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Tags:
Level: Intermediate
Length: 20 mi (32.2 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Network
Elevation: +1,344/ -1,162 ft
Total: 178 riders
Mountain Biking Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
#8 of 1,004 mountain bike trails in California
Aliso Canyon is network of grueling climbs followed by intense, white knuckle downhill sections, with some flatter sections of singletrack peppered in here and there. Most of the DH sections are doubletrack or fire rode width and get pretty gnarly with some cruel ledges and seriously rigid terrain, especially the "Car Wreck" section. After each of the DH runs, you usually have a short fire road connector trail to, you guessed it, a couple miles of steep climbing, so bring an extra lung in your camelbak. The singletrack deep in the canyon is nice and plush but not very technical.
First added by joetutt on Nov 19, 2011. Last updated May 8, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: unknown
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
From the PCH (hwy 1) and Broadway (hwy 133) in downtown Laguna Beach
head South about 2 blocks to Park Ave. Turn left on Park and take it till it dead
ends into Alta Laguna Blvd, about 2 miles. Turn left and park just up the road
at Alta Laguna Park.
Note: This is just one of the several trailhead and brings you to the "Top of the
World" section of the trail.
Addresss:
Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park 28373 Alicia Parkway Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 (949) 923-2200
System trails (12)
Featured in
There is a lot of climbing in Aliso Wilderness park. Most of the trails are intermediate to advanced with many rocky features. Meadows is the only true intermediate downhill trail in the park (Mathis and Cholla are not downhill trails) and getting there and back takes time and energy. Beginners can stay in the bottom and ride Coyote. The Rock Garden on Rock-it is it's best known feature, but there are plenty of other great trails for the slightly more advanced riders. Overall, the park is beautiful and it is not uncommon to see deer or a coyote while riding.
| ThankCholla is a tough climb. It's 4-7 minutes for most mountain bikers. It has several steep turns with ruts in them and 2-3 rocky technical climbs. At present, there is a easy dirt bypass for the first rocky section, but the second one is still a challenge. I use Granny gear almost the entire way.
| ThankOne of the best flowiest (I think that's a word) Singletrack trails in the OC. Just imagine 20-30 berms and switchbacks all linked together.
| ThankThis trail taught me how to climb on a bike. It took over a year to learn how to clear it without stopping, now we race to see who can climb it the fastest.
| Thanklove this trails , so much fun all around, ideal for any skill level
| ThankLove this place
| ThankHas one trail for any level
I love this trail. My favorite at Aliso and Wood.
| ThankGreat views, moderately technical in two or three spots with multiple lines to enjoy. Great trail to master your brake modulation. Like a twisty dropping roller coaster with ridge line flowing single track cruising breaks in between. As long as you have excellent brakes and decent So Cal tires you'll have a blast.
This is NOT an intermediate trail. A fun and chunky trail that requires a decent full suspension bike with plenty of travel, solid bike handling, and a little nerve.
| ThankVery quick singletrack. You can park in the neighborhood, ride down for a quick adrenaline boost, turn left at the bottom, ride back up the neighborhood streets and be back to work before anyone knows you were gone!
| ThankIt is a fantastic steep trail ! Lots of rock gardens , but it is very rideable .hard to say it is double black Diamond. It is more technical that big obstacles
| ThankSo fun you wish it were twice as long. Rock garden unlike anything you've ridden.
| ThankThis trail is Awesome. It can handle all levels. The intro from West Ridge is a truck trail and you can gain a ton of speed. The single track with start by the power pole. Initially, it is a bit of a climb. This section can be ridden fast and carry as much speed as possible. Very pump-able and gets the legs going. The trail will start to S turn as it descends. There will be a quick little downhill before the right turn into the rock garden. I always try and stay left with as much speed as possible. The more airborne you can hit the rocks the better. The end of the rock section gets a little chunkier with deeper divots.
There is one section past this where the obvious trail makes a right to a quick left and up a steep little section. If you step up on the rock before the right turn it makes this climb more manageable and you skirt past the tree on the right.
Once past this, stay off brakes as much as you can and pump your way down. There is a fun little berm line section.
As a side note, this trail is a fun climb too.
| ThankI love this trail. There are two starting spots at the top. 1 is right next to the power pole, or you can ascend past the power pole and get some more roll in speed. As you drop in there is a right hand berm that leads down to a concrete rain gutter that crosses the trail. Keep speed up and go straight over it. This will work as a fun little kicker and send you straight into the first two foot step down. There are a couple of off cambers through the rest of the trail. However, you can keep speed up. The trail ends down a spiral staircase. If you stay too far right you will miss the bridge and end up in the ditch. I have done it.
| ThankI loathe this trail. It is the worst trail in all of Aliso. Problem is that it's design is terrible. The whole trail is a brake burner with big braking ruts down the middle of the trail in more technical spots. This trail, IMO, is not fun and I would rather hit any other trail to get to canyon bottom.
| ThankNice local trail. Rock section is epic; other parts are fun; top section is meh.
| ThankGreat climbs, with intense intervals.
| ThankGood DH trail. Steep and flowy with berms on most turns. Gets a lot of traffic so be prepared for brake bumps.
| ThankI got pointed in the direction of this trail by a local bike shop. I am so glad I got a chance to ride this while out in California. I did not get to do everything but I by chance I followed the exact same path that the video for this trail shows. Rock It was amazingly fun! The climbs were a bit grueling but take that with a grain of salt... I am from Florida.
I was a little lost in the beginning and kinda wish there was more signage. They had maps posted every so often but those did not help me much until I got properly oriented.
| ThankNice down hill that can be slightly deceiving the first time you ride as you begin in an open flat-ish area, but you can soon begin to build up speed. The descent soon turns into a rocky ride downhill with some steps downs and corners. At the bottom you cross over a number of small wooden bridges - the last one has rails at both sides, which might be important to you if you like to ride with really wide bars... Trail is multi use, so watch for hikers
| ThankWood Canyon runs roughly north-south from the Aliso Canyon trail at the south end trail head to Cholla at the top/north end. Although its a graded fire road/double track that gently climbs around 300 feet to the north end, it does connect to a lot of the other trails in the park such as 5 Oaks, Cholla, Coyote Run, Mathis, Rock-it. Plenty of wildlife to observe like deer, bob cats, coyotes, snakes, tarantulas etc.
| Thank