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. Napa Valley Paddle kayaker and paddle boarder on the Napa Valley river

    Napa's Wild Side

    It’s wine country’s Amazon. The gentle Napa River is an ecological—and recreational—delight. And Napa Valley Paddle sets you up for maximum enjoyment of this experience.

    View

  2. Been There, Dome That

    Surrounded by granite domes, craggy peaks, and miles of hiking trails, the High Sierra landscape of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park is famous for good reason. For a truly grand view, take a short hike to bold—and bald (except for snow at times)—Lembert Dome.

    View

  3. Wapama Wows

    Hetch Hetchy can be overlooked in Yosemite National Park because of its more remote location and limited facilities. But this is where you’ll also find one of the best day hikes in the park: Wapama Falls.

    View
  4. Hike Mount Tamalpais into Muir Woods

    Muir Woods Through the Backdoor

    A backdoor entrance into Muir Woods? Hike a tranquil trail that starts in Mount Tamalpais State Park and quietly leads into Muir Woods, letting you avoid the busyness of the main parking area.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

  1. Inn-spiration Point!

    For more than a century, people have been hiking or mountain biking to West Point Inn for good reason. Perched at 1,785 feet on the southern slope of Mount Tamalpais, the historic inn has sweeping views from the Marin Headlands to the San Francisco skyline.

    View

  2. A Thousand Steps to Paradise

    A picture is worth a thousand words, but is a gorgeous beach in Laguna worth a thousand steps? The answer is yes, though the question is moot, because it’s only 223 steep steps down to the 400-yard stretch of sand known as 1000 Steps Beach.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    Take the Exit to the Best of the San Francisco Peninsula

    The San Francisco Peninsula is proof that some of Northern California’s greatest surprises are hiding just off Highway 101. All you have to do is take the exit.

    View
  4. Hike to the Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout in the Lakes Basin

    Lookout for This View!

    Sierra Buttes Lookout, at a lofty 8,591 feet, is a memory maker for its pucker-worthy stairway to the tower’s balcony. It's a 5-mile (round-trip) hike to reach it. And the reward? Epic!

    View