Читать книгу Afoot & Afield: Orange County. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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From Corona del Mar through the posh communities of Laguna Beach and Laguna Niguel to Dana Point, rustic cottages, opulent ocean-view homes, gated housing complexes, and swank hotels blanket most of the coastline. Interspersed within these thickly populated areas lie conspicuously blank areas on the street maps—sensuously curved hills and lush valleys that represent what nearly all of southern Orange County was like a century ago. Fortunately, some large pieces of the undeveloped land will never succumb to the ever-rising tide of suburbia. Over the past three decades, several large parcels of undeveloped land near Laguna Beach have passed into public ownership.

Searching for pirate treasure in Crystal Cove

Crystal Cove State Park was the first large parcel to be set aside. Besides a 3-mile stretch of bluffs and ocean front, the park reaches back into the San Joaquin Hills to encompass the entire watershed of El Moro Canyon—2,200 acres of natural ravines, ridges, and terrace formations. In the backcountry (El Moro Canyon) section of the park alone, visitors can explore 18 miles of dirt roads and paths open to hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers. Several more miles of paved bike path and trail lace the coastal bluff tops and descend to the beach.