Claremont Hills Wilderness Park

Good & popular hike. Not very difficult, but took 2hrs with a few stops to take in the view. I arrived at 6a to find plenty of parking, but leaving at 8a, there were only a few spaces left...

I did not realize this would be up the mountain lol! It’s a great hike, with beautiful views. I didn’t know that there were “two” trails, as seen by my last picture. However, it is a loop and if you choose one to start, you will go down the other. The trail to the right of the fork seemed to be a little less steep of an incline. There’s shaded seating at the top. Some hikers saw a cougar (?I forgot the animal, it’s the local wild cat) and a rattlesnake (both avoided people). It took us exactly 2hrs and we took a couple of short breaks.

We saw two snakes this past Monday. Please be vigilant and don’t walk near the sides of the path. Walk close to the middle of the path and don’t let your dog walk on the sides. We met a man who told us his dog got bit by a snake here and almost didn’t make it. His dog weighed 60 pounds and the guy was fit enough to carry his dog and run down the hill to get to an emergency room. Please don’t take your dog here if you can’t physically carry them in case of an emergency. And bring COLD WATER for your dog too! If they don’t want to drink water then splash cold water on their heads to cool them down throughout the trail. I’m tired of seeing dogs panting and in bad shape while their owners are oblivious and happily drinking water while letting their dogs suffer from thirst and heat exhaustion. DOGS HAVE A HIGHER BODY TEMPERATURE THAN HUMANS SO THEY WILL BE EXTREMELY HOT IN THE HEAT. YOU SHOULD NOT BRING YOUR DOG IN HOT WEATHER. I recommend people to takes pictures and videos of these dogs and their owners and report them and upload photos of this abuse on here. Voice your concerns to the park rangers on-site and Supervisor Ashley Dembiczak (her contact info is on the website). The three-star rating is because of the lack of regulations on pet safety. Please reconsider subjecting them to the heat because it’s abuse. And stop putting a prong collar on your dog. Look up the injuries they cause. This along with bringing your dog in hot weather should be banned! *Edited to include more snake pictures.We saw a total of three in the two days we went this week. All were rattlesnakes which are venomous.

A good hike in a long while. Makes you think you gotta get out more often. But in reality I probably do this couple of times a year at most. I got to the trail entrance parking lot at about 8:15 am to find out it was full, but I only waited couple of minutes before park rangers guided me to a spot. I saw the other lot pretty full too on the way but cars were keep moving in and out busily. A ranger even helped me with the parking machine. I hiked a counterclockwise 5-mile loop trail in about three hours taking several bench breaks. First couple of miles are uphill a little demanding but manageable. For comparison I make 6-mile walk in about 2 hours on flat of surface cement and asphalt. Those hills will give you some real workout. Honestly I thought of turning back after first mile or so but decided to take my time and do it. Slowdown was due to slight hip joint discomfort. I didn’t mind uphill but surface is tilted, so I guess I put more pressure on one side. Funny thing is I can still jog down the downhill. Somehow I found that easier than walking. Port-a-potty at miles 2 and 4 and if you do clockwise loop it’s miles 1 and 3. No bear sightings today despite some YouTube posts. Look for CHWP sign on the way down if you want to make it back to the parking lot. You don’t want to wander into other trails. Happy hiking!

***As of March 20th, 2024 - $5 buys you 4hrs worth of parking. It's pay by plate and there will be park rangers checking to make sure you paid. One way entrance and one way exit (with spikes if you go opposite way).*** Overall a nice trail, the loop is about 5 miles, well maintained and clean. A few Porta Potty's along the route as well.

Great spot to come for a hike, and it connects to many other trails in the area. Parking is paid, $5 on the weekdays and $7 on weekends. The only downside is that it gets VERY crowded, sometimes you won't find parking in either lot. There's basically no other parking unless you go all the way down to the Vons. Just plan ahead and you'll have a great time, there's bathrooms and places to rest along the trail. Make sure to bring water!

Great park in the mountains of Claremont. There might be few every points. Some with free parking or you have to pay for parking. The hike and the mountain is definitely wild, and you have to be very cautious. Erosion is present everywhere and that’s something you should pay attention to avoid trouble or injury. Some of the hikes are very treacherous and hard. Going up is definitely harder than you think. This is a very clean hike and it’s maintained very well.

It's great, whether you hike or bike it. Very dog friendly, and lots of side trails for mountain biking. It overlaps a little with Marshall Canyon, another great trail for biking. It's easy to get lost up there! (In a good way, ofcc)