Chasing the sunset down the coast at Crystal Cove State Park

This is a favorite morning or evening hike, run or stroll. Park in the lot with a state pass, head down the cliff and back, and you'll get an amazing workout. Tip: Time your outings for low tide as there will be more beach to walk on.

The trail features a waterfall and is open year-round, but is best used in the spring. Remember to bring $15 cash for the parking fee. The Laguna Beach trail is shared by trail runners, mountain bikers, hikers, and the occasional horseback rider. Dogs are not allowed in Crystal Cove State Park. 

Located off of Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach is Crystal Cove State Park. There are three primitive sites located in Crystal Cove: Deer Canyon, Upper Moro, and Lower Moro. The site I stayed at was Lower Moro campground. All three of these sites require the backpacker to hike everything in at least three miles each way. The closest site is Lower Moro which took me about an hour and a hal...

To get to the trailhead, enter Crystal Cove State Park through the Crystal Cove El Moro Campground entrance immediately next to El Moro Elementary School. Follow the road behind the school which leads to the main gate where you will need to pay a day-use parking fee of $15. Drive past the Campground and down into El Moro canyon to the day-use parking. The trailhead is on the northeast side of ...

The trail begins and ends at the El Moro Visitor Center. Parking requires either a $15 day use parking pass, which is available in the visitor center. This hike we are focusing on is called the Difficult Loop Trail and it is the third most difficult trail the canyon offers. You take Moro Canyon, East Cut Across, Moro Ridge, then BFI. Maps are available at the ranger station. On this trail, yo...

To get to the bluffs overlooking Crystal Cove State Park Beach to the south, you'll need to pull off onto the side of the Pacific Coast Highway *before* Morro Ridge Road.The easiest and most obvious turnoff is on the right side of the highway southbound, just past the "Adopt a Highway" sign and where the guardrail turns from metal to wooden. If you reach the "No Parking" sign, you've gone too f...