Crystal Cove State Park Trail Guide

Hiking Crystal Cove State Park

Fortunately, over the years developers haven’t been able to get their hands on the beautiful swath of open land that makes up Crystal Cove State Park. The result is 3.2 miles of open beach and 2,400 acres of open land for for outdoor use. While this is a multi-use state park that includes beach going, tide pool viewing, camping, and a housing historical district, the focus of this article will be on hiking.

Altogether there are several miles of hiking trails located within Crystal Cove State park ranging from easy (3.0 miles) to strenuous (over 9 miles in length). This trail guide will focus on what the state park calls their “difficult” trail that is approximately five miles with an elevation gain of about seven hundred feet. Although it’s not a focus of this article, short trails do extend from the parking lots to explore the three miles of coast line and tide pools as well.

Crystal Cove State Park Views  and Wildlife

There are many  views to take in while wandering through the mildly sloped hills in this state park. These hills are covered in dense thickets of coastal chaparral that make a nice home for quail, road runner, and the other 180 types of birds that have been documented in the park. Larger wildlife such as deer, bobcats, coyotes, and snakes can also be seen. During the spring, a variety of wildflowers from the wild onion, California Poppy, and wild sunflower light up the hills. There is a seasonal creek that flows through the heart of the park and ravines that capture the small amount of water are able to grow oak, sycamore, and cottonwood trees to name a few.

The hills of Crystal Cove state park look down on the white sand beaches below it with the town of Laguna Beach to the direct south. To the north views as far as Newport and Huntington Beach can be seen. Directly off the coast lies Catalina island. On clear days, the Santa Monica Mountains and San Gabriel Mountain ranges like Mount Baldy can be seen. To the east sit San Gorgonio Mountain and the Santa Ana Mountains including Sitton Peak.

Crystal Cove State Park History

Long before any European exploreres stumbled upon this area Native American tribes of the Gabrielino (Tongva) and Juaneno (Acjachemen) inhabited this area for over nine thousand years. In the early 1700’s, Spanish missionaries began to colonize the area. The most notable of these were San Juan Capistrano and San Gabriel. The missionaries began baptizing the Native Americans and absorbed them to work in their missions.

When Mexico gained its independence from Spain, the Mexican government began selling off parcels of land in the area. In 1837 the first owner of land where Crystal Cove sits belonged to Jose Andres Sepulveda, a famed landowner, horseman, and gambler. Sepulveda eventually went into debt and sold the land to a businessman named James Irvine from the Bay Area in 1864. The area was used for ranching for many years.

In 1894 Irvine’s son took over the land and created The Irvine Company. In order to create more money some of the ranch land was used to lease buildings to farmers and other business owners. Fast forward to the 1970’s when the rapid urban spread was consuming much of Southern California’s land. The Irvine Company still held on to open space where the park now is. Local environmental groups looked to preserve some of the last remaining plots of open land on the Orange County coastline and put pressure on the Irvine Company. In 1979 they sold their land to the State of California and the state park was born.

Crystal  Cove State Park Camping

Camping is allowed within the park and there are many campsites to choose from. For the sake of this article, I will only mention the hiking spots that are for overnight backpacking trips. The “primitive” tent sites are only accessible by foot and require a three mile hike inland from the parking lot. No drinking water is available on site. Everything packed in must be packed out. There are no open fires permitted only backpack stoves. No pets.

For additional camping spots non-related to hiking or more information, please  visit the park’s website. Camping reservations can be made here or by calling 1-800-444-7275. Reservations can be made forty-eight hours to seven months in advance.

On A Personal Note:

Crystal Cove is a beautiful swath of open land that’s preserved and surrounded by urban landscapes around it. There’s a lot to experience within this park from beaches, hiking, and camping. The coastline in this area is beautiful and very reminiscent of it’s neighbor to the far south, Torrey Pines State Reserve. For more trail information including park hours and fees, see the tabs below.

Do you have any updates to the hiking trail or want to share your hike/pictures? Please leave a comment below.