Ladera Ranch Bench Trail

This trail is awesome no matter how many times I hike it I always have a enjoyable time. A word of advice to those who haven’t hiked it before wear good shoes as some parts of it are almost like gravel and you will slip out a little bit without good shoes. Recently when I was hiking it I found out that they plow it which is definitely a plus as it helps keep the trail nice and level for your run/​hike. I’ve seen many many different animals out here ranging from coyotes to deer to road runners which is always cool because its not something you see everyday living in OC. There also is a great number of plants that grow out here I’ve seen a ton of cactus, little gourds/​pumpkins, and even poppies our state flower. There are 3 benches on the trail the first one is relatively close to the beginning of the trail the second is about a mile and a half away from the first and the third is about another half mile or so from the second. Once you get to the third the trail kinda comes to an end it looks like it keeps going but it actually ends up in someone’s yard. There is usually no one out here so try to bring a friend with you because once your out here your out here! There is nothing but hills and more hills out here so whatever you bring with you that’s what you have please don’t leave your trash on the trail or at the bench because its just going to sit there until someone picks it up which is usually me lately it seems like its getting worse generally it’s water bottles that I end up recycling but that’s not the point stop being lazy and take your stuff with you! The trail isn’t a super hard hike but it definitely takes its tole on you if you hike the whole thing cause some of the hills are quite long. The trail also provides a great view of the Ladera area making it ideal for many photo ops! The whole trail has a barbwire fence that runs along it I’m still not quite sure why this is here seeing that on every side of it is full of thick brush and thistles definitely not the place you wanna be hiking. At many places along the trail you can see the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Course if your a golfer like I am it’s always nice to watch someone hit their lynx. A little before the middle of the trail you run into the cell tower it’s really a quite funky looking one with a bunch of poles coming out of the hillside with the trail running through the middle. Every time I cross over the cell tower I kinda get this like dizzy not quite all there feeling I’m guessing its from the radio waves which brings up another point for some strange reason the biggest of the pumpkin patches can be found growing on top of the cell tower it always makes me laugh i guess the radiation is helping them grow! This is also snake country so be aware of your surroundings cause I have seen a few big ones out here and your going to be in a heap of trouble if you get bitten out here. This trail is a great part of Ladera that I always look forward to hiking hope you get the chance to venture out here sometime because I know you will enjoy the trail and scenery as much as I do every time I get to come out here!