El Moro Canyon Trail to Lower Moro Campground

Located off of Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach is Crystal Cove State Park. There are three primitive sites located in Crystal Cove: Deer Canyon, Upper Moro, and Lower Moro.

The site I stayed at was Lower Moro campground. All three of these sites require the backpacker to hike everything in at least three miles each way. The closest site is Lower Moro which took me about an hour and a half to two hours to reach. It is recommended that you reserve a spot before you camp here which starts at 25 dollars a night plus a car fee to enter the park.

After you speak to the ranger at the booth, keep going straight (right is for group camping). You will then hit a stop sign at the bottom of the hill and then make a left where you will see the trailhead, which will be directly in front of you.

Once you start hiking you can either go straight or turn right once you get about 50 yards in. Going right is very strenuous on the body so make sure you have plenty of water and snacks to give you the energy needed for the ascend. If you remain on this trail for about three miles then you will eventually run into Lower Moro site directly in front of you. There are about 25 sites and it is a first-come, first-serve basis but make sure you head to reserveamerica.com to at least guarantee yourself a site within the campground. This place does not allow any type of open fires so you will need a backpacking stove to cook your meals. Also, water is not available at any of the three primitive locations but they do have bathrooms and trashcans for your convenience.

For campground reservations, visit CrystalCoveStatePark.org.