I hike from the parking lot at the ranger's station just off PCH to the top (Coastal Peak Park) and back down again about every second week, with a good friend of mine. We do it for the exercise and the great views throughout the round trip. The uphill half has some significantly steep hills, so be in reasonably good shape to tackle it. Sunscreen and water are a good idea, though there is a fountain and bathrooms at the Coastal Peak Park at the top. It's already rattlesnake season, and we've seen one or two on the trail each time this past month. So...stay in the middle of the trail...don't walk next to the scrub at the trail's edges. P.S. A great finish is going for gelato at Dolce Gelato on Broadway in Laguna when you've finished your hike. Enjoy your gelato at Main Beach! read more

Life is better up here when you're standing here where the air crisp and the sights are majestic. While I was driving around looking for a running trail, I found this gem. *Note this is quite a drive uphill north of Crystal Cove Park. It's an alternative way of hiking from the top to the Ridge Park Entrance. There's a hiking trail that begins with Boomer Ridge road at about .7 miles towards other trails going downhill like El Moro Canyon and Rattlesnake. Parking around the baseball park is easy and it's free. You'll spot the trail along the cliff and have the chance to see the beautiful scenic views of Newport and Irvine. What's great about this spot, is that it's not far away from Mariners Church so you could hop by farmers market and head over for a great workout. Be cautious as some trails have poor conditions for mountain biking due to the rain. There's the deer canyon campground and upper Moro campground for bathrooms, but may be out of service at times. read more

Coastal Peak Park - Parks Near Me - Newport Coast, California

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What a gorgeous hike! I recommend coming near sunset for the cool breeze and great views, because it is a very unshaded route. I really resented this hike as a child, but am grateful for the indifference of nature to our whims as an adult. You get amazing panoramic views and some nicely steep hills, which are handy for generating a sense of accomplishment on days when trudging uphill is the extent of one's capacity for anything at all. Definitely worth a visit if your relatives are in town and want a workout and ocean views! read more

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Great hiking area. Always sore the next day. Good workout and beautiful scenery! 4 mile walk to beach and 4 miles back up the hills. Bring plenty of water. But a water station at parking lots at El Moro beach lit and coastal peak park. Both have bathrooms. read more

Love this Trail, kicks my butt every time! Free parking. Open park space, 2 small baseball Fields. Soccer net! Bathrooms available.. soap, Soap, soap! Yaaaas to Hiking 4 miles today, day after Christmas it was a little crowded but who can say NO to the breathtaking views of Crystal Cove.. The whistling of brush and nice ocean breeze.. Can't wait to build more stamina, Time to defeat 2020. mother nature 2021, here we come! read more

Great hiking spot! Not too many choices in the area so it gets a little busy near the beginning of the hike but it tends to thin out the farther you go. It is a long hike down to the water. There are shorter trails and longer ones. I recommend taking a short hike at first for a major reason: THIS HIKING TRAIL IS INCREDIBLY HILLY. There are tons of steep inclines and declines so you definitely need to be in shape. Either that or get ready for a work out! The great thing about this park is that you can choose the length of your hiking trails. One really long one goes all the way to the ocean! It's a great view and a lovely place to picnic. There are also restrooms at the beginning and end of that long hike so you can feel free to drink that water if need be! The fact that the park is so close to the water also keeps the temperature down. Don't get me wrong, it can still get very hot, especially in the summer, but the fall and spring months are rather enjoyable even when it is a bit hotter inland. We haven't been in awhile due to all the rain (the trails become way too muddy) but we are planning on going soon when the rain stops and the weather warms up a bit. See you on the trails! read more

Coastal Peak Park is where we began our hiking recently; the trailhead we chose took us on a long, beautiful hike down to the water. There were several other trail choices, but we were very glad of the one we picked. When we started the hike it was mid-morning, and there were kids playing in the park at the beginning of the trail. There's sand for digging, a slide and play structures, all of which were teaming with happy kids :-) Tip: The trails at the beginning are fairly crowded due to a lack of other hiking destinations in this area, but once you get out a little ways, the people thin out and you can enjoy the scenery. The views from the trails and the park are simply spectacular! read more

What a great way to get down to the beach. Yesterday, we drove up tot the top of coastal peak park and parked by the Baseball field. (Mostly to avoid the $15 dollar parking down at crystal cove.) We put our bathing suits on under our workout gear and off we went on our hour or so hike down to the beach. I suggest bringing at least two big water bottles, especially if it is a hot day, as it is very easy to become dehydrated. My boyfriend and I were almost fighting for the last drops of water in our ONE water bottle... lol Sunblock and hats too might be a good idea as we got very crispy within 20 minutes! Once at the end of the trail, we ended up in the State Park center where there were plenty of bathrooms and water fountains. From there, we walked across the PCH and down to the beach where we enjoyed the sun and water! What a fun day! The beaches down there were very intimate feeling. Everyone was nestled up against the cliffs and playing about every beach activity you can think of. If you're up for it, I would try hiking up this trail, starting from Crystal Cove and ending at Coastal Peak park... now THAT would be a workout. On a cool day we might try this. We look forward to coming again.. maybe next weekend! read more

Coastal Peak Park - Beautiful view towards the end of our hike. - Parks Near Me - Newport Coast, California

Perfectly located right by an awesome beach facing trail. On weekends gets insanely crowded and you may have to park a 5-10 min walk away

