Hiking Trail Guide: Edna Spaulding Nature Trail, O´Neill RP

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Edna Spaulding Nature Trail, O´Neill RP

Distance
1 miles

Elevation
300 feet gain

Difficulty
2/10

City
Trabuco Canyon ,CA (92678) 43.16 miles from you Weather Map

Trailhead
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) to O'Neill Park. Pay your entrance fee and proceed to the Oak Grove Picnic Area, about a quarter of a mile to the right. The trailhead is located at the northwest end of the Picnic Area.

There is a $2 entrance fee for day use during the week, $4 on weekends. Camping is also available.

Pick up a trail guide at the fee station or the Nature Center.

Description

If you're looking for a pleasant weekend day trip with the family in the foothills of Orange County, this is your destination. The trail is deftly tucked beneath a ridgeline so even at its highest point you don't see the new housing being built on the other side. In the springtime, native wildflowers crowd the trail on all sides.

The natural vegetation is so exuberant that, at times, the trail may be lost in clusters of orange bush monkey flowers, coast paintbrush, star fields, white sage, and native bunch grasses. Watch for rattlesnakes everywhere and for poison oak along the bottomland portion. (It's stop 9!)

Avoid the middle of the day when the sun is high in the sky. This makes a very pleasant early morning or late afternoon stroll. Pack a picnic lunch, play in the Oak Grove Picnic Area, and then head out to experience a touch of wilderness at the edge of the endless city.

Map / Directions: