Explore the best rated trails in Murrieta, CA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Santa Gertrudis Creek Trail and Coastal Rail Trail. With more than 48 trails covering 250 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Aliso Creek Riding and Hiking Trail passes through the heart of Mission Viejo from South Laguna to Rancho Santa Margarita along an 18.5-mile corridor. The trail features many parks in Orange...
The Santa Ana River Trail is a 12-foot wide path following the Santa Ana River, a waterway that is cement-lined through much of Orange County but free flowing in Riverside and San Bernardino counties....
If you are looking for a quick escape from the smog and traffic of Southern California, take a trip along the Tustin Branch Trail. Currently open in two disconnected segments, the trail runs on the...
The Walnut Trail shares a wide corridor with an active railroad line, a BNSF route, through a section of Orange County known for producing oranges and strawberries. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe...
The Alton Avenue Bike Trail runs adjacent to both Alton Avenue and an active railroad line through Santa Ana. The path primarily serves the recreational and commuting needs of local residents,...
The Venta Spur Trail travels along the narrow corridor of a former rail spur that began serving the Frances Packing House—a major citrus processing facility—in 1916. Today, the popular trail serves...
The Woodbridge Trail, while short, is one of the most scenic in Irvine's extensive trail network. Views of two lakes and surrounding mountains unfold around each bend. It's a great route for families...
The Victoria Avenue Bike Path parallels a scenic parkway dotted with palm trees that was built in 1892 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The northeastern end of the trail...
The Oceanfront Boardwalk begins in West Newport Beach at the end of 36th Street and runs nearly 3 miles down the Balboa Peninsula. Along the way, trail-goers will find restaurants, dory fishermen,...
The scenic Huntington Beach Bicycle Trail runs along the Pacific Ocean waterfront of the most populous beach city in Orange County. Paved over its entire length and remarkably wide at some points, the...
The Hicks Canyon Trail is a short but scenic blacktop trail along the landscaped Hicks Canyon Wash. It starts at the Peters Canyon Trail near Hicks Canyon Community Park and climbs up the wash to end...
Yorba Linda's El Cajon Trail courses through the city on a former irrigation canal that was abandoned and filled in after a flood made it impractical to use. Paved with a parallel equestrian and...
The Turtle Rock Trail meanders its way through the neighborhood of the same name in southern Irvine. The path is a short—but serious—aerobic workout, as it features climbs to the trail's high point at...
The Shady Canyon Trail is an incredibly scenic route along Shady Canyon Drive in southern Irvine. Extending through the southern reaches of the historic Irvine Ranch and protected Irvine Ranch Natural...
Note: Escondido Creek Bike Path has closed from Hickory to East of Date due to the installation of new recycled water pipes. Please contact Mark Lewis, city of Escondido Field Engineering Inspector...
The Juanita Moe Trail—formerly known as the Quail Hill Trail—is a short path along Interstate 405 south of downtown Irvine. Forming a link between the University Trail and Jeffrey Open Space Trail in...
The Sorrento Valley Road Trail is a paved, two-lane section of road that was closed to traffic in the 1990s when CDOT built an interchange between State Route 56 and Interstate 5. In 1998 the road was...
The San Luis Rey River Trail runs for 9 miles along the course of the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside. The trail, which is smooth and mostly flat, is a local favorite among cyclists, walkers and...
The short and sweet Rose Canyon Bicycle Path is a popular route because of its scenery and the important off-street connection it provides between the Mission Bay and UC San Diego areas. Tucked...
The Santa Gertrudis Creek Trail is a 3-mile paved trail that serves as both a recreational amenity and an active transportation alternative for locals looking to get to nearby locations without...
The short Upper Bay Trail arcs around the northern edge of the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve near the Newport Beach–Irvine city line. The protected estuary, home to six rare avian species, is...
To the trail user, the West Irvine Trail and Peters Canyon Bikeway are one continuous trail with two names in three cities. The northern component of the Peters Canyon Regional Trail, both paths...