This review is for my first Mountain Bike ride here. My friends brought me here for the first time and I loved it, as well as my buddy. The trails could get pretty technical. The most technical section we hit was the rattlesnake portion. Big-chunky rocks. There was this one section with some fun downhil and was able to get me off the ground a little bit. I definitely want to explore here some more. I just recently got my new mountain bike so I am not familiar with the trails around this area. My first ride was Peter's Canyon... but this place blows PC away. There is a lot more to explore here and I can't wait to get back on it! Too bad I can't post my GoPro footage... The only downside, as with many trails around CA, is the hikers. Just keep an eye out for them. read more

Coastal Peak Park - Plenty of trails to get lost in - Parks Near Me - Newport Coast, California

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Here's a 7.x mile lollipop hike. Download a map from Laguna Wilderness or Crystal Cove State Park. Park free at the trail head - Ridge Park Road and Coast Peak Road, 92657. Head out Bommer Ridge straight, all the way to the end of Crystal Cove where it turns into Laguna Wilderness Park. At the end (there's a T intersection), take a left and a left onto Laurel trail. Laurel winds down, down, down (past lovers leap - or something like that) and you end up at the 133 and the Ranger station just by El Toro. Laurel has plenty of shade - the others, not so much. Use the port-a-potty as needed :D and get ready for a 1.x mile upward climb (not as bad as dreaded hill, if you know that infamous incline, but nonetheless a good aerobic and glute workout). Head up Willow, which is straight up from the ranger station (picnic bench), back to where you turned off to Laurel, but take the second right back onto Bommer Ridge. Take Bommer Ridge back to the trail head. Pat yourself on the back. Phew! Depending on your speed, this is a 2 1/2 to 3 hour trek. I recommend going early in the morning before it's too hot. Enjoy! read more

From this park there are two trail head entrances to the Crystal Cove Trails. Though the parking was packed by the time we arrived at 7:30 am, the trails didn't seem to be crowded. There are many mountain bikers that were utilizing the upper trails of Crystal Cove. We looped through the upper trails starting from Bommer Ridge Road, took a right at Red Tail Ridge, followed through to ticketron and then hooked back up the ridge trail to make it back to our car. It was 3.8 miles that we were able to complete in about 1.5 hours. It was a great work out and there were beautiful views of the landscape and you could see the ocean for the most part. The Red Trail ridge takes you to an area that has three spots were you can camp (along with a portable bathroom). Though there isn't a place for camp fires, I imagine it's beautiful here at night. read more

Perfect place to get away and enjoy the serenity. The trails are mapped out and overall a good length and level of difficulty. The loop from the entrance of ridge park and back was about 6 miles. For free parking park on ridge park and take the trail down. You'll be able to see the ocean from the rattlesnake trail. Unfortunately we didn't hike all the way down to the park and get onto the beach. Def worth a check out! read more

Beautiful park with great views. It's generally not that crowded. I commonly see people rent benches her for birthday party and alike. Also a great entry point to the crystal cove trails. read more

I shoot photos here a lot. It's my go to place for fam, editorial nature, and portrait photos. Not too many people on weekdays. Sunsets are awesome. read more

The good: - you can park at Coastal Park and access the park for free - the park has enough bike trails - different difficulty level - you get all the way to ocean - never crowded The bad: - I can't get enough of it - you can park at Crystal Cove park and pay $15 - beware distracted hikers read more

Love this park. Great place to park to get down to crystal cove. Lots of good trails can be beginner to intermediate hiking and biking.

A fantastic park, known among insiders as the backdoor to the Crystal Cove Trail. The official entrance to the hikes are on PCH behind an elementary school but you have to pay for parking. The upsides to this park are many. For one, you have free parking. Second, there are shaded areas and grassy areas to relax and maybe do a quick picnic before heading on the trails. The park is well-maintained. Third, you have a fantastic view of Irvine and surrounding OC areas as the park is on top of a hill in Newport Coast. Finally, before you head up to the park there is a shopping center with a Pavilions and other stores to stock up for the hike or to enjoy a nice relaxing meal after a long hike. For those in the OC, this park is a gem whether for dates, a family enjoying a weekend afternoon or serious hikers ready to add some miles on their shoes. read more

Fun wide open trail leading down to the ocean. Fun place to hike with good views.

Beautiful park that has wonderful trails of all different levels. singletrack and wide as well. If you are running or hiking out please keep an ear out for the mountain bikers because they do pick up speed on the down hills so you need to make sure we are all sharing their trails. If you park up by the bathrooms do you have the option of both parks Crystal Cove as well as El Morro. El MORO has fabulous maps posted throughout so it's very difficult to get lost but Crystal Cove only has a few so make sure you pay attention to where you are. The bathrooms at the park at top of our very nice with cold water wash your hands and a water fountain but make sure you bring water on the trails because there is no water once you're out there. Enjoy!! read more

Went on a group hike this weekend. We started at the trailhead here and went to the hills of crystal cove state park overlooking the ocean. Plenty of free street parking. I was told there's restrooms and water fountains by the baseball diamond. A fun hike close to home! Oh, if you hike the trails, make sure you bring more water than you think you'll need. read more

My sister and I started a hike into the hills of the Crystal Cove State Park from here. There are nice restroom facilities, and the Pacific Ridge trail runs parallel to the park. We took the trail south, which oddly takes you alongside a housing community before veering off into the hills. The slant of the trail is distinctly odd, since it will look like the ocean is at the wrong angle for a good part of the trail southward. We looped around at the Rattlesnake Trail, which had some elevation drops and gains that will stretch your calves well. At the bottom of one of those drops, we paused, only to hear absolute silence, which is something you rarely hear in Orange County. Not even a plane overhead, for a few minutes at least. Then we realized that we also had no cell phone reception, and should probably keep moving. There isn't shade on this trail, so definitely keep that mind when planning your hike. read more