Hiking Trail Guide: Valido Trail, Aliso & Wood Cyns WP

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Valido Trail, Aliso & Wood Cyns WP

Distance
1.5 miles

Elevation
400 feet gain

Difficulty
2/10

City
Laguna Beach ,CA (92651) 39.87 miles from you Weather Map

Trailhead
Guidebooks suggest that you take Laguna Canyon Road (State Highway 133) south to Pacific Coast Highway and then turn left on Pacific Coast Highway. Take another left on West Street.

Due to traffic congestion at Laguna Beach, however, I recommend this alternate route: From Interstate 5, take Crown Valley Parkway. Go west on Crown Valley. Crown Valley arcs into Pacific Coast Highway. Turn right on Pacific Coast Highway and right on West Street. Turn left on Valido Drive. The trailhead (which resembles a dirt driveway) is at the top of the first slope, just past Toto Loma. Park on the downhill side of the street.

When you are finished with the trail, you can drive back to Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy coastal access at the foot of West Street.

Description

When summer temperatures forbid excursions into foothill canyons, the short Valido Trail offers a breezy and, sometimes, fog-kissed alternative. From short Valido Canyon, hikers scramble up a series of stairs, check dams, and sandstone outcrops to the Aliso Peak Trail which leads to a 683 foot headland overlooking Aliso Beach. When you are finished enjoying the view of the Orange Coast and lower Aliso Canyon, backtrack to the Toovet trail which takes you through a magical coastal sage community to a lower overlook.

If you need to tire out a pack of youngsters and have limited time, the steep approach to Aliso Peak can finish them off in less than an hour. You can tell the little ones that you're taking them for a hike on "the bunny trail" (Toovet means "brush rabbit" in Acajchemem).

There are no restrooms or water on this trail.

Map / Directions: