Cleveland National Forest Hiking

Cleveland National Forest hiking often takes a backseat to the more popular hikes to the north, but there are plenty of great hikes in CNF. And because the elevation is lower, you can enjoy hiking all year, usually without the crowds. Don’t forget to leave your parks pass on your dashboard when you do these hikes.

Name	Distance	Level	Location	Climb	Dogs
Beeks Place Hike From Black Star Canyon	16	Hard	Silverado	2240	Y
Hike the Chiquito Falls Trail	9.6	Hard	Lake Elsinore	1800	Y
San Juan Loop Trail Guide (CA)	2.1	Easy	Lake Elsinore	440	Y
Palomar Mountain Observatory Trail	5	Moderate	Palomar Mountain	1000	Y
Hike Coal Canyon Trail	10	Moderate	Corona	1840	N
Oak Grove Trail to High Point Hike	13.5	Hard	Warner Springs	3600	Y
Hike Indian Truck Trail to Santiago Peak	21	Hard	Corona	4910	Y
Hike Black Star Canyon Trail	7.1	Moderate	Silverado	820	Y
Hike the Bedford Peak Trail (Orange County)	7.2	Hard	Silverado	2000	Y
Caspers Wilderness Park – Hike San Juan Hot Springs	10.5	Moderate	San Juan Capistrano	830	N
Sitton Peak Hike	9.2	Moderate	Trabuco Canyon	1960	Y
Hike Holy Jim Falls Trail	2.8	Easy	Corona	600	Y
Modjeska Peak Hike	15	Hard	Trabuco Canyon	4820	Y
Saddleback Mountain Hike (Santiago Peak)	15.6	Hard	Corona	4300	Y

You can check for any closures or alerts here.

Cleveland National Forest Tips

In the summer, it can get really hot. The best time to hike Cleveland National Forest is when the temps are cooler.
Bugs can be intense, especially when it’s hot out. When I hike here, I always bring repellant and a head net.
There are basically three types of trails that you’ll find.
- Wide dirt road that are listed as trails. Some of these can be open to 4×4 traffic. A good example is the Indian Truck Trail.
- Single track that’s usually rocky, sandy, and on the steeper side. The Chiquito Trail is a good example.
- Smaller trails that are not often used and commonly overgrown, like on the Modjeska Peak hike.
You need a parking pass at trailheads in the park. I use the National Parks pass which lets me park in any national land including National Parks.