The San Luis Rey River Trail runs for 9 miles along the course of the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside. The trail, which is smooth and mostly flat, is a local favorite among cyclists, walkers and...
The Juanita Cooke Greenbelt is a wonderful escape from the often-busy streets and highways of Orange County. This 2.5-mile trail in Fullerton connects some of the area's quiet neighborhoods with the...
The Alton Avenue Bike Trail runs adjacent to both Alton Avenue and an active railroad line through Santa Ana. The path primarily serves the recreational and commuting needs of local residents,...
The State Route 56 Bike Path provides a traffic-separated connection between inland and coastal San Diego County. The route gradually inclines traveling inland and parallels State Route 56 closely for...
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The Salt Creek Trail, with more arms than an octopus, offers a variety of experiences for trail users of all types in Dana Point and Laguna Niguel. Featuring two sections, several branches and a mix...
The Pacific Electric Inland Empire Trail is a great commuter and recreation trail in western San Bernadino valley, with expansive views and connections to community centers and parks. The trail...
The Bonita Canyon Trail is a sidepath along Culver Drive and Bonita Canyon Drive linking the Orange County cities of Irvine and Newport Beach. Near the trail's midpoint, pick up the Shady Canyon Trail...
The Hicks Canyon Trail is a short but scenic blacktop trail along the landscaped Hicks Canyon Wash. It starts at the Peters Canyon Trail near Hicks Canyon Community Park and climbs up the wash to end...
A neighborhood trail of the first order, the Pacific Electric Bike Trail links well-kept middle class neighborhoods on either side of tree-lined Maple Street near downtown Santa Ana. The trail runs on...
The Tracks at Brea Trail provides a 4-mile route across the city of Brea, which lies about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The trail consists of a two-lane paved bikeway for wheeled users and a...
The short and sweet Rose Canyon Bicycle Path is a popular route because of its scenery and the important off-street connection it provides between the Mission Bay and UC San Diego areas. Tucked...
The Freeway Trail, as its name implies, parallels the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) on its brief route through Irvine. With power lines overhead and neighborhoods blocked by sound walls to the...
This urban trail travels along the side of North Colton Avenue and South Inland Center Drive, connecting San Bernadino and Colton. The corridor is an abandoned Southern Pacific rail line and will...
To the trail user, the West Irvine Trail and Peters Canyon Bikeway are one continuous trail with two names in three cities. The northern component of the Peters Canyon Regional Trail, both paths...
The Oceanfront Boardwalk begins in West Newport Beach at the end of 36th Street and runs nearly 3 miles down the Balboa Peninsula. Along the way, trail-goers will find restaurants, dory fishermen,...
If you are looking for a quick escape from the smog and traffic of Southern California, take a trip along the Tustin Branch Trail. Currently open in two disconnected segments, the trail runs on the...
The short Castaways Trail has expansive views of the mountains, ocean, Upper Newport Bay and Newport Harbor. Much of the 1-mile path runs along the bluffs in Castaways Park and the trail offers...
Note: Escondido Creek Bike Path has closed from Hickory to East of Date due to the installation of new recycled water pipes. Please contact Mark Lewis, city of Escondido Field Engineering Inspector...
If you are looking for a quick escape from the smog and traffic of Southern California, take a trip along the Tustin Branch Trail. Currently open in two disconnected segments, the trail runs on the...
The Oso Creek Trail offers just over four miles of paved pathway connecting Jeronimo Open Space Park and Oso Viejo Community Park in the suburban southern California city of Mission Viejo. Much of...
The San Diego Creek Trail is the spine of the City of Irvine's extensive system of trails and bike lanes. It begins in Newport Beach, joining the Upper Bay Trail near where San Diego Creek empties...
The Hoover Bike and Walking Trail is a utilitarian path adjacent to an active rail line in the western Orange County city of Westminster. Also paralleling Hoover Street for its entire distance, the...
