Several trails of various lengths and difficulty from a 3.5 mile loop to much longer ones. Great map available at parking area to take with you to plan your own hike. Limited parking was almost full on the weekend, $3 fee. No bathroom facilities. But, was a very nice hike and would recommend it to anyone wanting to get some exercise and fresh air.

Such a wonderful place to hike I love that they have volunteers that sign you in and give you a map of the different trails. The best part was the bunnies that were all over the trail they were adorable. The parking lot has bathrooms and a wash station that is a plus when hiking your car is always safe but leaving the lot after 12pm is a bit difficult due to the high traffic flow so you will have to make a u-turn because cutting across the highway to go left is next to impossible.

We hit the trail early morning. Enjoyed the beautiful weather, nature and crisp clean air. Totally forgot we were in OC on these trails.

I enjoyed the route I took. Its pretty clean.

Super Duper! Willow Staging Area! Big enough to get lost in! Freaks! Animals! Cruising! Flowers! Music (sometimes)! Pick up soccer games! Rollerblading! Scantily-clad runners! Its the best. Love it.

Very nice 3.3 miles hike. Limited parking and avoid during weekend. 3 dollars parking.

One of my favorite areas to mountain bike. Willow is a @$&#= to climb, but it gives you access to so many awesome trails, I view it as a necessary evil. And it allows you to finish up with T&A with just a short, flat ride to your car.

Easy parking and tons of miles of trail to hike ranging from easy to long and hard. Can even hike from here all the way to the beach (through Crystal Cove) if you have the time.

Easy parking, lots of trails to hike from easy to hard. Love it.

Awesome views, if you can make it to the top of the steep hills.

Great hike, some hills to get here but worth the walk.

This is a popular hiking trail and even more popular trail for riding dirt bike. There not much shade so bring a hat and plenty of water if you want to stay cool. Most of the hiking trails are in the open.

Gorgeous little hike with fun scavenger hunts from the park rangers :)

Technically challenging at the outer trails...great 360 views at the peaks. Great hiking spot but watch the weather. No good if raining...totally unpaved trails.

I hiked around Barbaras lake. It was beautiful but not shaded enough. Carry more water with you if youre gonna hike there.

It is not always easy to get away from the huddle and bustle of everyday life. ... because of that, I absolutely appreciate the Willow Staging Area. It is well maintained and the rangers are fantastic. It caters to all hikers from novice to expert. Plus, the mountain bike trails are excellent. If you love nature and California native plants then this is must visit location.

Try to get to at least every 10 days. Great little 5-6 niles hike, loop, with views of the ocean on top. You have about a month before the Poison Oat turns colors on you. No snakes.

We love this trail, I bring my hiking group there all time

Absolutely love this hike. Get up there a couple times per week and the views are always spectacular. Long uphill to start but then evens out and is well worth any initial struggle. A multitude of options once you get to the ridge - head toward Crystal Cove State Park or into Laguna and take an uber back to staging area or hike back depending on your schedule.

Great hiking trails. Parking is limited.

Beautiful place to enjoy nature!

Beautiful hike

Did a 8 mile run through these hills, did over a 1000ft in elevation climp, wide main train, not much tree coverage so wish I wore a hat:) gets exciting and motivating wants you see the ocean in the distance. I recommend trying it out in the morning or evening if its going to be a warm day or bring extra water.

This trail is awesome! You gain a lot of elevation in the beginning so be prepared for some serious cardio. Theres a lot of elevation change with the rolling hills that span the entirety of the hike. There is a bunch to see and overall its an amazing hike especially during May when it hasnt been too hot and the costal breeze is so refreshing. I traveled the entire 7.6 miles and man is it one hell of a work out especially with 26lbs on your back.The views of the hike are pretty impressive and at times you forget you are smack dab in the middle of the OC. Theres a good amount of scenery to look at and the costal overview is awesome!Note!Just make sure you get your car out of the paid lot by 5pm otherwise you will get closed in and may get cited! It happened to me as I came short on time but luckily the parks were gracious enough to give me a warning.

Be careful pulling back onto Canyon Rd. Heavy fast traffic.

It was a nice moderate trail. Said there was a waterfall but I think it dried out. Either way it was still a great experience and great exercise on the way up

Its amazing workout enjoying with family

Alot of climbing but great beginner to intermediate trails. The advances trails are pretty tame but t&a aka laguna ridge has a few tough parts. Overall great park

Beautiful trails. There are varying difficulties. My seven year old daughter enjoyed the canyon and Mariposa trails.

