Nothing Like the Wheel Thing

Santiago Canyon / El Toro Loop

Distance: 33.8 miles

Terrain: elevation gain of 1,950 feet

Riding time: 3 1/2 hours

Road conditions: Smooth with mostly wide shoulders

Traffic conditions: Moderate to heavy

Level: Moderately strenuous

Trailhead: Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard, Tustin

This loop is a favorite of Orange County cyclists wishing to get away from it all without having to travel very far.

Pedal northeast on Newport Avenue, slightly uphill at first, then more steeply. Newport Avenue soon becomes Newport Boulevard. After 4.5 miles, make a right on Chapman Avenue, which becomes Santiago Canyon Road as you cross Jamboree Road. The suburban sprawl recedes as you head inland toward rolling, grass-covered hills. After topping a slight rise you skirt Irvine Lake (Santiago Reservoir), the major impoundment on Santiago Creek.

For the next 10 miles you’ll follow the general alignment of Santiago Creek in the upstream direction. Near the Silverado Canyon Road turnoff (11.8 miles from the start) some interesting, cliff-like rock formations can be seen west of the road.

The road stays close to the wide, mostly dry bed of Santiago Creek in the miles ahead.

Oaks and sycamores thrive on the flood plain, nourished by a high water table. After Modjeska Canyon Road (14.5 miles) the road diverges from Santiago Canyon, and you begin climbing the longest and steepest grade on this trip. Within 1.5 miles you reach a well-defined summit (1,450 feet). Once over the top you begin a breezy descent down the course of another drainage--Aliso Creek. Aliso Creek winds through Mission Viejo, accompanied over most of its length by the paved Aliso Creek Trail.

Our route stays on Santiago Canyon Road, which becomes El Toro Road after the Live Oak Canyon Road intersection (17.5 miles). Just beyond this intersection you can pick up part of the Aliso Creek Trail, following an old two-lane roadway on the right, and stay on it for about three miles before rejoining El Toro Road.

For a quicker descent, however, simply stay on the shoulder of the wide, new El Toro Road. Traffic lights and traffic congestion increase as you descend into Lake Forest. At 22.7 miles, make a right at Trabuco Road, which later becomes Irvine Boulevard. The remaining miles are nearly flat as you proceed through Irvine back to Tustin.