Experience the easy life of the West Coast on Orange County's Bud Turner Trail. Set in a quiet neighborhood in the city of Fullerton, the trail is ideal for all types of trail use and uniquely caters...
The Victoria Avenue Bike Path parallels a scenic parkway dotted with palm trees that was built in 1892 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The northeastern end of the trail...
The scenic Huntington Beach Bicycle Trail runs along the Pacific Ocean waterfront of the most populous beach city in Orange County. Paved over its entire length and remarkably wide at some points, the...
The Inland Rail Trail runs alongside the Sprinter light rail service connecting Escondido to Oceanside. The 6.5-mile section in Escondido and San Marcos is the first segment complete, with a 7-mile...
The scenic University Trail begins at a connection with the San Diego Creek Trail and runs east along University Drive through southern Irvine. The trail stretches the length of William R. Mason...
The Venta Spur Trail travels along the narrow corridor of a former rail spur that began serving the Frances Packing House—a major citrus processing facility—in 1916. Today, the popular trail serves...
The Santiago Creek Trail is a scenic urban ride up a portion of Santiago Creek northeast from the Westfield MainPlace Mall to Collins Avenue in Orange. From Collins Avenue, the trail heads south to...
The Coastal Rail Trail will one day run 44 miles from Oceanside to San Diego along the Coaster commuter rail. Short sections of the developing trail are currently open in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Solana...
The Harvard Trail is a short sidepath along Harvard Avenue in Irvine. Beautifully landscaped, lit and featuring smooth concrete, the trail is a much more pleasant experience than your average roadside...
The Santa Ana River Trail is a 12-foot wide path following the Santa Ana River, a waterway that is cement-lined through much of Orange County but free flowing in Riverside and San Bernardino counties....
The Turtle Rock Trail meanders its way through the neighborhood of the same name in southern Irvine. The path is a short—but serious—aerobic workout, as it features climbs to the trail's high point at...
The Bonita Canyon Trail is a sidepath along Culver Drive and Bonita Canyon Drive linking the Orange County cities of Irvine and Newport Beach. Near the trail's midpoint, pick up the Shady Canyon Trail...
The Robert McCollum Memorial Bicycle Trail, also known as the Trabuco Creek Trail (East Bank), is a short paved path along Trabuco Creek in San Juan Capistrano. The trail begins at a junction with the...
The San Juan Creek Trail starts where the creek meets the Pacific Ocean at Doheny State Beach in scenic Dana Point. From there, it runs on the levee along the western bank of San Juan Creek to its...
The Salt Creek Trail, with more arms than an octopus, offers a variety of experiences for trail users of all types in Dana Point and Laguna Niguel. Featuring two sections, several branches and a mix...
The Alton Avenue Bike Trail runs adjacent to both Alton Avenue and an active railroad line through Santa Ana. The path primarily serves the recreational and commuting needs of local residents,...
I guess I am the only one reviewing this trail who actually both runs and rides every inch of this trail on a regular basis. My home is near Milliken and is just several block north of the trail. I typically run from my home to the trail at the central park, and decide either westbound (to Claremont Blvd or even a little bit further to the metrolink station) for about 20 miles out & back, or eastbound (to Fontana, and recently as trail expanded, into Rialto) for 20 to 22 miles. Except for two parks near the trail in Rancho, there is no restroom. But water fountain is abundant in west half of the Rancho west to east part of Upland, then there is none in Claremont. There is again no water fountains in east part of the Rancho until you are 1 miles into Fontana, then you will enjoy at least one for each mile all the way into Rialto. Standing at the end of the trail, sometimes I can see the railway train on the rail shadowed by the far away snow capped mountains. If the trail continous eastbound, it will makes a sudden turn southbound before 215 freeway, and it will join the Santa Ana river trail, which eventually (except for miles of disconnect before Yorba Linda) goes all the way south to Huntington Beach. I heard that westbound of the trail also has the potential to join the San Gabriel river trail, though I have no ideal how it will go that way. Given the slow progress, not sure in my lifetime I can see that happens.
