Top Notch

Top of the World Hike in Aliso and Wood Canyons

05.26.2015

If you like the depths as well as the heights, set out for Top of the World and Laguna Canyon. This is a 2.5-mile (round-trip) "reverse hike" in the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. You'll start by hiking downhill and finish with 700 feet of cardio climbing on the return journey. All in, it's an efficient workout on Canyon Acres Trail, crossing the steep slope between the bottom of Laguna Canyon and the round 1,000-foot summit, Top of the World. Start by taking a short dirt road from the trailhead at Alta Laguna Park and up to the Top of the World. The vistas will beckon, but from the Top of the World, the only way to go is down! Descend Canyon Acres Trail, relishing big views up and down Laguna Canyon. Keep an eye to your right and spot a pair of small arches in the sandstone along the trail. As you near the canyon bottom, a loop in the trail will take you back up the canyon wall on the steep climb to Top of the World, where on a clear day the views blast out in all directions. Catalina Island and San Clemente Island command the blue waters to the west. Santiago Peak in the Santa Anas rises to the east, and Mount Baldy and the rest of the San Gabriel Mountains appear in the north. Hiker’s high!

BONUS: Keep the healthy streak going with breakfast or lunch on the patio at Zinc Cafe (350 Ocean Ave. in Laguna Beach). Their all-vegetarian menu includes a fresh take on huevos rancheros, with chunks of sweet mangos.

Start from Alta Laguna Park (3250 Alta Laguna Blvd.; map). Park in the lot or along the road outside the park. Hike past the end of Alta Laguna Blvd. to the small round summit at Top of the World. Take the path around the north side of the crest to find Canyon Acres Trail, descending west. Hike down the wide dirt trail for 0.6 mile to a loop that is 0.45 mile long, wrapping around a protrusion on the canyon wall. Circle it and hike back to the top (below the loop, Canyon Acres Trail descends another quarter mile to Canyon Acres Dr., a half-mile-long street off Laguna Canyon Rd. where street parking is permitted for residents only). The trail and café are dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View
  3. Two people fly fishing on the Truckee River with guides from Reno Fly Shop

    Zen and the Art of Fly Fishing

    Learning to fly fish is one of the most fun and beautiful ways to connect with nature, family, friends, and yourself. It’s also a great way to truly experience the magic of a place. Make that place Reno Tahoe, where a fly fishing adventure with Reno Fly Shop is like being planted in a plein air painting of dreamy outdoors.

    View

  4. Roaring Good Time

    There’s nothing quite like the majestic beauty of California’s redwood forests. Now, imagine experiencing those towering giants aboard a historic 19th-century steam train. Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton is home to some of the oldest and most authentically preserved narrow-gauge steam engines in America.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  2. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View
  3. A woman on a hiking trail with huge open space and yellow flowers around her at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

    Going Wildwood

    Consider this your invitation to get a little untamed. In just one walk through Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, you can chase the sound of a cascading waterfall, duck into a shadowy cave, and soak in big hillside vistas. The mostly flat 4.25-mile loop makes wild feel wonderfully accessible.

    View
  4. A woman on the overlook deck overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno

    This Way to Oxbow and Dickerson Road

    Just west of downtown Reno—tucked right alongside the Truckee River—is a nature haven for wildlife spotting and waterside relaxing. The 22-acre Oxbow Nature Study Area is ideal for those seeking solitude and a short hike. Afterwards, explore the creative hub of Dickerson Road.

    View