Get there early otherwise parking fills up real quick. Dont forget to pay the parking fee otherwise the fine makes for an expensive day out. Great starting point to get up to Bommer Ridge quickly although its a bit of a climb on a bike when youre not warmed up

Awesome staging area!!

Beautiful view! Worth the hike.

Great Hike, great family time, Park Rangers are cool, too!

We parked here on Thursday and it was $7 for the day. The free shuttle service is quick and the drivers are very nice. If you want to turn left out of the lot during heavy traffic, it can take time. You can always turn right and make a U-turn. Later in the evening when I left the lot, turning left was easy.

What a beautiful hike! I took it all the way from Willow Staging Area to downtown Laguna, lovely scenery the whole way.

A transporting experience away from busy city life.Exquisite views . Absolutely beautiful lush landscape. Great treks. Refreshing ocean breezes. Unequalled views off ocean mountains and Laguna.Glorious wildflowers untouched vegetation scenic canyon rocksAbsolutely loved the hike

Lets just say dont use the bottom most parking lot if you intend to try to get to the nature center when it is super hot outside. There are no water stations at the staging areas from what we saw so bring plenty of water. This hike is a bit difficult but manageable. However there is no shade at a lot of places and the harder hikes are hazardous if you dont have the correct shoes. Overall this is a really nice place to hike and sightsee after the rainy season. During the summer everything is dead though.

Love hiking here, 3$ to park. Theres also another place to park half way to the beach if you want to hike there too

Love mountain biking here. The views are great and the weather is usually spot on.

A great hike with many trails. Many photo opportunities from beautiful sceneries.

Great place to hike. However, I wish it was a little further off the busy roads. You will need to hike a bit further out to get away from the ceaseless drone of cars, if you want to have a little peace and quiet while hiking.

Gravel parking lot, but still very nice with great signage and state of the art parking kiosk.

Love whiting ranch, so many wonderfully maintained trails and views

Lovely trails, great nursery

Great hiking trails. The trial is uphill and rocky. Having hiking shoes and poles are helpful. At the top there is a beautiful view of the ocean. There is a place to sign in at the beginning and porta-potties. The trial is a moderate difficulty.

When I visit family near the Laguna Beach/Irvine/Orange County area...it can be kind of challenging for me to find a spot that doesn’t feel like I’m caged in suburbia. That being said, I was floored when I stumbled on coming here as it without a doubt highlights one of my favorite hikes and places in Southern California now!I came alone on a cold and misty day— turned out to be the best time for me to go for a stroll since I didn’t have to worry about many snakes etc...and the climate was perfect for the moderate hike. What I loved is how secluded and tranquil this entire space feels—I’m so grateful for finding my new haven in CA! That being said, it is a great place to: picnic, read/study (I’m a student so I appreciate the beautiful landscape with a good read), take the kiddos for a nature exploratory day or simply stroll the vibrant trails as you are filled of botanical aromas and huge smiles : )

Beautiful.

Awesome short and fun hike.

Easy access to the wilderness park. A variety trails to take with varying levels of difficulty. Parking lot closes at 4 pm.

A beautiful hike. Just watch out for the mountain bikers. Not all of them have bells on their bikes.

In the winter and spring is the best time to go, the chilly mornings ideal for a hike, if you seek solitude, go on a cool afternoon. In late Jan-feb The hills turn green and the flowers bloom, and May-June most mornings will be considerably foggy. In June - September, will be crowded with tourists and the terrain is a bit more like a desert, as the plants dry out (and dont be fooled, this is the canyon that blocks a considerable amount of ocean air from the hills inland, so it does get really hot.) Its a little bit of a tricky hike, probably not for little ones, disabled or casual walkers, once you reach the top of the hill, the views are great as you can see down to the ocean and beaches below.

For some reason my friends were unable to find this location via GPS. Park gate is locked until 8 am which makes it hard to get in an early mointain bike ride or a hike before the summer heat kicks in. Suggestion to the city/park service would be to open the gates at 6 am.Review update:A friend just got a ticket at this area for having their car parked past 5 pm. New suggestion to the city/park service. Consider changing the park hours to open from dawn to dusk.Having this parking lot open for such limited hours results in more people parking on the street resulting in a safety hazard and increased traffic on a road that is considered by many as a safety corridor.

