Okay, 14 miles is a pretty long hike. So maybe you'll want to break out the
mountain bike for this one. Of course, you don't have to do the loop. Hike
for a while and turn around.
Distance: 14 miles Difficulty: Easy to moderate bike, long hike When to go: Year round Location: Throughout Fullerton Elevation Gain: 350 ft. Phone: n/a Dogs: Yes Directions: From Interstate 5 or the 91 Freeway, exit north on Euclid
Street. Continue past Bastanchury Road and turn left on Rosecrans Avenue.
Turn right on Camino Rey and look for the parking lot on the right.
Trail Information
Remarks: Nonetheless, you may be pleasantly impressed with the varied
workout you get on this ever-changing route through the Fullerton foothills.
There are some beautiful, almost hidden trails connecting one community to
another.
Thanks to local trail activist Denny Bean for hosting our ride. He led us
through beautiful local parks and along miles of old electric car line
routes that are now spectacular trails. When spring arrives each year, they
burst with flowers.
We started at the upper end of Grissom Park and worked our way west along
Rosecrans Avenue to just past Gilbert Street, then we turned right up into
the country. We rode along some Chevron property that's soon to be
developed, reportedly preserving this trail and providing additional new
ones. (See the 360-degree photo shot high above Gilbert Street.)
Heading to the "Gauntlet"
We stayed along the undeveloped edge, skirting the West Coyote Hills Nature
Park. After a fun ride downhill (called "Mormon Trail"), we crossed Euclid
Avenue and turned up hill to Laguna Lake Park. Home of the city's horse
arena and grandstands, this is a classic old park with nice rockwork,
relatively tame ducks, and many benches scattered about.
We turned right on the Juanita Cooke Greenbelt (just past Santa Rosa Place)
and continued until suddenly taking a left down about 75 feet to a
seldom-used railroad track. I was sure we were well off the beaten path,
passing under a graffiti-painted bridge of Harbor Blvd., when we joined the
beautiful Fullerton Golf Course for a fun ride to the "Gauntlet."
On to Brea Dam Park
It seemed fun and innocent until I saw why the locals call it the Gauntlet.
Don't miss catching some air on the corner near the tee. Suddenly we rode
through a long tunnel under Bastanchury Road and came into wild underbrush
leading to the Brea Dam. It was thick and the trail curved and jumped,
swerving past water at points.
After having some fun seeing what we could and could not be do going up the
concrete walls of the dry reservoir, I shot another 360-degree photo from
the top of the dam. From Brea Dam Park we crossed Harbor Blvd. and went up
Valencia Mesa Drive to a trail found just after Pepper Tree Lane.
Classic American City Park
This led to Hiltscher Park, which may some day be in a book about classic
American city parks. A beautiful canopy of oaks, willows, pepper trees and a
few sycamores, as well as bright yellow buttercups, lined the path that
meandered through this 16-acre park.
We continued west across Euclid Street and up West Valley View Drive in the
same direction. At Bastanchury Road we turned right and then took a quick
left to again ride along the railroad tracks and the Parks Road Greenbelt.
Following uphill we rode through Edward White Park and on to Roger Chaffee
Park, just south of Rosecrans Avenue.
On the other side of Rosecrans we found Grissom Park, where we started three
hours and eleven miles earlier. Estimating that I missed 5-10 miles of good
trails, I'll have to go back another day. It was fun!
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