El Moro Canyon Mountain Bike Map - Plus Aliso & Woods Canyon

Area Summary
Location: Laguna Beach area
Best For: Intermediate riders
Suitable For: All levels
Ground Cover: Brush-covered hillsides, native grasslands and riparian woodlands.
Seasons: Good year round

Description:
The life-o-plenty that blesses residents of coastal Orange County extends to the range of mountain biking and outdoor opportunities available to them. Three beautiful open space areas surround Laguna Beach that offer a wide array of great mountain bike trails: Crystal Cove State Park (a.k.a. El Moro Canyon), Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. Additional open space will be available in the near future as the huge holdings of the Irvine Company become publicly accessible.

The riding here offers incredible diversity, with technical single-track trails interspersed with mellow fire roads. The scenery includes beautiful native grasslands and coastal scrub that give way to expansive views of the ocean.

The one drawback to these riches is that the parks, particularly Aliso & Wood Canyons, can draw huge crowds on weekends. Please be careful and respect all users. Please note also that the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is open only on weekends.

El Moro Canyon Bike Trails

El Moro Canyon Road - Easy fire road through oak woodlands.

Redtail Ridge/Rattlesnake -Single-track through chaparral turns to fire road. One short technical section.

El Moro Ridge Road - Gently rolling fire road after steep ascent.

Fenceline/Missing Link - Moderate single-tracks connect Moro Ridge to Deer Canyon.

Ticketron - Fun single-track section through scrub and grasslands.

Laguna Wilderness Bike Trails - Open weekends only. Most trails are fire roads. Boat Canyon, Water Tank, Laguna Bowl and Willow Canyon are all relatively steep, gaining about 700' in 1-2 miles. Emerald Canyon Road is easier but is not accessible from the south.

Laguna Ridge Trail - Very technical and steep single-track.

Old Emerald Trail - Technical single-track.

Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park Bike Trails

Wood Canyon Trail - Easy fire road through grasslands and oak woodlands.

Aliso Creek Trail - Easy trail follows paved road.

Cholla Trail - Short, steep single-track.

Lynx Trail - Steep, rutted single-track.

Rock-It Trail - Fire road/single-track follows ridgeline down to Wood Canyon. Rocky in places.

West Ridge Trail - Rolling fire road connects top-of-the-world to Cholla Trail.

Mathis Canyon Trail - Fire road/single-track connects West Ride to Wood Canyon.

Coyote Run Trail - Fun, easy and scenic single-track parallels Wood Canyon.

Directions to trailhead(s):
Park HQ for Crystal Cove/Moro Canyon rides is located 2.5 miles northwest of Laguna Beach just off (north) of Route 1. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park main access is from Laguna Canyon Road just south of El Toro Road. Additional trailheads can be accessed from Poplar and Dartmoor Rds. in Laguna Beach.
Park HQ for Aliso & Wood Canyons is located off Alicia Parkway in Laguna Niguel, 4 miles south of I-5. Additional access at "top-of-the-world" at end of Alta Laguna Blvd. in Laguna Beach.