cave.  The trail features a few other smaller waterfalls and a beautiful open meadow that is filled with wildflowers in the spring.  As you approach the waterfall on the grotto trail, the canyon narrows and the last ¼ mile of the trail can be a bit tricky. To reach the base of the falls and the hidden cave, you’ll have to navigate around, over, and through a maze of house-sized boulders. Grandma and your fat uncle Phil will have to wait at the top of the falls while everyone else does some exploring. You probably won’t be able to spend the entire day at the Grotto, but you might consider heading over to nearby Temescal Canyon in Santa Monica afterwards. 

To reach the Grotto trailhead from Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, turn onto Yerba Buena Road and follow it 5 ½ miles to the Circle X Ranch Ranger Station.

For a more detailed description of the actual trail, visit http://socal.hiking.info/ventura/ve-grotto.php

Grotto Trail, Malibu California

The Grotto, Malibu California

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Nobody Hikes in LA.

This is a HUGE list of hikes in the LA/Orange County area. Many of the links are clickable.

Abalone Cove

ABCD Loop – see Santiago Oaks Regional Park

Airport in the Sky – see Catalina Island

Airport Loop Trail – see Catalina Island

Alger Trail Camp – see Momyer Trail

Aliso Canyon Trail (San Fernando Valley) – see Porter Ranch Loop

Aliso Peak

-from Seaview Park

-via Valdido Trail

Aliso Summit Trail

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Salmon Creek Falls, Big Sur California

Salmon Creek Falls, Big Sur

Salmon Creek Falls is the best waterfall on the Big Sur Coast.  McWay Falls would be a close second. If you’re planning a trip up the coast on Highway 1, it’s pretty much mandatory that you add it to your itinerary. The falls are over 120 feet tall and they flow consistently all year round, even during long periods of drought when most of the other falls have dried up. No other waterfall in Big Sur flows with a higher volume of water. In fact, you probably won’t find a mightier waterfall on the entire coast of Southern California. The hike from the highway to the base of falls takes less than ten minutes. Your morbidly obese grandmother probably won’t make it up the trail, but the it’s likely suitable for everyone else. If you’re an adventurer like me, you’re going to want to climb to the top of Salmon Creek Falls and explore the cave at the precipice. The trail from the base to the top is pretty perilous, but worth the effort in my opinion. You have to weave your way up the right side of the steep canyon, grasping at saplings, roots, poison ivy, and whatever else to keep from slipping on the loose gravel and mud. Once you reach the top of the falls, you can rock-hop across the river slip into the cave from a hidden opening on the back side. Only attempt this if the water level is low and he cave is dry. If you slip on the lip, it’ll be the last mistake you make. Salmon Creek falls is located on a hairpin turn 18 miles North of San Simeon California (Hearst Castle). You won’t be able to see the falls until you're almost past them, so look for cars parked on the side of the highway or plug the mileage into your GPS. The pull-out area on the side of the highway can get pretty crowded, so try your best to avoid running over any tourists.

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