Del Obispo Park to Doheny State Beach (Blog Hike #993)

Trail: San Juan Creek Bike Path
Hike Location: Del Obispo Park and Doheny State Beach
Geographic Location: Dana Point, CA (33.46913, -117.68355)
Length: 1.6 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2024
Overview: An out-and-back to a small but historic state beach.
Park Information: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=645
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=956014
Photo Highlight:

Short Video:

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of I-5 and SR 1 south of Los Angeles, take SR 1 north 1.1 miles to Del Obispo Street and turn right on Del Obispo St.  Drive Del Obispo St. north 0.2 miles to Del Obispo Park on the right.  Park in the north end of the parking lot near the tennis courts.

The hike: Known locally as Doho, Doheny Beach occupies a unique spot in southern California's surfing history.  Doheny Beach used to be home to a wave known as Killer Dana, a "brutal right-hander" that attracted surfers from far and wide.  Killer Dana instilled a rich surfing culture in Dana Point, and that culture was strong enough to earn mention in the Beach Boys' famous 1963 hit Surfin' USA.

            Unfortunately, nobody can ride Killer Dana today: it was destroyed in 1966 with the construction of a new harbor for Dana Point.  This destruction came in spite of the fact that the beach was protected as a state beach in 1931, making it California's first state beach.  In 1963, the beach was renamed Doheny State Beach after Edward Doheny, an investor who struck oil in Dana Point in 1893, thus starting the area's oil boom.

            Today Doheny Beach produces waves suitable only for beginner surfers, but Doheny State Beach is still a scenic and popular seaside destination.  The park offers a 122-site developed oceanside campground, numerous sand volleyball courts and picnic areas, a beachside restaurant, and of course the beach.  Though the park offers no hiking trails, the San Juan Creek Bike Path ends at Doheny State Beach.  Starting at nearby Del Obispo Park, which is owned and maintained by the City of Dana Point, and walking the bike path allows you to do a hike that ends at the beach while avoiding California's notoriously high state park entrance fees.

Trailhead at Del Obispo Park

            Start on the concrete path that heads east through Del Obispo Park's collection of tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts.  After passing through a stile, you reach the asphalt San Juan Creek Bike Path.  Turn right to head for the beach.

San Juan Creek Bike Path

            The bike path heads south with the park's baseball fields on the right and San Juan Creek on the left.  San Juan Creek features concrete flood control channel walls, an ugly relic from the urban planning of the 1960's.  Plenty of bikes zoomed along this bike path when I came here on a Sunday afternoon, and you never feel you are anywhere other than an urban area.

Pacific Coast Highway historical marker

            At 0.4 miles, you pass under SR 1, which is the Pacific Coast Highway.  If you take a short detour to the right before you pass under the highway, you will find the Pacific Coast Highway historical marker, which looks like a sea buoy.  An exhibit plaza just past the marker gives information about the Pacific Coast Highway's history at Dana Point.  After passing under SR 1, the wildlife show really picks up.  While I saw only some mallard ducks further inland, I was greeted here by a great blue heron, a snowy egret, and a myriad of seagulls.

Rock cribbage at Doheny Beach

Sea gulls at mouth of San Juan Creek

Doheny Beach

            Just past 0.6 miles, the bike path ends, and you walk out onto Doheny Beach.  The state beach campground sits across San Juan Creek to the left, and the Dana Point Harbor sits on the other side of the beach to the right.  The rock cribbage at the mouth of San Juan Creek makes a nice place to sit and admire the sea.  After exploring the beach, retrace your steps up the San Juan Creek Bike Path to return to Del Obispo Park and complete the hike.  If you want a longer hike, you can start from other parks further up the bike path, or head down the coast to nearby San Onofre State Beach or San Clemente State Beach, both of which offer nice trail systems described elsewhere in this trail journal.

Saddleback Butte State Park: Little Butte Loop (Blog Hike #992)

Trails: Little Butte, Saddleback Butte Peak, and Dowen Nature Trails
Hike Location: Saddleback Butte State Park
Geographic Location: east of Lancaster, CA (34.68894, -117.82352)
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2024
Overview: A loop hike to the summit of Little Butte.
Park Information: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=618
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=955965
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video:

Directions to the trailhead: From downtown Lancaster, take Avenue J east 18 miles to the entrance for Saddleback Butte State Park's day-use area on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and park near the signed trailhead for the Dowen Nature Trail on the south side of the Saddleback Butte Picnic Area.

