What I Wish I Knew Before Going
It was a BEAUTIFUL (and cold) morning at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park! We were SOOOO ready to hike!
Only to find the gate LOCKED!
We learned that we needed to do more research before going, so this doesn't happen again.
Here's what we learned:
The time and fee
The park opens at 7 AM, but if you need to park inside then it's best to come after 8 AM. We learned it the hard way.
The daily parking fee is $3, but annual passes are also available for purchase at the park office.
The entrance
A map would've been helpful... oh wait there was. We just didn't pay attention to it.
I took a picture of it for reference, but I didn't notice to the entrance.
We just kept walking forward believing it was Laurel Canyon Trail.
We soon found out it was NOT. We actually started with a more difficult trail and then reached the Laurel Canyon Trail after 1.5 miles.
That was when we learned that there different areas where you can start your hike. We also learned that the trails ranged from easy to difficult. We started with the difficult trail and ended with a moderate trail.
Prepare!
Prepare yourself (mentally and physically). It sounds bad, but honestly, it's must. It seems easy but if you're not prepared, you'll just be gasping for air and take a bajillion breaks like we did.
We were NOT prepared for the difficult trail. It took us quite a long time to get to the top because we had to stop every 15 minutes to catch our breath and drink water.
Trails
This park has so many trails! Most of them are loops, which is great for a scenery change. There are also easy, moderate, and difficult trails for you to choose from. Remember to carefully look at which trail you want to hike (don't be like us and blindly enter).
Regardless of how we started, we are definitely willing to go back and try the other trails.
The cool thing about Laguna Coast Widerness Park is that if you go in deep enough you can see the Crystal Cove State Park.
Park Information
📍18751 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651United States
Phone:
949-923-2235
Email:
Location Hours:
Sun - Sat: 7:00 AM - Sunset
Parking Lot Hours
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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