Afoot & Afield: Orange County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide

by Jerry Schad, David Money Harris

Overview

This completely updated and expanded new edition in the Afoot and Afield series is the classic guide to the hiking opportunities throughout Southern California's Orange County. Featuring more than 100 trips from serene summits to sparkling beaches, Afoot and Afield Orange County covers the Laguna Coast, Newport Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, the Chino Hills, Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, the Santa Ana Mountains, and more. Trips ranging from short strolls to rigorous daylong treks are all within a short car trip of the Southland's cities. Every trip was re-hiked by coauthor David Money Harris for this updated edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780899977577
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	01/13/2015
Series:	Afoot & Afield
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	998,094
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jerry Schad (1949–2011) was Southern California’s leading outdoors writer. His 16 guidebooks, including those in Wilderness Press’s popular and comprehensive Afoot & Afield series, along with his “Roam-O-Rama” column in the San Diego Reader, helped thousands of hikers discover the region’s diverse wild places. Jerry ran or hiked many thousands of miles of distinct trails throughout California, in the Southwest, and in Mexico. He was a sub-24-hour finisher of Northern California’s 100-mile Western States Endurance Run and served in a leadership capacity for outdoor excursions around the world. He taught astronomy and physical science at San Diego Mesa College and chaired its physical sciences department from 1999 until 2011. His sudden, untimely death from kidney cancer shocked and saddened the hiking community. David Harris is a professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd College. He is the author or coauthor of seven hiking guidebooks and five engineering textbooks. David grew up rambling about the Desolation Wilderness as a toddler in his father’s pack and later roamed the High Sierra as a Boy Scout. As a Sierra Club trip leader, he organized mountaineering trips throughout the Sierra Nevada. Since 1999, he has been exploring the mountains and deserts of Southern California. David is the father of three sons, with whom he loves sharing the outdoors.

Read an Excerpt

Bane Rim Loop

• Distance 7 miles (loop)
• Hiking Time 3½ hours
• Elevation Gain 1,300'
• Difficulty Moderately strenuous
• Trail Use Cyclists, equestrians
• Best Times November–May
• Agency CHSP
• Permit State-park day-use fee required

Bane Canyon cuts through the northeast portion of the park. The ridges on either side of the canyon offer terrific views, especially in the spring when the park is green and wildflowers are blooming. This loop hike, the long way to McLean Overlook, features walks on both ridges.

From the parking area, find a trail on the north side of the road that leads 0.1 mile west to the equestrian staging area. Pick up the Bane Ridge Trail, and follow the undulating ridge, which is steep in places, as it leads north for 2.3 miles. The panoramic views of the largely undeveloped hills are a striking contrast to the heavily built lands outside the park. Pass a utility road near the three high-voltage transmission lines, then the unsigned Sidewinder Trail on the left. Your path broadens into a service road and descends to Bane Canyon Road.

Cross the paved road, and continue east up a dirt road that curves up to the ridge. At a ridgetop junction in 0.4 mile, turn sharply right and follow the ridge south for 0.2 mile. At a signed junction, the East Fenceline Trail descends to the east, but this trip continues south on the dramatic narrow ridge. In 0.5 mile, reach a vista point atop a hill where the trail ends at a powerline road called the Pomona Trail.

Turn left onto the Pomona Trail, and follow it southeast for 0.6 mile, descending to an old windmill where you again meet the East Fenceline Trail. Turn right and follow the trail south as it weaves along the fence separating the state park from private ranchland. In 0.8 mile, cross dirt Slaughter Canyon Road; in another 0.6 mile, the trail ends at a T-junction with a dirt road known as the Longway Around Trail. Turn left and head up the road, passing the Corral Trail in 0.1 mile and reaching McLean Overlook in another 0.2 mile. Enjoy a snack at the picnic bench, and survey the eastern end of the park from the knoll.

Return to the Corral Trail, and follow it down 0.5 mile to Lower Aliso Canyon, where you turn right and reach your starting point in 0.1 mile.

DIRECTIONS
Exit Highway 71 at Soquel Canyon Parkway in Chino. Drive west on Soquel Canyon Parkway 1 mile to Elinvar Drive. Turn left and then left again onto Sapphire Road after 0.2 mile, and then immediately turn right onto Bane Canyon Road entering Chino Hills State Park. Proceed 2.6 miles to the Lower Aliso Day Use Area, the first trailhead parking area on the left with picnic gazebos. If you reach the equestrian staging area, you’ve gone 0.2 mile too far. Note that the Bane Canyon entrance is scheduled to be closed for paving until April 2015.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Overview Map

Preface

Overview of Hikes

Introducing Orange County

Health, Safety, and Courtesy

Using this Book

The Trails

Best Hikes

Recommended Reading

Local Organizations

Information Sources

Index

About the Authors