I'm grateful that this trail is no longer blocked by homeless and their tents. However I find it a little weird how different sections of this trail are connected and signed. There is a wooden bridge north of the 17th Street/Westminster Avenue exit. That bridge must be crossed to continue northbound, but there's no sign indicating that's where the trail continues.
Then again at Katella Avenue, there's a weird connection to the next section of trail north of there: a crudely paved section of trail that runs concurrent to Katella Avenue in East Anaheim across the street from ARTIC. The nearest sign I saw that said "Bike Route" did not point to the left where this crudely-paved connector actually is.
Quick and easy ride with my husband and 12 year old son. Got windy going back to where we parked but it was an overall great bike ride on a Friday afternoon.
My wife and I rode this trail Sunday May 18th and just loved every minute of it. We are E-bike riders and I was impressed by the whole area and vibe where this is located. The trees and shade on the path made riding very comfortable, and the homes and farms there were just full of flowers and green vegetation. To me, it was like seeing Orange Country the way it use to be in the 60's, Orange and Avocado trees everywhere! The smells of the area were overwhelmingly sweet, clear and comforting. We loved the little farms and produce markets and came home with fresh honey, oranges and lemons. One amazing home there on this trail had a cozy little nook in front of it that offered a drinking fountain for humans and dogs as well as a free library for those in need of a free book. This trail offers a easy going paved bike /walking trail for easy going travel and another bike path along the road for serious bike dudes wanting to go fast. We got lost trying to find it at first but the easyest way to go is the 91Freeway of at La Sierra go up towards the hills and you will find the (trail starts) at Victoria and La Sierra. My trip meter on my bike said we went about 20 miles total. You can park at the stores on La Sierra/Ralphs/Stater Bros and ride up to the head of the trail or some folks we met parked at a school a little ways into the trail at Hawthorne Elementary at 2700 Irving St. Riverside. Afterward we eat lunch at an amazing Greek restaurant off of La Sierra called "Greek Street", it was amazing.
Relatively flat and plenty of room on the road for passing. I calculated just under 11 miles from end to end. Beautiful trail.
Nice short, paved trail that ‘bridges’ or continues the Back Bay’ loop trail of a total of > 10 miles around the estuary. Panoramic views of the Back Bay to the West, South and East. Two look-outs at opposite ends, including a cliff-edge set of views along 90% of the trail. Some bark alternate sections and then a grand fan-ale down a 10 - 15% paved section that the Newport Beach City asks you to walk your bike down ( please yield to pedestrians if you ride ). You can street park at different ends, or better yet, ride from the YMCA.
It's a little hard to find the entry from the Strand Vista parking lot, but we figured it out thanks to a helpful dog walker. For the part actually on the headlands, expect a gentle slope down to the tip and a gentle slope back up, mostly packed dirt or sand with areas of loose sand. Perfect for young children. Grandparents who are steady on loose sand will be fine too. Bring binoculars to look at the boats on the water. The nature center is interesting and well done for a small nature center.
This is truly one of the most picturesque trails that I’ve found in OC. I’m lucky to live where the trail starts near El Toro and Ridgeline, so I am right on the trail and it’s a beautiful and well-kept bikeway where I do my longer runs. I’m so happy I found this one! I’ll be doing my long runs here for sure!
I absolutely love walking on the Pacific electric trail. I am on it several times a week.
BUT there are no restroom facilities! The only one is at the trail hub....and that's it! What are we suppose to do? Not drink water while exercise? Pee in a bush on the side of the trail? There absolutely NEEDS to be restroom facilities along the trail.
Nice wide trail with asphalt and gravel I run almost every Saturday morning. Easy access and parking. Sometimes busy with families, dogs, bikes and horses, but the trail is so wide there is always room. I usually carry my own water so adding restrooms would make this a 5-star trail!
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