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 Reporter |
Summary: The trail climbs steadily from the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, granting you superb vistas of the neighboring ridgelines, Vulture Crags, Santiago and Harding Canyons, the Orange Coast, and, on clear days, Catalina and the Palos Verdes Pennisula. Once you get past the spaghetti, the trail runs straight along a ridge through a short forest of scrub oak and manzanita. A large cairn decorated with neckties precedes the spring itself by about a quarter of a mile. The spring is seasonal and often dry by the late spring. The wildflowers, the vistas, and the solitude even on weekends will astound you. You can continue past the Spring to the Main Divide Road, another five miles and another 2000 feet. The secret is to pace yourself on the ascent so that you don't get winded. On your return, take it slow and steady. Not a hike for young children, but a wonder for teens and sturdy adults. Begin early in the summer months. There is no shade. Trailhead: From Interstate 5, take the El Toro Road exit in Lake Forest. Head North/Northeast up El Toro Road towards the mountains. At Cook's Corner, take the left fork. Three miles past Cook's,, turn right on Modjeska Canyon Road. At the traffic island (about 1 mile), head down the left fork. Take the right fork (Modjeska Canyon) at the intersection with Harding. Continue to the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary Parking Lot (nearly two miles from turnoff on Santiago Canyon Road). From California 91: Take the 241 South towards Irvine (Toll). Exit at Santiago Canyon Road. Turn left. Just over eight miles from the tollroad, turn left on Modjeska Canyon Road. At the traffic island (about 1 mile), head down the left fork. Take the right fork (Modjeska Canyon) at the intersection with Harding. Continue to the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary Parking Lot (nearly two miles from turnoff on Santiago Canyon Road). Be kind enough to leave a $1.50 per person donation at Tucker. (Lat:33.71037 Lon:-117.61754) Trail Guides for Laurel Spring, Harding Truck Trail, Cleveland NF: Afoot & Afield in Orange County by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Winter, User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Bikes, Horses, Ranger Contact: Trabuco Ranger District, Cleveland NF, 909-736-1811 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Joel Sax, who has posted 51 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Joel on 4/30/2009 As of 4/29/09 this trail was closed. I believe the closure is temporary however, for another close trail take the street back the way you came. Make a left on Modjeska (oak tree in road divider) and follow road up to the crest of hill. Look on the left for steel pipe gate (type to keep vehicles out) and that's the trailhead for a well-defined trail that has some great vistas. Not much shade on a hot day but I'm told it goes on for about 14 miles...? 
Reviewed by Dave on 1/19/2008 The trails were closed due to the recent fires. And it sounds like they probably will be for 1-2 years more. The official OC trails web-page should have the relevant information.
Reviewed by Jimbobillybob on 5/29/2007 Myself and three friends did this hike May 16th. We started at 8:50 and were back to the car by noon. It was a very good hike. Not much shade, and it got pretty warm, but we kept a good pace nonetheless. We tried to find the "springs" at the Laurel Springs trail marker but decided to turn back a little ways after passing the rotted out picnic bench as we were not willing to do much bushwhacking. Overall a good time. Lots of mountain bikers. Don't know how they keep up the pace. Ran into some less than friendly locals starting out the hike. They even asked if we had permits since we were walking up the wrong road to get to the entrance. Oh well, great day nonetheless. 
Reviewed by Mike on 4/16/2007 Hiked this trail on 4/14/07. This hike is a great work out and the views are amazing on a clear day. This is one of my favorite spots to hike in OC.
Reviewed by Avid Hiker on 6/27/2006 I hiked upto Main Divide from Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary - 9.5 miles one way. The pictures are great! Check this out. Great pics wuth notes... http://www.singletrackmind.com/Trails/Harding%20Truck%20Trail/Mountain%20Biking%20Southern%20California%20Harding%20Truck%20Trail%20Index.htm
Reviewed by Shridhar Balan on 6/24/2006 I did the Harding Truck Trail hike on 6/18/06 (Sunday). Hiked from Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary to Main Divide Road - approx 9.5 miles one way. Very demanding, very exhausting yet exhilarting. One of my colleagues was supposed to join me but she preferred the lure of work to the mountains :--)))) Started @8:40 AM and returned @4:40 PM - total of 8 hrs with a 1/2 hr rest. The scenery is mind-blowing. There's visible signage for route MS08 starting at the 2 mile mark (there is a switchback here!) upto the 8-mile mark, eg MS08/02, MS08/03 and so forth. Carry plenty of smart water, mineral water etc. I consumed 4 litres on this hike (must have been a camel in my previous birth!) but still had to ration my supplies on the return trip.
Reviewed by s. walker on 4/17/2006 i hike this trail a lot with my dog. views are excellent & if you prefer a shorter hike, it's an easy uphill mile to the 'goat shed' or what's left of it.. great views, wooden remains & the cable where settlers ran supplies into canyon. great place to turn around and jog the entire downhill. lookout for rattlers, & grumpy locals in modjeska canyon on yer drive in, go SLOW!! 
Reviewed by Nathalie on 1/30/2006 We did this hike from the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary just to Laurel Springs. It's a good workout and has great views of the surrounding canyons including Whiting Ranch across the way, but other than that, it's somewhat tedious; up and down with no variation. Laurel Springs had a little bit of water but not much and the view from the picnic bench was beautiful. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Orange County Hiking, Orange County Trails, Orange County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||