May 8, 2023
When the network of 21 missions were established in Alta California, the Spanish built them within 30 miles of the ocean. That meant we would have periods of coastal hiking and some sections of inland trekking. After a week traveling along the coast in San Diego County, our California Missions Trail route turned inland to begin traversing through urban Orange County.
In addition to visiting two more missions, we had ample time to reflect on the memories we made from growing up, going to college, getting married, and raising our family in Orange County.
Graduating from UC Irvine in 1984; family picture in our Anaheim Hills backyard in 2009
A Blooming Visit to Mission San Juan Capistrano
After our rest day in San Clemente we hit the trail again for a short 8.4-mile stage. We first walked along the coast on a path from the San Clemente Pier.
As we neared Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, we took a short break.
Soon after, we took one last look at the ocean and turned inland on the San Juan Creek Bike Trail. (If all goes to plan, we will see the coast again in Ventura in about 12 days’ time.)
We soon arrived in San Juan Capistrano, where we stopped for lunch before entering the mission to complete our stage. We have been to the mission several times, including on class field trips with our daughters. San Juan Capistrano was the seventh mission established in the network, founded in 1776. There was quite a bit to see, and we started by walking through the courtyard and gardens. Immediately we marveled at the array of blooming flowers.
The Serra Chapel is the only remaining church in the mission system in which Father Serra (the missions’ founder) was known to have officiated. The chapel’s Baroque-style altar came from Barcelona.
We also viewed the ruins of the Great Stone Church. Its construction began in 1797. It was the largest structure west of the Mississippi when it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1812, killing 42 people.
A campanario (bell wall) was built after the earthquake destroyed the Great Stone Church.
We found the courtyard behind the bell wall to be very peaceful and beautiful.
The entrance to the courtyard behind the bell wall
There were also many exhibits to view, depicting mission life from the priest and Native people points of view. We learned that San Juan Capistrano was the first mission to produce iron from ore and was one of the largest producers of wine grapes in the network.
A Traverse on Bike Paths and Streets through South Orange County
Our first urban inland stage was also our longest daily distance to date – 15 miles. We started at the San Juan Capistrano Mission and passed by the modern Basilica San Juan Capistrano (completed in 1986). It was modeled after the old mission’s Great Stone Church.
Our route took us through the cities of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, and Lake Forest, before ending in Irvine. Almost the entire day’s hiking was on streets, except for a brief bike path section.
The city of Irvine has many memories for us. Darren and I both went to UC Irvine and met as freshmen there. We dated throughout college and got married after I finished graduate school (Darren had a year to go).
Our hotel in Irvine that night was located in an old silo that was used to hold beans and barley. During World War II, the Irvine Ranch was the world’s largest grower of lima beans.
The next day’s 12.1-mile stage continued our walk through Orange County, taking us from Irvine to the city of Orange. Darren and I lived in Orange for 2 1/2 years after we were first married. We started out on a bike path in a light rain before spending the rest of the day walking on sidewalks.
Both of us grew up in Orange County. Darren lived in Santa Ana and Orange, and I resided in Brea. At one point we came across a small grove of citrus trees – it reminded us both of when there were many such groves throughout Orange County during our childhoods.
A highlight of the day was stopping for a grocery store break to enjoy some fresh sushi for lunch.
A few times we walked through some nice residential neighborhoods.
Walking a Custom Route with Many Memories
For the next day’s 10-mile stage, we hiked a custom route through Orange and Anaheim to allow us to walk on the Santa Ana River Trail. This was a special treat for us, as we both spent many hours running and walking on this path during the 24 years we lived in nearby Anaheim Hills, where we raised our two daughters.
The last time Darren was on the trail was in 2015. It was his first day crossing the country with a group of runners, going from Huntington Beach, California, to the White House in Washington DC.
We walked about five miles of the 30-mile trail, passing Angel Stadium (home of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team) and the Honda Center (home to the Anaheim Ducks).
Views of Angel Stadium and Honda Center from the Santa Ana River Trail
Hiking was a breeze, as we enjoyed reminiscing about the times we both utilized the trail.
We turned off the river trail at the halfway point of our stage and made our way north and west through Anaheim to our hotel in Fullerton. Because this was a custom route, not based on the GPX tracks from the books I purchased, I needed to check our position on my phone often while we walked.
Checking the route as we walked through the streets of Anaheim
Leaving Orange County and Visiting Mission San Gabriel
Back using the book’s course the next day, we started by walking through downtown Fullerton on the El Camino Real.
We hiked on a beautiful dirt trail to Laguna Lake and into the city of La Habra.
After several miles of walking on city streets, we left Orange County and entered Whittier in Los Angeles County.
Posing by different bells on the La Habra streets
For the final 4.75 miles of the day we hiked on the Whittier Greenway Trail, traveling along an abandoned rail spur.
At the end of the 13.9-mile stage, we were picked up by Sandy’s parents, who still live in Brea, to spend a rest day with them. Good thing, because Darren was having some blister issues, and hiked in his sandals for the last few miles of the stage.
During our rest day in Brea, we went to a running store. They determined that Darren needed a wide width of the shoe he was wearing. So he bought a new pair of shoes in the wide width and a half-size smaller.
After getting dropped off and saying goodbye to Sandy’s parents the next morning, we joined the Whittier Greenway Trail for two more miles before transitioning to the pretty San Gabriel River Trail and Rio Hondo Bike Path.
The rest of the 17.1-mile stage was hiked on city streets. We walked through Pico Rivera, Montebello, Rosemead, and San Gabriel before reaching Mission San Gabriel.
Walking through Rosemead and San Gabriel to reach the mission
The fourth structure built in the mission chain, San Gabriel was established in 1771. Its architecture has a unique Moorish style, as the designer was born in Cordoba, Spain and modeled the mission after the cathedral there. San Gabriel was one of the most productive missions from its variety of crops, including grapes.
A fire in July 2020 destroyed the original church’s sanctuary, and the mission is still not fully re-open to the public. So we took the opportunity to walk around the grounds and take a few photos of the exterior.
Continuing north from the mission, we hiked through San Marino before reaching Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena (of Rose Parade fame) and the end of the stage. Even though it was a long day, Darren could feel the difference in his feet with the new shoes.
Our time in Orange County provided us with a great opportunity to see some familiar places and reflect on the memories that we made. We also trekked 75 more miles and visited two beautiful and historic missions.
Continuing along the California Missions Trail, we look forward to creating new memories as we trek north and west through the mission network.
We recorded a short video giving our impressions of trekking through this section. Take a look:
Having also grown up in Orange, it was nice to read your story from the vastly different perspective of walking instead of driving quickly through all the neighborhoods. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the comment, John. We agree – it was so interesting to see all these places walking vs driving in a car.