This trail offers a creek that threads through wet lands that are more beautiful than any other in Orange County. It'll carry you all the way to Foothill Ranch.
Distance: 7.5-mile loop Difficulty: Moderate with easy access When to go: Year round Location: Lake Forest Elevation Gain: 450+ feet Phone: No direct line Dogs: Yes (on leash only) but not in Whiting Ranch Directions: Exit Interstate 5 at Bake Parkway and go inland (north).
Serrano Creek Park is found at the corner of Bake and Toledo Way. Turn right
on Toledo and left on Serrano Road to find street parking.
To park at the upstream end of the hike, take the 241 Toll Road, Bake
Parkway, Lake Forest Drive, or El Toro Road to Portola Parkway. Take Portola
to Glenn Ranch Road, which is just north of the 241 between El Toro Road and
Lake Forest Drive. Once on Glenn Ranch, the parking lot is on the left.
Parking at Whiting Ranch costs $2 per vehicle (self-service). Ratings: Based upon any fit person between ages 15 and 55 in good
hiking conditions on trails open to the general public (1 being deficient
and 10 being highest level). Steepness: 5 Exercise level: 6 (overall) Children under 8: 8 (Serrano Park only) Dogs: Yes (on leash only)
Trail Information
Remarks: You start in a linear forest near Bake Parkway and Toledo
Way, then hike upstream along thick underbrush and the wildest raging creek
in the county. The creek is gulping down tons of earth along its edges. In
some places, the creek walls are 100 feet high and at others only 15 feet
across from edge to edge.
Serrano Creek Park, where your hike begins, is one of the most beautiful,
well-designed parks in the county. A thick forest of eucalyptus trees,
picnic tables, playground equipment, an exercise course, smooth sidewalks
and dirt paths offer the means to get everyone's blood moving. Look for the
trailhead in the northwest corner of the park to enjoy its full 2.5 miles.
Within the park, below Trabuco Road, the creek was obviously not fortified
for larger storms like the El Niño of 1998. The creek area is essentially a
wide-open space filled with shrubbery, mulefat, cottonwood, and some exotics
from up stream.
Passing over Trabuco Road, the same habitat resumes in an even wider open
space. This is what I call the "central portion." Once held by the county as
a scenic corridor, it now has the potential to be the grandest park of all
south county.
Your legs will reveal that you are walking steadily up hill, so now is a
good time to break and look over the creek. But don't walk up the creek bed.
Poison oak is dense in this area. However, the neighborhood kids have worn a
few paths here and there. When you find the cyclone fencing and hear a
terrible roar of pumps whining, you have arrived above the enchanted forest
of the deepest ravines. When I first saw this area about six years ago, I
knew instantly it was a daredevil's playground. Use extreme caution.
After hiking past the Los Aliso Water District area, you'll find a beautiful
arched bridge over the creek that crosses into what I call the "northern
commercial" area. Truck yards and such greet your eyes. Past Dimension Drive
Bridge you detour onto streets to skirt around some construction, which will
yield a nice blend of commercial planning and allowances for the trail. I
found a great lunch at one of the small restaurants near Dimension Drive.
Continuing all the way up to Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, you realize what
all of this land looked like just 50 years ago. This is one beautiful,
wandering creek.
This website is sponsored by Cox Communications,
Orange County. Cox
Communications does not however endorse the above events or links. To ensure
proper delivery
of the OCnow Newsletter to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add
OCnow@updates.cox.com to your address book.
Rest
assured, your privacy and satisfaction are
our top concerns.
Review our
privacy policy and
visitor agreement. Copyright 2009 OCnow.com.
All rights reserved.
If
you’re looking for mountain biking trails...
it’s all right here where you live
and play.
