Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
128 reviews
Excellent
78
Very good
45
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
1
mmp3317
Laguna Niguel, CA7 contributions
Jul 2015
Great place for hiking and nature watching. You can stop by the Ranger Station prior to you hike and see a list of wildlife spotted in the area.
Written July 12, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristi A
Aliso Viejo, CA28 contributions
If you are not a biker, have never been a biker, or don't like bikers, you may find this park a poor option for your activity of choice. It is many OC mountain biker's park of choice; there are great riding options for families through the gnarly downhill riders! This means you will have a broad range of personality 'types' at the park. I frequently hike at this park b/c it is very close to my house and the easiest place for me to get backpacker training hikes in. I enjoy all of my hikes here, even when the park is busy. You can always find a remote stretch of trail with no one else on it and I always see some kind of cool wildlife, or evidence of (in their tracks) at this park. If you go very early in the am, you will be treated to dozens of quail shuffling about along Cholla and the West Ridge trails. We've also seen a horned toad, bobcat, all different kinds of snakes and lizards, a tarantula, deer and the tracks of all of these animals, plus mountain lion tracks! The views along the West Ridge are fantastic, so if you are looking for a nice hike or bike ride with views of the ocean, this is a great park to try!
Written September 11, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tourist828101
Cebu Island, Philippines110 contributions
Feb 2020
One will not realize that this park is right under the umbrella of Orange Co. Outstanding hiking trails for all levels of hikers. The views are exhilarating.
Just the "right" amount of hills. And they are not so steep like Mt Everest.
Just the "right" amount of hills. And they are not so steep like Mt Everest.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rpcverin
Anaheim, CA45 contributions
Jun 2020
Major con to start off my review: it's surprisingly difficult to find the entrance. I put the address into my GPS and it took me to a service entrance (not the first time this has happened with California parks, unfortunately). I ended up zooming out on the map, taking my best, a couple of right turns, and eventually finding the lot. Many people park on the side of the road or use alternate access points to avoid the fee, but it's only $3, so it's not a hardship since it isn't per hour. It's an automatic pay station rather than an attendant.
Trail maps were readily available, which I appreciated since I went to hike. There are a lot of different options that are rated easy to difficult. I noticed that there are some inconsistencies though - signage in the park rated some trails differently than the map does - so proceed with caution. Most of the trails are between .5 and 1.5 miles, although there are some more and some less.
There's something called the Dripping Cave at this park, which was the reason I chose to go to this park after reading a review about it. It's exactly not at all exciting, so don't go out of your way to see it unless you are already there.
The major reason that I'm giving this park three stars instead of something higher is because my experience was significantly hampered by mountain bikers. Almost all of the trails are multi-use and I found myself spending a significant amount of time jumping into the bushes to dodge bikers, whether it was a steep hill or a flat road. They were literally everywhere and many of them were not being particularly cautious of the fact that there might be other people around. I went on a Friday morning, so I can't imagine ever attempting to visit this park on a weekend... I would have gotten hit for sure. This being said, if you are a mountain biker, it might be a great park for you.
Trail maps were readily available, which I appreciated since I went to hike. There are a lot of different options that are rated easy to difficult. I noticed that there are some inconsistencies though - signage in the park rated some trails differently than the map does - so proceed with caution. Most of the trails are between .5 and 1.5 miles, although there are some more and some less.
There's something called the Dripping Cave at this park, which was the reason I chose to go to this park after reading a review about it. It's exactly not at all exciting, so don't go out of your way to see it unless you are already there.
The major reason that I'm giving this park three stars instead of something higher is because my experience was significantly hampered by mountain bikers. Almost all of the trails are multi-use and I found myself spending a significant amount of time jumping into the bushes to dodge bikers, whether it was a steep hill or a flat road. They were literally everywhere and many of them were not being particularly cautious of the fact that there might be other people around. I went on a Friday morning, so I can't imagine ever attempting to visit this park on a weekend... I would have gotten hit for sure. This being said, if you are a mountain biker, it might be a great park for you.
Written June 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JeffSoltys
Los Angeles, CA16 contributions
Oct 2015
I found the hike to be easy, and rewarding. Once you crest the canyon, you're offered views of the canyon to your right, ocean in front, and multi-million dollar homes to your left. I hiked in the middle of the day, and only passed 5 or 6 people. It was very relaxing, and not difficult at all.
Written October 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rayu
Laguna Niguel, CA237 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
We walk one of the trails 3 times a week. It's a great workout - we usually do 2 or 2.5 miles. It gets our heart rate up and it's good for us.
Written June 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debbie H
Laguna Niguel, CA103 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
Nice hike. Great hiking or roars or my biking for family! Outhouses available. My favorite place to go with so many levels you can do. Nice to pack a picnic and eat in a beautiful spot. With the fires everything was cleaned up and growing. Not too many hiking places left with Irvine company building homes, condos and apartments all o we the hills in Irvinecand Laguna Canyon.
Written January 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ray J. S
Laguna Niguel11 contributions
Jul 2016 • Solo
For many in the south OC Costal area this park offers excellent mountain bike trails. I have seen, Bobcat, Deer, Road Runners, Fox, Coyote, Heron, Snakes, Hawks and racoon. Duck (seen those too) into nature and enjoy the sage breeze smell and California wilderness without taking a big slice out of your day.
Written July 25, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
keepemguessing
Laguna Niguel, CA9 contributions
Jul 2016 • Solo
Great trails to get away from it all. You can go from a mild hike to a more strenuous one
it's up to the individual. Trails lead you to a variety of sights from a Dripping Cave, A Car that had gone off the highway years ago to an Ocean View.
I have run across wild life such as rabbits, lizards, deer, and a coyote (didn't bother us)
It's amazing that this trail makes you feel like your in the country and it's right in the middle of a city.
it's up to the individual. Trails lead you to a variety of sights from a Dripping Cave, A Car that had gone off the highway years ago to an Ocean View.
I have run across wild life such as rabbits, lizards, deer, and a coyote (didn't bother us)
It's amazing that this trail makes you feel like your in the country and it's right in the middle of a city.
Written July 19, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob R
Laguna Niguel, CA3 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
Awesome place to visit, hike, or ride bicycles. The scenery is spectacular. All different skill level trails. There is a trail for every age and skill level of rider. Well marked, bathrooms along the way, and lot's of parking. You won't be disappointed.
Written April 25, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I need to know if we could do a dog photo shoot there?
Written August 8, 2017
fjones
Santa Ana, California
There are no dogs allowed in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. Because it's a designated county wilderness area, it's not just a park rule, it's actually a violation of county ordinance and the penal code is listed at the main park entrance. There are also NO DOGS signs at all side entrances to the park.
There's a large beautiful regional park with a lake very close by called "Laguna Niguel Regional Park" which does allow leashed dogs.
Written March 27, 2019
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