Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Hike

4.5 miles - Easy Effort
2 Hours (Total)
20 Total Feet of Climbing
Max Elevation of 30 feet
No Dogs Allowed

With great opportunities for wildlife spotting, this easy Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve hike takes you on a scenic loop through the 1,300+ acres of protected wetlands just minutes from the Huntington Beach. The scenery includes seabird nesting islands, fresh and saltwater marsh, mudflats, active riparian river banks, and water. Over 200 species of birds have been spotted here, and it's a popular stopover on bird migration routes. The hike is great for families with opportunities to shorten the route if 4.5 miles is too long.

In this Guide:

Turn by Turn Hike Directions & Hike Video
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Trail Maps
Parking Tips

Quick Links:
Park Website - NOAA Weather Report - My Apr 2024 Gear

Getting to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

The hike starts at the north parking area of Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, which is easier to get to from all directions. There is also a south parking area, but you can only access it when going north on the Pacific Coast Highway. Make sure you have the right parking area in your GPS.

If the lot is full, there are a few parking lots across the street. I'm not telling you to park there because they're for the folks that use the stores there, but just so you know...

Bolsa Chica Conversancy, 3842 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92649

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 2 — Here's the entrance to the trailhead parking lot.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 5 — The park is open from 6am to 8pm. I recommend getting there as close to 6am as you can to secure a spot and see the most wildlife.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 6 — There's a decent amount of parking but it fills up quickly.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 3 — The bathroom has porta-potties. There are also porta-potties about half-way into the hike.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 4 — Stop into the interpretive center for a visit if it's open. The people who work here are very friendly and love sharing their love of Bolsa Chica.

Gear For the Hike

None of the trails here are rough or hardcore, it's all very smooth and easy. You can do this hike in fitness gear or even jeans in a pinch. If you do the hike around midday it can get hot, there is no shade on the hike. Bring lots of water if that's the case. There are no drinking fountains.

Gear That I Love Right Now

Nothing is sponsored or promoted, just the actual gear that I use.

Garmin InReach Mini 2If you are out of cellphone range the Mini 2 will reliably allow you to hit SOS via satellite. You can see my review here.

HOKA Speedgoat 5These are a great balance of comfort and performance. The high stack height leaves my feet feeling great after a hike.

Check out the complete list here.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Trail Maps

Use This Map:
View in CalTopo | PDF Map | GPX File

How Will You Navigate?

Using the Apple Watch for Hiking

Garmin Fenix 7 & Epix Review For Hikers

How To Read a Topographic Map

Garmin GPSMAP 67i Review

How the Park Came To Be

Babe Lou At Bolsa Chica — Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig hunting at the Bolsa Chica Gun Club. They came here to enjoy the wildlife and then kill it. Different times... Photo Bolsa Chica Land Trust

The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve has an interesting history that's worth briefly understanding about before you hike the trails.

Native Americans have been a presence in the wetlands from 8,000 years ago, taking advantage of the rich food sources.
When California was part of Mexico, ranchers owned this area. This area was named Rancho La Bolsa Chica or “The Little Purse” because the mesas and hills of the area looked like purses stacked next to one another, with the smallest one here.
Gringos made their way here and in 1900 the Bolsa Chica Gun Club was started. With all the wildlife in the area, you can see why they'd want to go duck hunting. The gun club dammed up the wetlands to form freshwater ponds that were more attractive to ducks. There's an interesting history of the gun club and drama surrounding it here.
In the 1920s Standard Oil started drilling here. You can still see some oil pumps on the hike today.
In the 1960s developers owned by the oil company wanted to build houses at Bolsa Chica because that's what they do. The local community started to push back, and in 1976 the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women created the Amigos de Bolsa Chica. Over the next 30 years, the Amigos and later the Bolsa Chica Land Trust battled with the developers to protect the land, and in 2006 the area became roughly the 1300+ acres you see today.

Wildlife of Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

There are over 200 species of wildlife that you can find in the park. In general, you can expect to see lots of ducks and waterfowl, shorebirds, herons and egrets, hawks, owls, lizards, and maybe a rabbit. Keep your eyes open for the endangered western snowy plover and California least tern. You'll also probably see birdwatchers with their massive thousand dollar lenses. Pay attention to where they're pointing their cameras, there's probably something worth seeing there.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 26 — A great blue heron in the Bolsa Chica Inner Bay.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 18 — You might find that rabbits are not scared of humans. When you're around them, they are generally safe from hawks and raptors, who are scared of you.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 25 — A black-crowned night heron perched on a fence. Some of the hike has fences along it, but don't let that detract from your experience, there's still plenty to see.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 39 — It's important to stay on the marked trails, even if you see another trail not listed on the official map. The Bolsa Chica Conservancy is actively restoring habits within the park. You wouldn't want to step on a burrowing owl, which is fairly common in the park and found on the ground.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 14 — It's not uncommon to see more animal footprints that human.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Hike Directions

