Santa Ana River Trail
Canyon mouth to open ocean — 30 miles of paved riverbank.
- Distance
- ~30 miles
- Time
- 3–4 hours biking · full day walking in sections
- Difficulty
- Moderate · long but flat, west-bound is downhill
- Best at
- Early morning — no shade past Anaheim
- Stops
- 12
- Walk total
- 28 mi · ~603 min
Tip: open this page once with data, then it stays cached on your device. Use the printed copy if your signal drops on the route.
- 01
Canyon RV Park (Featherly Regional Park)
"Start at the park entrance off Gypsum Canyon Road. The bike path enters the riverbed levee just outside the campground gate — find the trailhead sign with the green OC Parks logo."
33.86790, -117.71350Pin on map - 3.0 mi · ~65 min · head W from stop 102
Yorba Regional Park
"Roll west on the south levee. After about 5.5 miles, the trail hugs a chain of grassy lakes on your right. Find the wooden footbridge over the lagoon — Shelter #1 is just past it."
33.86940, -117.76620Pin on map - 6.6 mi · ~142 min · head WSW from stop 203
Burris Basin
"Continue west and south. About 4 miles past Yorba Regional, the trail rises onto a wide levee wrapping a huge open water-recharge basin on your west side. Find the chain-link gate at the basin overlook."
33.82660, -117.86940Pin on map - 1.4 mi · ~29 min · head SSW from stop 304
Honda Center & Angel Stadium
"About 8 miles further the river opens up beside Anaheim's sports district. Find the round, copper-roofed arena on your right (north bank) and the big 'A' of Angel Stadium just beyond."
33.80780, -117.87630Pin on map - 2.0 mi · ~42 min · head SSW from stop 405
Katella Avenue & The Outlets at Orange
"Just south of the stadiums, the trail crosses under Katella. Look east (left) — you can see the rooftop signage of one of the largest outlet malls in the country."
33.78280, -117.89230Pin on map - 1.7 mi · ~36 min · head ESE from stop 506
Discovery Cube Orange County
"Look up. Just south of Katella, the giant blue cube balanced on one corner is impossible to miss from the bike path."
33.77000, -117.86780Pin on map - 4.2 mi · ~91 min · head SW from stop 607
Centennial Regional Park (Santa Ana)
"Roll past downtown Santa Ana to your east. About 5 miles south of the cube, the trail passes a large lake on the river's east side. Find the pedestrian bridge across to the park."
33.72000, -117.91000Pin on map - 2.4 mi · ~51 min · head W from stop 708
405 Freeway Crossing & Fountain Valley Sports Park
"The trail passes under the wide, low concrete deck of Interstate 405. Just past it on the west bank, find the green fields and tennis courts of Mile Square's eastern neighbor."
33.72480, -117.95100Pin on map - 5.4 mi · ~116 min · head S from stop 809
Talbert Regional Park & the Riparian Corridor
"Past the 405 the river widens into a broad floodplain. The trail runs the levee with a 180-acre wild park on your west side. Find the unpaved spur trail leading down into the willows."
33.64690, -117.94830Pin on map - 0.6 mi · ~14 min · head SSW from stop 910
Victoria Street Bridge & Costa Mesa Wetlands
"Continue south. The trail crosses under Victoria Street, the last major bridge before the ocean. From here you can smell the salt — find the sign for the Greenville-Banning Channel junction."
33.63880, -117.95400Pin on map - 0.7 mi · ~14 min · head SW from stop 1011
PCH Crossing & River Jetties
"The trail dips one final time, under the Pacific Coast Highway bridge. As you emerge, the river is funneled between two long rock jetties pointed straight at the surf — find the path onto the north jetty rocks."
33.63140, -117.96130Pin on map - 320 m · ~4 min · head SW from stop 1112
Huntington State Beach (River Mouth · End of the Hunt)
"Roll the final stretch onto the beach bike path. Stop where the asphalt curves to meet the surf — the river drains into the Pacific right at your feet. You made it."
33.62900, -117.96330Pin on map