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 Reporter |
Summary: If you leave out the beautiful falls at the end of Holy Jim Canyon, I'd favor this trail. Canopies of the tallest oaks, sycamores and pines that I have seen in OC vault from the forest floor. If you seek solitude, a respite from civilization, and cool green woods filled with songbirds, reptiles, and wildflowers, Trabuco Canyon offers you everything you could desire. You will pass through dense woods and open chaparral. As you make the gentle ascent, you will see relics of human occupation including an abandoned car and a gold mine, flooded and crawling with salamanders. On hot days, you can rest in the cool tunnel. A landslide precedes the cave entrance. You weave in and out of the bottomland forest until you reach the last stretch before the junction with the West Horsethief Trail. Enjoy Los Pinos Peak and the huge trees in the canyon below before turning back. Trailhead: You begin at the Holy Jim parking area and that's the biggest challenge. The road to the falls parking lot has potholes that eat trail bikes and washboarding that will make you sing like a jaw harp. Please go no faster than 20 mph: flying rocks from your tires can seriously harm others. From Interstate 5, get off at El Toro Road. Head north on El Toro to the point where the road forks at Cook's Corner. Take the right fork (Live Oak Canyon Road) past O'Neill Park. A quarter mile past Trabuco School, you will pass over Trabuco Creek. Turn left onto the dirt road. Some people park here and hike in: this adds 4.45 miles and 840 feet to your hike. Most continue on the road for another 4.45 miles and park in the Holy Jim lot. Though washboarded in parts, the road is usually passable for most passenger cars. The trail continues directly after the parking lot. (Lat:33.677 Lon:-117.5162) Trail Guides for Trabuco Canyon Trail, Cleveland NF: Best Easy Day Hikes Orange County by Randy Vogel (Falcon Publishing Company) 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 3 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by DT on 11/3/2008 Make sure you have an Adventure Pass for your vehicle. They can be purchased at many local sporting good stores or on the Cleveland National Forest website. Adventure Pass use is enforced in the Trabuco Ranger District Cleveland National Forest areas. Bring plenty of water, sun tan lotion and of course snacks. Watch out for posion oak, ticks and rattlesnakes. Only street legal vehicles, bicycles and foot traffic are allowed on the road in to the trail head starting at the CNF boundary. 
Reviewed by zero on 10/22/2008 To avoid the heat, I planned to go in the late afternoon, but due to a wrong turn landing me in laguna beach, I didn't get to the trailhead until around dusk. I don't give up that easily, and took the hike in the dark. Bad idea, as I'm sure I missed some incredible sights, however the stars were so amazing, &the waning moon a wicked smear in the sky, coupled with eerie howling that haunted my entire hike made it perfect for the halloween season. A small group of bats swooped over at one point, &an owl. Fell on some rocks &into a pool of water, OUCH. Freaked out some high school kids making out in their car-they thought I was either a "peeper" or a ghost! My hybrid did fine on the dusty dirt road. I shall return to hike in daylight one da
Reviewed by JeffR on 10/13/2008 Hiked on 10/12/08 with a 27 member group of boy scouts and parents. We went to Los Pinos peak from the Trabuco trail. This trail is right on 4.0 miles one way with an elevation gain of 2200' based on GPS. I would rate this as a moderate effort hike. Nice hiking with mostly shade and likely good breezes on most sections. View from Los Pinos is great without the extra time and effort for Santiago peak.
Reviewed by DN&TN on 8/31/2008 The hike today was great, even though it was the hottest time of year. Our 1994 honda accord did just fine driving to Holy Jim, highly recommend it, then wash your car later. Slow down, navigate around the rocks, and if the road is muddy you might have trouble in 4 or 5 parts that have some large rocks or slopes. Park about 300 yards past Holy Jim fire station, where the trail map is posted. The forest service will ticket your vehicle, just mail in $5 with the ticket for day-use. I do recommend fall/winter/spring on this trail. The bugs were a bit annoying. Once at the waterfall, no bugs were present so we enjoyed a nice lunch there. Take water/snacks/sunscreen at a minimum.
Reviewed by mark7 on 3/8/2008 Very nice hiking area. Now people with normal passenger cars with 2wd dont go too far. I drove my Toyota Camry and it didnt do to well. I went about 1.5 miles in and pulled over at Lat 33.40.18.44N, Long 117.33.21.91W. Too bumby and rocky for a passenger 2wd family car. Its still great though, but bring a backpack, water, and some snacks so you can walk up the canyon trail and enjoy the stream and views. Some of the truckers get out of hand and drive too fast thinking they are in a 4x4 contest so keep to the side or by the stream where it is too rocky for them. I hiked with my dog about 2 mile up to Falls Canyon point (Google Earth). Great place to get some exercise and enjoy nearby outdoors.
Reviewed by Christina on 7/18/2007 One more thing. Mounatin Bikers come from behind and they are very fast. You'll hear a roar. Just yell, "Hikers!", they'll then tell their pals & slow down as not to kill you.
Reviewed by Christina on 7/10/2007 Took this hike on 7/7/07. We parked @ Holy Jim and walked up. We did get tired and only made it to the split. Next time we are definately driving up the road. Great views! Took a lot of pictures. Bring a flashlight if you are daring enough to see what's in the cave, of course be careful!
Reviewed by AJA on 6/3/2007 I would hike this one again, because I didn't make it all the way the first time. I went at noon with my dog. I thought it was going to be an overcast day, but I was wrong. This trail is way to hot. I got to the split, made it a little more on the West Horsethief Canyon to the first switchback on the trial and called it quits. However, next time I go, I'm not parking at Holy Jims. When you cross the bridge and Holy Jims, you can continue going straight, and there is another SMALL parking lot. Its only big enough for about 8 cars or so, but will be worth the drive up. That way you won't be over-heated or exhausted and will be able to do the trail. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||