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Whiting Ranch Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.2 (60)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Southern California
  4. …Orange County
  5. Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park
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“A basic loop with almost all the climbing in the first half and downhill for the rest. ”

Thomas Biard
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Map Key

7.1

Miles

11.4

KM

30%

Singletrack

1,448' 441 m

High

786' 240 m

Low

690' 210 m

Up

685' 209 m

Down

4%

Avg Grade (2°)

20%

Max Grade (11°)

Dogs No Dogs

E-Bikes Not Allowed

E-bikes are prohibited on any unpaved trails in the OC Parks system: ocparks.com/news/electric-b…

On that webpage they do list the trails that do allow Class I and II e-bikes. Unfortunately, this does not include the Whiting Ranch trail system.

"Due to safety concerns, all classes of eBikes continue to be prohibited on unpaved trails within regional and wilderness parks where there is reduced long-distance visibility and/or width"

Overview

99% of the mountain biking population calls this exact route "Whiting Ranch Loop", or just "Whiting" for short.

This is a great loop through Whiting Ranch that has many branches to create your own trail suitable to your enjoyment and fitness level.

Need to Know

There's a mountain Lion warning for this area. Be alert. It gets pretty busy on weekends so come early. Very popular with local hikers so be prepared to share the trail. You can only traverse Borrego Trail in one direction on a bike. If you want to return (ride the Borrego Trail backward to the starting point) you are supposed to walk your bike.

Description

Park in the shopping center across Portola Parkway. Cross Portola and start at Borrego Trail. Borrego Trail is a one-way, very slight gradual positive grade for approx. 2 miles. At the end of Borrego take the fork to the right up Mustard Road.

Mustard Road is a fire road that gets steep as you get further up it. The road is about .6 miles with around 350' of climbing. At the top you'll reach 4 Corners.

Begin a singletrack section by going down Cactus Hill Trail. At the first fork in the road, continue right down Sleepy Hollow Trail. Take the next fork right at Serrano Cow Trail. Meet up with Live Oak Trail or Serrano Creek Trail and continue until you're back to Portola Pkwy. The last .75 miles, head west on Portola to get back to where you parked.

Shared By:

Thomas Biard with improvements by Ted A
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.2 from 60 votes

#1

in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park

#308

Overall
  4.2 from 60 votes
5 Star
40%
4 Star
40%
3 Star
17%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Whiting Ranch Wilderne…

#38

in California

#308

Overall
132 Views Last Month
23,765 Since Apr 3, 2013
Intermediate Intermediate
0%
7%
75%
7%
11%
0%
Add a Photo

Photos

Whiting Ranch Loop Ride
May 2, 2021 near Foothil…, CA
Whiting Ranch
Dec 23, 2015 near Portola…, CA
Just the downhill portion of the Whiting Loop
Sep 24, 2020 near Portola…, CA
A nice breeze at the top of the Luge.
Dec 14, 2017 near Portola…, CA
2014-10-11 Whiting Ranch Poker Ride hosted by OC Parks and Oakley
Oct 14, 2016 near Portola…, CA
Whiting ranch loop & Cactus
Apr 27, 2021 near Foothil…, CA

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Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 42 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

May 10, 2024
Keisuke Chujo
Jan 28, 2024
Pablo H.
orbea rise... packed with hikers. sunny 9.9mi — 1h 27m
Dec 1, 2023
Gregor S
Oct 11, 2022
Troy Pigneri
Awesome little loop 6.4mi — 1h 09m
May 12, 2022
Kevin Cottle
Dec 5, 2021
Yungli Ji
Go with Kuan — 10h 00m
Jul 11, 2021
Peter Chen
Jun 26, 2021
Ethan Maguire-Stewart
First day ever Mountain Biking! Per REI's recommendation I went here! Ended up doing the Whiting Ranch Loop. Met new friends at the top! 7.1mi

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