If you want to take a beautiful stroll, walk, run, hike, ride, skip or scoot, look no further than the trail that takes you through Shady Canyon in Irvine. And although this neighborhood is gated, there is pedestrian access on either side of the community that allows you to enter and enjoy the approximate 3 miles of beauty and bliss. Keep in mind that the 3 miles is just from one entrance to the other. The complete Shady Canyon trail is about 7.8 miles.
If you start from the entrance adjacent to Turtle Rock Community Park (located at 1 Sunnyhill, Irvine, CA 92603), you’ll find yourself at the other side of the community, approximately 3 miles away. And if you continue past the third mile, about another 1/2 mile, you can reward yourself with a Starbucks or tasty treat from Mag’s doughnuts located at the Quail Hill Shopping Center. Keep in mind that the distance you walk forward will equal the distance you must walk back.
If you enter in from the Quail Hill side (they have parking at the community center located at 39 Shady Canyon Dr, Irvine, CA 92603), you can extend your journey into Bommer Canyon, once you’ve passed through the Shady Canyon community. Here you’ll experience vast areas of open landscape or towering foliage that rise above your head, depending on the time of year and maintenance. This area offers a few different trails at various levels, which you can read more about it here.
Either area, Shady Canyon or Bommer Canyon, will reward you with beautiful landscapes, rich with lush and diverse plant life, various creatures large and small. We’ve been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of quails and deer. We’ve also see rattlesnakes and tarantulas, so keep watch of every step and keep a safe distance if you come across one yourself.
Additional information can be found here:
