Turtle Rock Viewpoint Trail

Came here to watch the meteor shower with two other friends. We stayed up here until about 3am, then had to go back home to get ready for work lol. But this was a really nice and relaxing spot. I loved that it was dark cuz then I didn’t have to worry about people looking at me. Lol. Side note: I don’t usually go «hiking» or even exploring. So when I do, I like to do it when there’s not to many people around. Either way, when we got to the top, the view was just amazing. It was very quiet. The city looked beautiful. And the sky was just amazing. Cute place to go to if you’re going on a date. Especially, if both you and your date are not hikers but like a little adventure :)

One of the closest and shortest hikes by UCI. If you don’t want to park in the school lot, which I didn’t, you can park on Silver Crescent or Flintride. Cross Sundance and walk pass the school, then the paved walk path hangs to the right. Then you walk up about 136 stair steps and you’ll see a small hill which can be conquered in 5 minutes. That’s the hike.
It’s short and sweet and adventurous for small kids. Easier going up then coming down. Once up there, it’s a panoramic view of houses, hills, and the surrounding neighborhood. No snakes spotted here.
I think this is a make-​out point for the younger kids. A very Do-​able hike for all ages, no pun intended.

Came here with my friends. It isn’t a big oh my gosh hike, but the view and the way up is amazing. There is stairs that lead you to the top and then its rocks that you can climb to the top. Did that make sense? Anyways, I say anyone and everyone should come her once. I heard it is a really nice view at night. I say that it looks kinda scary at night because during the day it was hard for us to go to the top, imagine it at night. ???

This is a great place to go hiking ! It has a wonderful
View where you can see literally almost all of the city ! I know that there is a lot of spots to go hiking but honestly this is one of my very favorite spots !!! Only down side is that I closed at 10 but I don’t really mind that much ! It gives you just enough time to go see the skyline and have a good relaxing time ⁴⁄₅ !

Chaparral park off of Turtle Rock is where you can find the trail! On the top right of the park you can see the entrance to the stairway. Handrails and paved! Very easy and very beautiful! Definitely coming back!

Being not much of a hiker, I only came here to overlook the city and I appreciate the sight. There’s a bench and if you come during the middle of the day it’s a nice place to reflect, meditate, think about all the mistakes you made in life, etc. It’s incredibly tranquil to just sit there alone and see the city stretched out beneath you. In the evening, could be a nice place to take a date. I am a lazy person who appreciates a great view and the less I have to walk or climb to get to it, the better. And if it’s free, who cares if it disappoints? What are you going to do, ask nature for your money back?
The easiest way to get to the lookout point with the bench is to park in the Bonita Canyon elementary school parking lot, or in one of the residential areas near it and from the school there is a very short trail that leads up into the hill. You have to climb a set of stairs and then you’re there.

Park at the community across the street! It was a nice short but sweet hike, and a great spot to check out the city lights at night.

This isn’t much of a hike, but more of a walking trail. We came 2 ½ years ago thinking it was a hike, but it wasn’t. The good thing was that we did get to see the sunset and the cities below us. That was nice. We parked by the school at that time and had to climb a rocks, which I wasn’t prepared for, but luckily my worn-​down shoes still got me back down safely.
We came here most recently a few weeks ago to see the lunar eclipse. We parked somewhere else that time around, so we didn’t have to climb the rocks. It was a spontaneous trip there, and we were wearing flip flops. We weren’t the only crazy ones though; I saw some others with flip flops and wedges also. At least we made it back safely. The view was pretty nice, except it wasn’t as clear as I had hoped due to the cloud-​cover.
Overall, I would really recommend this area to see the sunset, sunrise, or any other eclipses. I’d definitely come back again for a special occasion. I have yet to see fireworks up there, so that’s something I’d want to see at one point in time.

This was my go-​to nighttime hiking/​walking trail until we got kicked out by the police…
This place is very close to a neighborhood and seems like the neighbors were fed up.
**JUST A REMINDER: this trail closes at 10 PM and the police will give you a $ 250 citation if they catch you here after 10.
Luckily, the police did not give us a citation, but be warned!
Otherwise, I love this little trail! Bring a towel/​blanket if you want to lay down because there are only sand and rocks here. The view is amazing at night, but gets really crowded on Friday nights. The hike is not hard at all, but wear sturdy shoes to not slip on the sand going up/​down the hill.
Parking is really easy. There’s a school parking lot on Sundance, walk past the school, and you should see the stairs that take you to the trail.
Easy hike, awesome view, but now there’s a closing time.

