Laguna Niguel Trail in Poor Shape
Long View Trail © Helen Maurer
One of the 2 scenic trails that follow the Colinas Bluffs high above the Santa Ana freeway is in sad shape due to disputes between homeowners in the Bear Brand Ranch neighborhood in the City of Laguna Niguel. Especially during the cooler months, these trails provide a rewarding experience with views from the Pacific to the Santa Ana Mountains as well as some steep ups and downs. Illegal fences and gates were erected and, in reaction to litigation initiated by the City of Laguna Niguel on June 24, 2022, taken down along the Long View Trail, but maintenance ceased years ago, turning this once gorgeous corridor into an unsightly, weedy patch.
Long View Trail © Helen Maurer
A recent inspection of the situation along Long View Trail found the gate in the forbidding looking fence open, but private property signs suggested to the uninformed that this gate was not to be ignored.
While the Colinas Bluff Trail is well maintained by the City of Laguna Niguel, this is not the case beyond the north gate of the Long View Trail. We understand that the easement for this trail granted by the City of Laguna Niguel required the Bear Brand Ranch HOA to provide maintenance.
This maintenance is clearly not happening, and it is almost amusing to see weedy expanses in front of some of the multimillion-dollar mansions of the Bear Brand Ranch neighborhood, which advertised that “residents of this upscale Laguna Niguel community enjoy privacy and scenic views. Twenty acres of greenbelt and walking trails afford beautiful mountain and ocean views!” We understand that some members of the HOA are as upset as hikers and bikers about the unwelcoming fences, gates, and weeds and that a resolution of these issues may now be possible.
Go hike these trails and see what happens when private homeowners ride roughshod over contracts and agreements they don’t like.
(of interest: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/05/17/hikers-undeterred-by-hoa-gates-on-public-trail-in-laguna-niguel/