Place is great view, hiking, and courtious staff. I go for the views as an artist, my favorite place on the planet is anywhere there is water. The Cancer in me draws me there as an artist. This location had a wonderful breeze that adds to the attraction. Anytime you need to destress, unplug, and need serious self-healing, the ocean is one of the most healing places you can go to heal your body, mind, spirit and Soul.

Nice hike, great views nothing to crazy

Spectacular views, great hiking and biking trails. Sitting over Laguna beach.

They open the gate late morning and the lot is small. Overall it is okay and I really enjoy the park

Such a beautiful drive on the 73 that separates Laguna Beach and Irvine. Somewhere along the 73 is hidden a bird refuge that you can visit as well. Find it!

I live this park, trails are great and safe

A truly wonderful Christmas art festival

There are plenty of easy to understand maps to size and plan your days hike. I suggest first timer to do the 4+ miles Laguna Trl+Laurel Spur Junction+Willow Trl back down to the parking lot.

Good place for running, hiking, riding bikes from easy trails to difficult one.

Our son loves this hike. Relaxing. Remember to bring your comfy shoes and sunscreen.

Nice hike! Loved it

Dust lot. Conveniently located proving access to some fabulous trails. Portables for restrooms. They charge a fee to park. Beware that the posted signs say that the parking lot closes at 5 pm though the day extends well past that during summer. Some of the best times to hike is late afternoon. Not sure how serious the rangers are in enforcing the close time.

Love coming here to hike around. Beautiful area.

Great place to hike and see nature

Popular meeting spot to go hiking. Make sure to pay at the entrance. Nice trails!! :)

Gravel parking. If weekday there is plenty of parking. Weekends not so much. $3 cash paid at machine print ticket. There are maps and lots of signage. Difficult to get lost. There is a high trafficed bathroom and a place to wash your hands. Clean? Maybe, but you are greatful it is there.

Great hiking and biking (Mountain Bikes) up here and some amazing views. It has both beginner and advanced trails depending on how hard you want to work.....definitely recommend a visit if you love the outdoors.

Lovely views of Orange County!

Lots of trails to Mountain Bike and many places to hike. Easy access to the trails.

Willow staging area is a great place to park and either hike, bike or run. It has awesome fun places to walk to, done breathtakingly beautiful and breathtakingly funny views.

Great!

Great hike! Beautiful scenery and a good workout to boot. Started up the willow canyon trail then onto laurel spur and finally down laurel canyon trail. About a 3.5 mike loop.

Great place not to find yourself.

Great place for a little city get away to enjoy nature

Easy access fast shuttle service, great!

Got my workout in. Parking is $3 for the day. Park closes at 5pm

Breath taking view of the sun hitting the Pacific Ocean. On a clear day Catalina is easily seen.

Its a great place to hike but overall the last two years it has been over run with people. These people dont seem very respectful of why you would go hiking. They are loud, inconsiderate, and abundant. Its amazing place but .... Yeh, far too many people there treating it like an aerobics gym rather than nature.

I loved it but to steep for young kids

Best hiking area for short hike of 3.1 miles with some elevation. Can do a loop. Better to start in early morning little shade on the trail.

Huge park with so many trails and wildlife. What out for snakes.

Great local hiking close to Irvine, Lake Forest & Mission Viejo.

This is a great place to hike and jog. I love the views and there are some decent hills to jog up.

Good place to begin a hike or bike up Willow or Stagecoach trail. $3 to park a car. Porta potty and water fountain, a couple tables w comfy chairs, too. Ranger is often late at opening time with opening the gate so be prepared to wait if you arrive early.

Parking for Laguna Coast Wilderness trails. Admission $3 there is a machine that takes cash or credit. lot can get full especially on weekends. There are portable toilets.

Pretty

Great trails with interesting geological formations.

Great outdoor fun with family!

The view is spectacular.

Great spot to park the car.

Great 6 mile hike on Sycamore Trail with the fellas this morning.

Super fun place to ride. Amazing views. You can get into trouble if youre not careful

Beautiful hiking trail. It is, or can be, a challenging hike. It depends on how far you hike down the trail.

Great place to park and hike up various hills and trails for miles.

A nice hike, steep in some areas. On a clear day you can see the ocean and Catalina Island from the ridge.

Beautiful background and close from home

A great little hike up Willow Canyon. About 4 miles round trip. Medium+ to high- difficulty.

Beautiful trail! Lush and scenic.