Aliso Creek/Wood Canyon Trails

The Dripping Cave

Stitch and TT and our sexy hiking outfits! ha!

Pretty views in the "meadows" where we saw a family of deer and enjoyed lots of shade!

The Lynx trail, a steep climb, mostly flat rock, but a great workout! Once we reached the top, the views were great!

Pretty shot by Madness.

We did these set of trails twice within a week because we like them so much. The first mile or so was basically a paved road, then once you reach the trail, you can either continue on the paved road until you got to the major trail leading to the caves, or you can continue on the paved road, which most families did who traveled by bike.

One day we did the trails to the caves, both the Dripping Cave and Cave Rock trail. The Dripping Cave would be a great spot to have a snack, if we chose to, but just ended up taking a few pictures and then moving on. The first day we didn't end up hiking more than maybe 5 miles due to some nasty blisters that were forming on my heels.

The second time back we brought alone Stitch's husband Madness. This time we hiked twice as long and covered a lot of ground. We packed a lunch and had our picnic near the creek before heading up the Lynx trail. It was a nice shady spot to rest for a bit.

Limestone Canyon

Our starting view on the trail.

After 5 miles, we finally reached the place we were hiking toward, "The Sinks" or "Little Grand Canyon!" So worth the trek.

Stitch and TT taking in the gorgeous views.

Such a great hike, even if we were on a time limit. We signed up for the free hike without a docent, of Limestone Canyon, something that the Irvine Co. doesn't open up very often. We had to get up early to do this one as the trail closed at 1p and we had to be out of there. The weather was great, people very nice, and even got a free chapstick after for filling out a survey on our experience! The trail was in excellent condition, no trash, no graffiti, and great views!

Dilley's Greenbelt - 5 Miles

Entrance into Wilderness Preserve.

One of the bigger hills.

Pretty trees.

Another view from the top.

Another hill...

A view of Barbara's Lake.

Today TT and I tried Dilley's Greenbelt, part of Laguna's Wilderness Park. I remember trying this hike years ago but it seemed more overgrown than it was today. It was a great hike, plenty of ups and downs, not a lot of people for a week day. A little warm, but hey, it's August! We did 5 miles in just under 2 hours. As we were getting unpacked and ready to go, we saw a family of deer a little ways away. So cute!

Hellman Trail - Whitter - 4.78 Miles

A view of the trail we just hiked across.

Water reservior out in the distance... must remember NOT to go out that way because it ultimately dead ends into a neighborhood.

Looking down the steep trail that we thought was Hellman Trail but ended up being a closed trail due to probably it's steepness and soft dirt! Unfortunately we did not come across a sign until AFTER we made the trek down!

TT braving it ahead of me. No turning back now.

A paused moment to snap an uphill view. Still not showing the degree of steepness.

Great to be back on the trails after a week and a half break. This trail started with a hill and probably the biggest portion of our elevation gain and ended with a "slide" down a closed trail. We'd do this one again but now know better which ways to go and not to go. Signage could be better. Had to park on neighborhood street because small lot was full. Took us 2 hours and 11 minutes to complete.