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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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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Alta Laguna Park. West Ridge Trail

Alta Laguna Park

Alta Laguna Park is a fantastic neighborhood park located high in the hills overlooking Laguna Beach.  Alta Laguna has a playground for the kiddies, tennis courts, restrooms and an absolutely amazing birds-eye view of the beach.  It’s also a great jumping off point for some of the best mountain trails in Orange County.

If you plan on heading up to Alta Laguna for some mountain biking, you can park your car in the parking lot or  on the street. You pick up the West Ridge Trail at the locked gate at the end of Alta Laguna Blvd. The West Ridge Trail is a wide, hard packed, dirt trail that snakes north, paralleling Laguna Canyon Road far down in the canyon below. The trail is in great shape and its wide enough to bomb the steeper sections at full speed.  The trail is mostly downhill from Alta Laguna, so be prepared for some rigorous uphill riding on your return trip. There are several side trails that connect to Wood Canyon Trail at the bottom of the canyon. If you plan on riding all the way to the bottom to Wood Canyon, I would highly advise a two car shuttle to drive back to the top, unless you really want the exercise.

If you don’t want to ride all the way to the bottom, you can follow the West Ridge Trail from Alta Laguna Park for 1.5 miles and turn around at the water tower. The return trip from this point is not nearly as grueling as riding all the way to the bottom. Be sure to bring sunscreen and plenty of water because you will be completely exposed to the sun on the trail. 

Directions to Alta Laguna Park:

From Route 1 in Laguna Beach, turn onto Legion Street. In a quarter mile, merge right onto Park Ave. Continue uphill on Park Avenue. You will come to a few confusing intersections and stop signs. Just keep on Park Ave. After 1.3 miles, make a left onto Alta Laguna Blvd and follow it for a quarter mile to the end. The park and the mountain bike trails are impossible to miss. 

West Ridge Trail. Alta Laguna Park

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Moulton Meadows Park, Laguna Beach

Moulton Meadows Park, Laguna Beach

I took my mountain bike up to Moulton Meadows Park in Laguna Beach today. The park is situated on a ridge top with uninterrupted views of the ocean to the west and Aliso Canyon to the east. There is amazing mountain bike trail which runs from a locked gate in the park down into Aliso Canyon. Make sure to bring your helmet if you plan to ride into Aliso Canyon because the descent is steep and perilous. A good destination in Aliso Canyon to turn around is Dripping Hole Cave. You might be tricked by Google maps into trying to find an alternative return route, but the neighborhoods up here are gated communities. You have to come back up out of the canyon the same way you went in. It’s a tough climb back up that trail lugging a bike. The fog rolled in on me around 5 o’clock and it felt a lot colder than the actual 60 degree temperature. Next time I head out there, I’m going to do it on a sunny day.

Moulton Meadows is a good place to bring the kiddies. There is a soccer field, basketball court, picnic tables, brand new set of bathrooms and a great jungle gym in the main part of the park. It would be a great place for a picnic or a game of Ultimate Frisbee.

To get to Moulton Meadows park, you drive south on Pacific Coast Highway past downtown Laguna Beach. Turn left onto Nyes Place and drive straight up the hill. After a half mile, the road merges into Balboa Ave.The park is a half mile on the right past the intersection of Balboa and Nyes place. There is plenty of free street parking. The mountain bike trail starts at the North end of the park at the small locked gate.

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