Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks

Explore the best kid-friendly hiking trails & nature walks options for kids and families in San Clemente

Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

Large preserve with camping & wildlife. Huge, 8,000-acre park preserve with camping, wildlife sightings, nature walks, trails & more.

Laguna Beach Cliff Hike

Laguna Beach Cliff Hike

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Aliso Summit Hiking Trail

Aliso Summit Hiking Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Huge wildlife preserve with streams. Wildlife sanctuary across 4,500 acres featuring rolling hills with trails & several types of trees.

Dripping Cave Trail

Dripping Cave Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Aliso & Wood Canyon Wilderness Park

Aliso & Wood Canyon Wilderness Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sheep Hills Park

Sheep Hills Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park: Big Bend

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park: Big Bend

Recreation area within coastal canyons. 7,000-acre park with many trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding, plus a nature center.

Wilderness Glen

Wilderness Glen

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Wilderness Glen Park

Wilderness Glen Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Tenaja Falls

Tenaja Falls

Scenic rocky hiking trail to waterfall. National forest waterfall accessed via a trailhead with spring cascades teeming with birdlife.

Nature Park

Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Juan Loop Trailhead

San Juan Loop Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Bommer Canyon Preserve Cattle Camp

Bommer Canyon Preserve Cattle Camp

Wildlands, trails & a former cattle camp. This large natural area features many paths for hiking & biking, plus a historic former cattle camp.

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park

Scenic park boasting 17 miles of trails. Sprawling park with canyons & rock formations plus 17 miles of hiking, biking & equestrian trails.

Crystal Cove Trail

Crystal Cove Trail

18 miles of hiking trails & wilderness. Scenic backcountry area of Crystal Cove State Park offering 18 miles & 2,400 acres of trails.

Ortega Falls Day Use Site

Ortega Falls Day Use Site

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Red Rock Canyon Park Trail

Red Rock Canyon Park Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Bommer Canyon Nature Trail

Bommer Canyon Nature Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Trail, Portola pkwy

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Trail, Portola pkwy

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Bommer Canyon Trail Head

Bommer Canyon Trail Head

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Buck Gully Reserve

Buck Gully Reserve

Coastal canyon with hiking trails. Canyon nature preserve with trails for hiking & mountain-biking, plus guided interpretive walks.

Turtle Rock Nature Center

Turtle Rock Nature Center

Educational nature preserve with trails. Five-acre nature preserve with trails for viewing wildlife & habitats, plus an outdoor classroom.

Quail Hill Trailhead

Quail Hill Trailhead

Dog-friendly loop trail with city views. Leashed pets are allowed on this popular loop trail for hiking, jogging & biking with city views.

Vernal Pool Trailhead

Vernal Pool Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Portola Springs Nature Preserve

Portola Springs Nature Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sylvan Meadows Trail Head

Sylvan Meadows Trail Head

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Jeffrey Open Space Trail

Jeffrey Open Space Trail

Paved path for walking, running & biking. Approximately 5-mi. paved trail through parkland for walking, jogging & cycling.

Ecological Reserve of Upper Newport Bay

Ecological Reserve of Upper Newport Bay

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Santa Margarita County Preserve

Santa Margarita County Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Vista Point

Vista Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve

Rugged hiking site & a visitor center. 9,000-acre nature conservation with varying terrain & habitats, open trails & a visitor center.

Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve

Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve

Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve

Nature preserve with views & tours. Scenic wilderness area with guided tours & open-access days scheduled by Irvine Ranch Conservancy.

McVicker Canyon Park

McVicker Canyon Park

Recreational area with sports facilities. Easygoing hangout offering a skate park & baseball/softball fields, plus a concession area.

McVicker Stairs Hiking Trail

McVicker Stairs Hiking Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hicks Canyon Trail

Hicks Canyon Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

Birding, biking & an interpretive center. Home to many bird species, this 135-acre park offers an interpretive center & hiking/biking trails.

Garrison Creek Nature Trail (Town Center Entrance)

Garrison Creek Nature Trail (Town Center Entrance)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cole Canyon Trail

Cole Canyon Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lower Copper Canyon Park

Lower Copper Canyon Park

Retreat for outdoor sports & picnics. Neighborhood recreational park offering a baseball field, basketball hoops & trails.

Black Star Canyon Falls Trailhead

Black Star Canyon Falls Trailhead

Secluded area for hiking & cycling. Remote ravine popular for hiking & mountain biking, thought to be haunted due to 1800s skirmishes.

Hosp Grove Park

Hosp Grove Park

Unpaved nature trail with ocean views. Winding through a eucalyptus tree grove, this trail with elevations of 100 feet offers ocean vistas.

Lake Elsinore Levee

Lake Elsinore Levee

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Huntington Beach Santa Ana River Trail

Huntington Beach Santa Ana River Trail

Multi-use trail crossing 3 counties. Riverside concrete & asphalt hiking, biking & equestrian trail stretching over 50 miles.

Walker Canyon Trailhead

Walker Canyon Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Talbert Regional Park

Talbert Regional Park

180 acres divided up by plant groups. Park divided into 6 areas by plant groups to showcase diverse habitats along the Santa Ana River.

Peters Canyon South Trailhead

Peters Canyon South Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Talbert Nature Preserve

Talbert Nature Preserve

Outdoor area with walking trails. Public park with diverse greenery & a pond, plus a pedestrian trail system & biking area.

Hill of Abraham

Hill of Abraham

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fairview Park

Fairview Park

Vast space with wildlife & trails. 208 acres with 5 distinct habitat zones, home to native plants & wildlife, scenic views & trails.

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Carlsbad Blvd Trailhead

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Carlsbad Blvd Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Garfield Street Trailhead

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Garfield Street Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Glen Arbor Park

Glen Arbor Park

Busy park with off-leash dog areas. Tree-filled, grassy park & popular local haunt for dogs to run around off-leash.

Calavera Nature Preserve

Calavera Nature Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lake Calavera Trail Head

Lake Calavera Trail Head

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Calavera Lake

Calavera Lake

Scenic hiking area on a dormant volcano. A warren of trails on a dormant volcano draws hikers & cyclists to this serene locale with a view.

Santa Ana River Trail - Gisler Ave Entrance

Santa Ana River Trail - Gisler Ave Entrance

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lake Calavera Hiking Trail

Lake Calavera Hiking Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Peters Canyon North Trailhead

Peters Canyon North Trailhead

340-acre park includes reservoir. Popular jogging & hiking park features coastal sage scrub & grassland habitats, plus a reservoir.

Oak Riparian Park

Oak Riparian Park

Playground with a field & picnic spots. Scenic neighborhood green space next to trails with a playground, grassy field & picnic areas.

Lake Calavera Preserve

Lake Calavera Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve

Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monserate Mountain Preserve

Monserate Mountain Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Murrieta Barratt Park

Murrieta Barratt Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Harveston Lake Park

Harveston Lake Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Warm Springs Park and Preserve

Warm Springs Park and Preserve

City park with trails & horseshoe pits. Public park with walking & biking trails, picnic tables, mature trees & horseshoe pits.

Salt Creek Trail

Salt Creek Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in San Clemente.