Evening Hike Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park

ABOUT THE HIKE: This is a fast paced, strenuous, conditioning hike on some of the most scenic trails in Orange County. From our Meetup location at Wahoos/Starbucks, we will take Serrano Road... Dreaded Hill Road to Four Corners... Mustard Road... Billy Goat Trail... Whiting Spur Road... Whiting Road... Serrano Cow Trail... and back Serrano Road to the trailhead parking. This route is approximately 6 miles, with approximately 1,500 feet of elevation gain, on single track and dirt road trails. Important: there is no sweep on this fast paced hike, so you will need to know the route. Plan on about two hours of hike time.

ABOUT WHITING RANCH WILDERNESS PARK: The land comprising the park was part of two adjacent Mexican land grants from the 1840s, Ranccho Canada de Los Alisos and Rancho Loma de Santiago. The rancho was acquired by Dwight Whiting in 1885 and became Whiting Ranch and the community of El Toro with lands adjacent to Aliso Creek. The County of Orange acquired a portion of the ranch in 1989 with acquisitions creating a park that now totals over 2,500 acres. Laced with creeks and trails, hikers enjoy scenic rock formations, grassy rolling hills, and old growth oak groves.

See the Whiting Ranch web site here:
https://ocparks.com/parks-trails/whiting-ranch-wilderness-park

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 5, take El Toro Road heading north.... turn left on Portola Parkway.... just past the 241 toll road, turn left in Foothill Plaza.... we meetup in the parking lot near Wahoos and Starbucks.

DISCLAIMER: Group organizer and assistant organizers assume no liability; hike at your own risk. By being a member of this group you hereby agree to assume all risks and liability related to or resulting from any group functions. You agree that neither you nor any third party will hold any of the group's leaders, officers, or representatives liable for any injury, loss, or damage to your own person or any members of your family, friends, acquaintances, children, pets, or property, arising directly or as a consequence from a group activity. You also agree that your membership of this group is based on an "at will" basis