Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Laguna Niguel, Orange County, CA

Parking$3 per day

Hours7 a.m. to sunset

Size: 4,372 acres Source
Managed by: OC Parks

About Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

About 4,500 acres of wilderness and open space originally part of Juaneno or Acajchemem tribal land. Source

Approximately 4,500 acres of wilderness and natural open space land. Originally, part of the Juaneno or Acajchemem tribal land, it later was owned by Don Juan Avila, Louis Moulton, The Mission Viejo Company and now is under the jurisdiction of OC Parks. Within the park lands are mature oaks, sycamores, and elderberry trees, two year round streams and more than 30 miles of official trails.

— Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, official page (checked Oct 16, 2026)

Know before you go

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park covers 4,372 acres in Laguna Niguel, Orange County. Closing follows the sun here: sunset at Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is around 4:44 p.m. in mid-December, 6:58 p.m. in mid-March, 8:01 p.m. in mid-June, and 6:59 p.m. in mid-September. 12 named trails add up to about 21.6 miles inside the park; the longest is Wood Canyon Trail at 3.2 miles, and Sheep Run Trail has the most up and down (about 801 feet). Mapped trails range from 44 to 1,000 feet in elevation. OpenStreetMap shows 5 parking areas, plus 3 restrooms and 3 drinking fountains. The closest mapped bus stop is Alicia-Awma, at the park edge.

Facilities

BBQ Grills
Drinking Water
Picnic Area
Playground
Restrooms
Skate Park
Tennis Courts

Facility details: OpenStreetMap

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park at a glance

PParking · 5
WCRestrooms · 3
WDrinking water · 3
iVisitor center · 1: Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park Visitor Center
Named trails · 11

Trails

Trail	Mapped length	Elevation	Surface & uses
Wood Canyon Trail	3.2 mi	476 ft up & down92–604 ft	UnpavedBikes
Aliso Creek East Trail	3.1 mi	177 ft up & down44–147 ft	UnpavedBikesHorsesPaved
Aliso Creek Bikeway	2.5 mi		PavedHorses
West Ridge Trail	2.2 mi	686 ft up & down708–1,000 ft	UnpavedBikesHorsesPaved
Aliso Creek Hiking and Riding Trail	1.7 mi
Meadows Trail	1.6 mi	747 ft up & down84–819 ft	UnpavedBikesHorsesNo dogs
Mathis Canyon Trail	1.4 mi	657 ft up & down190–845 ft	UnpavedBikesHorsesNo dogs
Aliso Creek Trail	1.3 mi	72 ft up & down90–154 ft	UnpavedBikesHorses
Rock-It Trail	1.3 mi	537 ft up & down277–796 ft	UnpavedBikesNo dogs
Sheep Run Trail	1.2 mi	801 ft up & down91–853 ft	UnpavedBikesHorses
Coyote Run Trail	1.1 mi	175 ft up & down195–302 ft	UnpavedBikes
Canyon Acres Trail	1 mi	703 ft up & down190–997 ft	UnpavedBikesHorses

How trail figures are measured

Getting to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park by bus

Alicia-Awma · at the park edge
Laguna Canyon-El Toro · at the park edge
Alicia-Aliso Creek · 160 ft from the park
Laguna Canyon-Ent 20101 Laguna Coast · 160 ft from the park

Stops within a quarter mile of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park; confirm times with the transit agency.

Compared with nearby parks

Among the 4 other parks in this guide within 10 miles, Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is number 2 of 5 by size at 4,372 acres. 1 nearby park has more mapped trail mileage than its 21.6 miles. It is the only one of them with skate Park.

Closest places for what Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park doesn't list: