Crystal Cove State Park (El Moro)
Laguna Beach / Newport Coast · near Laguna Beach / Newport Beach · Los Angeles / SoCal
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Trail miles
- El Moro Canyon network · Climbs to ridgelines with ocean panoramas
- Elevation
- Sea level to ~1,000ft ridges · Punchy coastal-canyon climbing
- Best season
- Year-round · Spring green season is spectacular · Summer marine layer keeps mornings cool
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Mountain Biking detail
- Ride types
- xc · all-mountain
- Signature trails
- El Moro Canyon → Ridge loops · Missing Link / Rattlesnake
- Ebike
- No
- Ebike note
- State park e-bike rules apply — check current signage.
- Intl tip
- Crystal Cove's beachside historic district (1930s cottages, the Beachcomber café) is a beloved throwback — ride in the morning, beach in the afternoon. Moro Campground has ocean-view sites that book far ahead.
The guide
Crystal Cove State Park's El Moro Canyon backcountry is the ocean-view ride of Orange County — coastal canyon and ridgeline tra…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Crystal Cove State Park (El Moro) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.575, -117.84