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 7 — Start the hike on the well-marked trail at the end of the parking lot.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 8 — Cross over the bridge to the other side of Bolsa Chica Outer Bay. Don't forget to look down in the water for stingrays, sharks, shovelnose guitarfish, crabs, and all kinds of other fish.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 9 — You'll get some nice sweeping views of the Outer Bay from the middle of the bridge.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 10 — Once across the bridge, follow the Mesa Trail along the Bolsa Chica Outer Bay.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 11 — The Mesa Trail is easy to follow, just keep going straight.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 12 — There are a couple of small cutoffs from the Mesa Trail with scenic overlooks. If the tide is low, you'll see mud flats with lots of foraging shorebirds. If it's high, the incoming tide brings fish and wildlife in that in turn attracts predators like raptors and sometimes even a sea lion or two. Check them out and return back to the Mesa Trail.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 15 — On the left side as you head down the Mesa Trail are native plant and bird nesting areas. This is an active habitat restoration area where volunteers are planting native species and removing invasive ones. Many of the native species survive from the water found in the morning fog.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 16 — At the split, bear to the right.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 17 — Keep your eyes open for the remains of a few WW2 gun emplacements. After Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Army constructed 155mm gun emplacements here to protect the Port of Los Angeles. The guns were massive and could shoot up to 26 miles. You can read all about them here. From 1941-1945 this area was known as the Bolsa Chica Military Reservation.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 19 — Keep hiking to the second overlook area by the gun emplacement. There are good interpretive displays here.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 20 — From the last overlook, head down the stairs to the big trail junction.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 22 — At the bottom of the stairs head across the paved bridge over the tide gate.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 24 — The water bottlenecks through the tide gates, and the abundance of marine life here means that you'll usually see some birds hunting.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 23 — Keep going straight across the bridge until you reach the PCH highway.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 27 — Bear left onto the trail the goes between the PCH and Bolsa Chica Inner Bay. This is the Inner Bay Loop Trail.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 28 — The Inner Bay Loop Trail is easy to follow, just go straight.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 29 — When you reach the South Parking Lot, bear left along the edge of the lot. If you need to use the bathroom, there are porta-potties here.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 30 — Head over the footbridge at the end of the parking lot.

Bolsa Chica Rabbit Island — Make a left at the end of the bridge.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 32 — Continue back on the other side of the Bolsa Chica Inner Bay. This is still the Inner Bay Loop Trail.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 33 — When the trail splits, bear to the right.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 34 — You can stop for a rest on the Rabbit Island Overlook to your left. There are benches to sit down. Otherwise go straight.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 35 — Merge onto the trail along the East Garden Grove-Wintersburg (EGGW) Flood Control Channel on the left hand side of the trail. Build in the 1960s, the EGGW Channel drains the floodwaters from inland environs such as Santa Ana, Orange, and Anaheim.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 36 — The path heads between the EGGW Channel and the full tidal basin to the right. The tidal basin connects with the ocean at the Bolsa Chica Inlet, which was re-opened in 2006 after being closed by silting and development. Since then the basin has become the home to over 50 species of fish and 22 endangered and sensitive species of plants and animals.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 37 — When you reach the bridge over the EGGW Channel, make the left and go over it.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 38 — Once over the bridge, make the left turn and head back along the other side of the EGGW Channel. There were once trails open straight ahead that connected with the Pocket Loop Trail, but they are now closed to protect bird nesting areas (such as the burrowing owl). Please respect the rules and stay on the official trails.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 40 — Head back down the other side of the channel.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 41 — At the end of the path you'll reach the big intersection that you came through earlier. Make the right and head back to the Mesa Trail.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 42 — Follow the Mesa Trail back the way you came at the beginning of the hike.

Bolsa Chica Hike Directions 43 — Soon you'll reach the footbridge and your car. That's the hike! Hope you had fun!

If you'd like to get more involved with the Bolsa Chica wetlands, check out the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. They offer group tours and opportunities to volunteer.

Need More Info?

Have a question about the guide or want to see what other people are saying/asking? View the Youtube comments for this video. Leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.
When planning, always check the park website and social media to make sure the trails are open. Similarly, check the weather and road conditions.

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This Guide Was Written by Cris Hazzard

Cris Hazzard 4 Mile Trail Yosemite
Hi, I'm Cris Hazzard, aka Hiking Guy, a professional outdoors guide, hiking expert, and author based in Southern California. I created this website to share all the great hikes I do with everyone else out there. This site is different because it gives detailed directions that even the beginning hiker can follow. I also share what hiking gear works and doesn't so you don't waste money. I don't do sponsored or promoted content; I share only the gear recommendations, hikes, and tips that I would with my family and friends. If you like the website and YouTube channel, please support these free guides (I couldn't do it without folks like you!). You can stay up to date with my new guides by following me on YouTube, Instagram, or by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.