In the Eyes of the Outlaws - Nineteenth Century Wagon Era Trail

Wood Canyon - Dripping/Robbers Cave Trail

Beginner - Begins with paved and single track trails starting from the Rangers Station and parking area. Turn off  onto a groomed fire road before taking the Dripping Cave trail on your left.

Many years ago, the area was home to multiple Native American tribes.  Many of the trails still to this day hold Juaneno names, such as Alwut and Aswut.

In the Mid 1800s, the area known today as Wood Canyon in Southern California was home to cattle and many different types of wild of life.  Juan Avila was the owner of this land and cattle, as well as 13,000 acres in an area that was named Rancho Niguel.

Years later, after the Gold Rush, Mormon leader Brigham Young also took to the area in hopes to connect a route from Southern California to Utah while setting up trading communities and farms along the way.

Dripping cave trail in particular is much better known for something much more eerie.  Juan Flores was known to occupy the safety of the cave in 1856-1857.  Juan and his outlaw gang used the cave as a hideout while they stole livestock and coin from stagecoaches.  Thus leading to the name Robbers Cave we know now.

Although Dripping/Robbers Cave trail is a very short, .75 mile, the trail offers a very fun and beautiful look into the canyon's history.  The trail is lined with oak and sycamore trees as you ascend a few hundred feet and is a rather easy climb.  There are a few parts of the trail where you need to keep an eye out for large areas of loose sand, but the majority of the trail should be on sandstone.  Head up towards the cave and keep an eye out for some interesting wild life. I have personally seen bobcats, deer, road runners and more.

At the top of the trail, the path levels off before heading over a small bridge that leads to the cave.  The picture above shows this bridge, and is looking back down the trail as I was leaving.  With so many tree covering the area, the end of the trail offers a great place to take a short break in the shade and offers some fun areas to explore.  The creek that comes down from the top of the mountain is usually dried up and can offer an easy path to walk around a bit.

Once you cross the bridge, there is a sign on the right side that has a little more in depth description of the cave and the trail than what I wrote about at the top of this post.  Just past the sign leads you to the rock formation seen in the picture above.  A slight rock shelter can be seen at the bottom, and the top of the rock offers a great spot to get some very novice rock climbing in.  This rock offers some great photo ops, and can be tackled by most ages.  At this point, you would have already noticed Robbers Cave at the end of another small wooden bridge.  Head into the cave and check out your surroundings. There you can find holes drilled into the walls of the cave which were mostly likely used for pegs to hold equipment, as well as discolorations of rocks on the ceiling of the cave.  Most people believe they are smoke discolorations. However, they were actually formed from moss that grows on the rock.  

You have a couple of options when you are ready to head out of the cave.  If you stay left, you can continue on Dripping Cave trail which is a much harder beginning climb. But, if you brave the climb you will be rewarded with some cliff side single track, and some fun switch backs heading back down the mountain before making it back to the base of the canyon.  I will do another post with the rest of this trail another day. (linked here)

To get back where you started, go back across the bridge the way you came and head back down the trail.  The trail can be a quick fun descent, but please make sure to be careful and take your time if it is a crowded day, as the trail can be a very popular place for bikers and hikers alike.  Below is a section of the descent so you can see how wide and basic this trial can be.

From the parking lot the round trip is about 6 total miles with about 500 feet in elevation and should be totally do able on just about any bike.  There are over 30 miles of trails throughout the whole park, so if you would like to keep exploring, I highly recommend it.  Please keep in mind that the park is designated as a wildlife sanctuary, with many endangered plants and animals calling Wood Canyon their home. So do your best to obey signs and regulations.

If you have any questions about the trail or the park in general, leave a comment below, send an email to contact@townontwowheels.com or ask on twitter @townontwowheels

Directions and Travel Information

• 5 Freeway exit Alicia Parkway and head west/south.  This can be done from either the north or the south.

• Parking and a ranger station with some picnic benches can be found off Awma Road which can be accessed from Alicia Parkway from the north and south.  Parking in the park lot will cost you $3, or you can park on the street for free.   

The Good with the Bad

Sea Summit Trail - San Clemente, CA

(Author Note - Add Links)

Sea Summit Trails - San Clemente, CA

Beginner - Maintained path for walking or running. I didn't see any no bicycle signs, but it is a rather short ride, but worth the views.

After months of being curious of how the Sea Summit Trails have come along, I decided to jump on the bike to check them out.  I have been groaning about the development of this land, Marblehead, for some time now but it is time to accept the fact that it is moving forward. Moving forward might be the wrong term, half of the outlets are open and I could see quite a few houses that looked already complete.  The good news is that the area got some new trails with some amazing views of the Pacific Ocean, San Clemente Pier, and, if you aren't as blind as I am, a faint Dana Point Harbor in the distance to the north. The bad news is that a high end housing development and outdoor shopping outlets are in the works too.  However, knowing the fact that from 1949 to 1969 the city used to run a sewer treatment plant in the area makes the new development a definite upgrade.

The picture above shows parts of the trail closest to PCH looking south.  You can see the San Clemente Pier protruding out into the water in the distance. Surfers can be seen taking advantage of a beautiful 67 degree day, although at 60 degrees, the water is a bit chilly. As you can see to the left of the picture, the landscape is still being worked on as they continue to make sure our local and native species of plants take over the majority of the hillside.

Looking to the north you can see another set of trails on the other side of the valley.  You can either go down and up stairs to reach it or head inland and take the path all the way around.  All the trails are the same and offer pretty much the same views as the south side, just with a bit different vantage points.  If you can zoom in enough, you can see the boat infested Dana Point harbor. It was quite entertaining watching sail boat leave the calm waters of the harbor and venture off into the ocean.

I only came across of a couple very nice smiling faces on my visit.  It was lunch time on a Wednesday, so i wouldn't expect much traffic at such a time.  Once spring and summer comes around, I am sure the trails will become much more active.  It is a wonderful little trail system to get out of the house for some quick exercise, or to bring the dog and kids for a stroll. Signs are placed throughout the trail to explain a little about the area including the picture below.  In addition to Habitat Manegment Plan signs, you will find more about Coastal Sage Scrub and its thriving plant life, as well as History of the area and more.  If you happen to bike or hike a rather larger distance to get here, no need to worry about finding places to eat or use the facilities. There are newly built restrooms and picnic tables that are open to the public.  So, what are you waiting for?  Hop on the bike and take a ride through Sea Summit Trails!

From San Clemente Pier head north along the San Clemente Beach Trail until you get to North/Pico Beach.  There are stairs all along PCH just north of Avenida Pico that head up to the trail.

From Dana Point Harbor head south along PCH and turn left on Avenida Pico, and another quick left onto Avenida Vista Hermosa.

Either direction is also reachable from the 5 freeway, exit Avenida Vista Hermosa from the north, and Avenida Pico from the south.