Five family-friendly hikes in Orange County

Looking for some terrific staycation ideas in Orange County that will get you into the great outdoors? Here are five family-friendly hike ideas from Jerry Schad, author of “Afoot and Afield in Orange County.”

All you need are good walking shoes, water, sunscreen and, of course, your family. Plus, there are so many opportunities to make these outings fun and smart. Here are just a few ideas: Research regional wildlife, find out what poison oak looks like or plot out how many calories you’ll burn on your trek. Let’s all go take a hike!

(Schad’s guidebook is available in bookstores and through his publisher, Wilderness Press, for $15.95.)

If you are looking for some of the best tidepools in Southern California, the Corona Rock-hop is the place to be.

Schad said kids love exploring this area between the Pelican Point section of Crystal Cove State Park and Little Corona City Beach in Corona del Mar. Check the tide tables before you head out and wear rubber-soled shoes. Schad said the best time to visit is in the mid-afternoon October through March.

From the Pelican Point parking area, a paved bike path will talk you toward the edge of the bluff. Once you get to a split in the path, stay to the left to reach the beach. Once you on the beach, go up the coast over boulders and rocks to reach the tidepool area. The 1 to 2 mile roundtrip hike with moderate terrain will take one to two hours. Trails are marked, Schad said.

Directions: At the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Newport Coast Drive, south of Corona del Mar, turn west into Crystal Cove State Park (Pelican Point entrance). Bear right beyond the ranger hut to reach the northernmost parking lot on the coastal bluff.

For more information, the Los Angeles Times has a short story on Corona del Mar State Beach.

This is the best hike within the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Schad said. Although civilization surrounds you, there is a real sense of being away from it all. If you time your trip right, you may even be treated to a seasonal waterfall.

“It’s a wild place right in the middle of the suburbs,” Schad said.

This 3.5-mile loop with moderate terrain will take you about two hours. The trail is marked, Schad said.

Directions: Park at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s Willow Canyon staging area on the west side of Laguna Canyon Road, 3 miles north of Laguna Beach. This point is 5 miles south of Interstate 405, .7 miles south of the Highway 73 toll road and .2 miles south of the El Toro Road/Laguna Canyon Road intersection.

For more information, go to Orange County’s Web site section on Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

(Easiest of the hikes)

This tiny nature center run by the city of Anaheim has a lot to offer, Schad said. It’s surrounded by a golf course, reservoir and houses, but a trickling stream, coast live oaks and hillsides covered with chaparral and sage scrub take you away from it all. Springtime brings wildflowers, especially sticky monkeyflower.

“You get in there and you wouldn’t know there were houses around,” Schad said.

Marked trails of between 1 to 3 miles include easy terrain.

Directions: Exit the Riverside Freeway (Highway 91) at Imperial Avenue in Anaheim Hills. Drive south about .75 miles to Nohl Ranch Road. Turn left there and go 1.7 miles east to Walnut Canyon Road. Turn left and continue to the end of the road. Abundant parking is available.

For more information, go to the city of Anaheim’s Web site section on the Oak Canyon Nature Center.

This trail in the Cleveland National Forest leads you to a tiny, secluded waterfall with a great story behind it.

Schad said the canyon was home to settlers who earned their living raising bees. One of them, a hermit named James T. Smith, apparently had quite a mouth on him. He was nicknamed “Cussin Jim” and “Lyin Jim,” but government cartographers settled on “Holy Jim.”

This 2.8-mile hike with moderate terrain will take you about 90 minutes roundtrip. Trails are marked and dogs are allowed, Schad said. The final stretch of the trail leading to the waterfall can be overgrown with poison oak, so long pants and long-sleeved shirts are in order. The road leading to the trailhead is unpaved and best approached in a high-clearance vehicle.

Directions: From Trabuco Canyon Road, at the easternmost end of O’Neill Regional Park in Rancho Santa Margarita, turn east on the rough, unpaved Trabuco Creek Road. Drive 4.7 miles to the Holy Jim Trailhead on the left.

For more information, Schad wrote a story about Holy Jim Falls for the San Diego Weekly Reader.

This trail near the crest of the Ortega Highway is perfect if you are out for a day trip along the highway and only have a short time to commune with nature.

Your find some of the finest oak woodland in the Santa Anas and a waterfall and pool following the rainy season.

“Kids could potentially wade in the water. There’s poison oak near the water, so you want to be mindful of that,” Schad said.

Directions: Park opposite the Candy Store on the Ortega Highway, 21 miles east of Interstate 5 at San Juan Capistrano and about 10 miles west of Lake Elsinore.

For more information, go to the Cleveland National Forest Web site section on San Juan Loop.