Mathis Canyon Trail, Laguna Beach, CA
Find Natural and Human History on this Laguna Beach Hiking Trail
Mar 15, 2009
Hiking Mathis Canyon Trail from West Ridge into Wood Canyon is a stunning way to enter Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and provides the hiker with an opportunity to consider the region’s rich history. The Park is part of the nearly 20,000-acre Laguna Coast Greenbelt and the almost 40,000-acre National Nature Preserve of Orange County. There are literally hundreds of miles of trails throughout the region, and Mathis Canyon is not one to miss.
Rancho Niguel Mexican Land Grant
The land surrounding the trail was once part of the Rancho Niguel Mexican land grant, but in the second half of the twentieth century the lands were sold. While much of the land was developed, a large portion is now preserved for the public. Descending Mathis Canyon Trail provides views of the former sheep and cattle ranch. Remnants of the ranch are evident in artifacts such as the “Old Corral” near the bottom of Mathis trail.
Mathis Canyon Trail Access
The trail itself is a wide fire trail for most of its approximately one mile. To reach Mathis Canyon Trail, the hiker can either begin at Alta Laguna Park by Temple Hill (1036 feet) and descend West Ridge Trail to the trail junction (about half a mile) or access it from Wood Canyon Trail by way of Aliso Canyon Trail and the Aliso and Wood Canyons Park Office off Alicia Parkway in Laguna Niguel (about 2.5 miles). The former provides the opportunity to descend Mathis Trail, while the latter will set the hiker up for a steep ascent (either way, don’t forget about the round trip!).
Mathis Canyon Trail Loop Hikes
Mathis Canyon Trail gains approximately 600 feet without any switchbacks, so the hiker should expect a steep climb or descent. Whichever way the hiker travels on the trail, Mathis Canyon Trail may be combined with any of a number of other trails in the area to create a loop hike.
For example, it is possible to descend Mathis Canyon Trail from West Ridge Trail, turn left on the Nature Loop Trail or Coyote Run Trail and eventually regain West Ridge via Rock-It Trail. This loop, not including the half-mile from the trailhead at Alta Laguna Park, makes a pleasant 3.5 mile hike.
Hiking on Juaneño Native American Lands
Before the the ranch, Juaneño Native Americans (Acajchemem Tribe) lived in the canyons over which Mathis Canyon Trail presides. More properly called the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians—as they were named by the Spanish missionaries because of their proximity to Mission San Juan Capistrano—these indigenous people’s lives were forever altered by the religious and economic structures the Spanish brought. Although petroglyphs and other artifacts exist within park boundaries, they are generally unseen; thus, trail names that honor the region’s first inhabitants, are the extent of pre-Colonial history encountered by a typical visitor.
Changes in Ownership
In 1842, Juan Avila obtained a Mexican Land Grant for the area, which was re-established with the United States government after California became a territory in 1848. Avila retained ownership of the land until the time of the American Civil War when a disastrous drought struck. The Moulton Company came in at that time and bought out many ranchers who had lost their livestock as a result of the drought.
After several additional changes in ownership, a Boston firm, in the late 1950s, began plans to create what would become one of California’s first master planned communities — Laguna Niguel. Mathis Canyon Trail, and the lands surrounding it, are now under the jurisdiction of the Orange County Harbors, Beaches, and Parks Department.
For more hikes in the area, visit Laguna Trails.
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