It’s one of the few places that you can overlook the city of Irvine. On a nice day after it rained you could see the clear sky during the day time, but during the day you’d normally catch the glimpse of the pollution that overhangs the Irvine skyline.
Mind you, I’m from Los Angeles so the pollution here is nothing compared to that. But still the small hike up the mountain, reinforced near the bottom with concrete stairs were nice.
I’ve been coming to this site since my Freshman year of college, and even after I graduated I still come up to this point to reflect and reminisce about «the good times.»
Some features on this trail includes: the occasional beer bottles left over from drunk college kids; screaming people who clearly don’t know what they’re doing; lots and lots of couples; and during the day time, dog walkers.
I generally come here at night though. It’s quite beautiful at night. The City of Irvine is lit up, you can see the entirety of UCI up here. The lit Anteater Recreational Center (ARC) fields, the tennis courts, and the buildings of UCI.
If you come around the right time you can also get a glimpse of the fireworks featured over by Disneyland 15 miles away from UCI. Look North-​East while on top, that’s probably about a 50 degree head-​turn if you’re looking at the ARC fields.
This hike is fairly easy. The VERY short «steep» climb is really nothing and I have seen kids do it during the day time. It’s not a great one for people afraid of heights though.

Such a great view! We went early in the morning, just after sunrise and it was perfect! Don’t stop when you get to the top of the stairs where «the bench» is. Keep going and climb up the hill that’s to the right when you get off the stairs. It’s an even higher peak. Great for picture taking.

Not really a hike. Maybe like a 15min walk and a 5 minute climb up some rocks if you want to get to the top. What we did to find the trail was we parked in the neighborhood by the front of the park (by the sign that says Chaparral park) and then walk in towards the school, following the path. You’ll find some stairs that you follow up.
Make the climb to the top it’s pretty worth it! The view was nice. My boyfriend and I actually saw parts of the meteor shower that night.

If you arrive at Chaparral Park and head towards the right of it – you’ll find a staircase that leads upwards. In just a Short 10 min walk up those steps, you’ll reach the top of Turtle Rock Viewpoint Trail. At the end of the trail, you’ll see a metal bench there for you to sit and enjoy the hillside view. :) Easy hike; and easily accessible from the park. Just parking in the neighborhoods and walk up.

Decent area for super lightweight hikers. There’s intermittent inclines and declines but nothing strenuous. You can walk on dirt paths or cemented sidewalks. Either way, you venture throughout a nice suburban community and can get a nice view of the Irvine area from a hill. Unfortunately, there’s broken glass from alcohol bottles at the lookout points so be careful. There’s no particular place to park; just read the signs before you decide on a spot so you don’t get a ticket.

Good small hike. Better for night time though to see all the lights.
There’s no specific parking.
Id think of it more as a workout kind of thing, than a hike.

A short respite in a calmer part of town. Nothing too brilliant, I was looking for a hill, any hill, in the flatness of Irvine, and found this. Its a good very short escape for some fresh air and brief solitude.

Found this place when we were searching for some hiking trails with a nice viewpoint. Honestly, this is not a hike. You park by the elementary school and you take the stairs. Like real stairs made of cement! If you think you’ll see a rugged climb like the one in Culver City, NOPE. Plus this is literally a hill right in the middle of the Irvine suburbs. We kind of got lost on our way there but make sure to search for Bonita Elementary School and that will take you exactly at the beginning of the «trail.»
One you reach the top, there’s a lil bit of rocky area then bam, there’s your end destination.
We got here before sunset so we saw a little bit of the lights and they were somewhat decent. I would maybe go back here if I wanna look at some city view and not feel like driving far. I’m giving it a 3 since this is not a real hiking trail, very short, and the views are just okay.

I’m not sure how people consider this a hike. I walked up the hill easily in sandals 9PM at night. It’s a joke view. the view of the city is nice, but the surrounding area going up this «hike» is not vibrant in life. It’s full of rocks, dirt, and sand.
If you want to smoke or drink something up here, be my guest. It’s easy reaching the top so hopefully you don’t stumble along the way.

Adore hiking in the hills of Turtle Rock!
I’m not a trail runner, so I actually do hike these hills and get a pretty good work out. The route I do is a bit over four miles, 350 ft elevation gain (I think).
What’s great about hiking here is even the big hills seem manageable if you go at a slower pace. French Hill can even be fun!
Pretty views around dusk /​sunset.
Sometimes, you can even see Catalina.

I love finding new look out point/​city views, and this is one of the best ones that I know! First off, if you are going for the first time, parking might be a bit confusing. Luckily, the first time I went, I was with someone who totally knew what they were doing. Park across the major street in the neighborhood at the little playground park. Then, cross the street to find the trail head.
Although this claims to be a hike, I wouldn’t really label it as such, maybe for very small portion of it though. This walk is very short, but it is steep. In the first part of this hike, you are walking up several flights of stairs that bring you up to quite a large elevation. Then, you get to the more «hikey» part of this «hike». This part is dirt and rock, and can actually get so steep at some points that you have to climb. BE CAREFUL at this point, especially on the way back down because it can get very slippery.
Once you make it to the top… WOW! This is one of the best lookout points that I know of, and it’s so beautiful all throughout the day. The first time I can here, it was nighttime, so we got an awesome view of the city lights for miles and miles. The next time I came, it was late afternoon/​sunset and we got an amazing view of the sunset. Oh man, I wish I lived closer to Turtle Rock — I would be here way more! Do yourself a favor and check this place out.