The hike: Anchoring the southwest corner of western North America's vast Great Basin, the Antelope Valley comprises 2200 square miles bounded by the San Gabriel Mountains to the south, the Sierra Paloma Mountains to the west, the Tehachapi Mountains to the northwest, and the Mojave Desert to the east.  The high valley gets its name from the large number of pronghorns that used to roam this area.  Unfortunately, few pronghorn live in Antelope Valley today: most of them got killed by hunters, died of starvation, or moved to the Central Valley in the 1880's.

            Rising to an elevation of 3651 feet, Saddleback Butte stands prominently over the east end of the Antelope Valley.  Interestingly, the 2955 acre Saddleback Butte State Park was established in 1960 not to protect its namesake butte but to protect the Joshua Tree desert habitat around the butte's base.  The lightly developed park offers only a primitive campground, some picnic areas, and several hiking trails.

            The park's most famous trail leads to the Saddleback Butte's summit, which offers commanding views of the surrounding desert and of the San Gabriel Mountains to the south.  I came here on a chilly morning in mid-February with a long afternoon drive ahead of me, so I did not have time to make the steep, difficult climb to the butte's summit.  Thus, as a consolation prize I chose to do a loop hike that features Little Butte, a prominent sub-peak of Saddleback Butte that features excellent desert scenery.

Trailhead at picnic area

            From the signed trailhead in the picnic area, head south on the concrete ADA-accessible Dowen Nature Trail.  In only a couple hundred feet, you reach a trail intersection.  Turn left to leave the concrete and begin the Little Butte Trail.  Lined with small boulders on either side, the Little Butte Trail heads east with Saddleback Butte visible in the distance.

Starting the Little Butte Trail, Saddleback Butte in distance

            At 0.1 miles, you reach the gravel park road that connects the park's day-use area and campground.  We will eventually return on the road going right, but for now continue straight to remain on the Little Butte Trail, thus going clockwise around this loop.  The trail dips to cross a small wash before beginning a gradual climb.  The desert scenery here includes some impressive Joshua Trees, and I saw some coyote tracks in the soft dirt under my feet.

Joshua Trees

            1 mile into the hike, a short moderate climb brings you to the summit of Little Butte.  Little Butte is a rocky point that stands several feet above its immediate surroundings, so even though Saddleback Butte towers over you to the east, the views from Little Butte are quite good.  The seemingly flat desert floor extends for many miles to the mountains, which were snow-dusted on my visit.  I enjoyed the views from Little Butte, and it makes a nice consolation prize for hikers unable to climb the larger Saddleback Butte.

View west from Little Butte

View south from Little Butte

            Past Little Butte, the Little Butte Trail curves south and continues its gradual climb.  At 1.5 miles, you reach the upper end of the Little Butte Trail at its intersection with the Saddleback Butte Peak Trail.  The trail going left is the one that leads to the summit of Saddleback Butte, but this hike turns right to continue our loop and head for the park's campground.

Hiking toward the campground

            Going this direction the Saddleback Butte Peak Trail is a wide, easy, downhill glide with all of Antelope Valley extending before you.  At 2.5 miles, you reach the park's campground.  Angle right to walk through the campground.  Only 1 campsite was occupied when I came here, and the numerous picnic tables make nice places to sit and rest before beginning the final leg of the hike.

Resting at the campground, Saddleback Butte in the background

            Exit the campground to the north on the gated gravel road that connects the campground and day-use area.  The gravel road is a gradual climb that is as easy as it is uneventful.  At 3.3 miles, you return to the Little Butte Trail and close the loop.  Turn left to return to the Dowen Nature Trail, or continue straight to follow the road back to the picnic area.

Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park

            To add a little more distance, you can hike the rest of the Dowen Nature Trail, which is a fairly flat loop past nice Joshua Trees and good interpretive signs.  Also, while you are in the area, be sure to stop at the nearby Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park, which offers free admission if you produce an entrance permit from this park dated the same day.  The museum occupies an interesting building with many exhibits from ancient local cultures, and it also has a 0.3 mile nature trail with good interpretive signs.