The local trails in and near Irvine transport hikers to trails along the gorgeous pacific coast, alongside far-stretching marshes, through blooming flower-covered mountains, on rugged desert paths, and to the top of mountain peaks with sweeping views of the surrounding valley. Having such a wide array of hiking trails leads to having a large interest in hiking from locals. There are some local hikers that have created and organized local Irvine hiking clubs and hiking organizations for you to explore.
The list below is the top 8 hiking groups in Irvine. Each of these groups will have it’s on unique experience and goals for its members. Treat this list as a starting point for your exploration of local Irvine hiking groups.
- OC HIKING CLUB: Orange County’s Hiking & Backpacking Group – 17,470+ members
- HikingOC – 13,980+ members
- Hike, Backpack, Climb, Travel with Wilderness Travel Course – 13,770+ members
- Lazy Ass Hiking – 8,630+ members
- T.H.C. (The Hiking Club) Southern California – 1,450+ members
- Sierra Sage Group, Sierra Club – 2,040+ members
- Paddle, Hike and Ride a Bike – 1,170+ members
- OC Girls’ Walking and Hiking Group – 415+ members
OC HIKING CLUB: Orange County’s Hiking & Backpacking Group
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Irvine, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/OC-HIKING-com/
Description: OC HIKING CLUB: Orange County’s Hiking & Backpacking Group is the largest hiking group in the OC area. They host events for advanced walks, hiking, and backpacking. They have had many events throughout the years and have multiple events each month.
HikingOC
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/HikingOC/
Description: HikingOC is a group for hiking in the OC area from mountain , forest, wilderness and even desert trails. They have hosted over 6,680+ events in the past with multiple events each week.
Hike, Backpack, Climb, Travel with Wilderness Travel Course
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Fullerton, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Hiking-Wilderness-Travel-Adventures-Snowshoeing-Backpacking/
Description: Hike, Backpack, Climb, Travel with Wilderness Travel Course has outings for all levels of outdoor adventures. They have trips throughout Southern and Northern California. They do hiking, backpacking, off-trail, on-trail, snow and more. They also have organized workshops to learn hiking skills. They have hosted over 940+ events in the past and typically have multiple events each week.
Lazy Ass Hiking
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Corona, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Lazy-Ass-Hiking/
Description: Lazy Ass Hiking is a hiking group located in the Inland Empire. They organize slower paced hikes, walks, and bike rides in the Inland Empire area. They also organize events for longer, more challenging hikes throughout Southern California. This group has hosted a staggering 2,240+ events in the past with multiple events each week.
T.H.C. (The Hiking Club) Southern California
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Irvine, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/thc-the-hiking-club-so-cal/
Description: T.H.C. (The Hiking Club) Southern California is for 420 friendly hikers that are down to earth, open minded, and love hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. This group has hosted over 320+ events in the past and generally has two or three events every month.
Sierra Sage Group, Sierra Club
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Mission Viejo, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Sierra-Sage-Group-Sierra-Club/
Description: Sierra Sage Group, Sierra Club is for those that want to explore, enjoy, and protect wild places. This group has hosted over 240+ events in the past and typically has monthly events.
Paddle, Hike and Ride a Bike
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Irvine, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Paddle-Hike-and-Ride-a-Bike/
Description: Paddle, Hike and Ride a Bike is a group for those who want to kayak, paddle board, canoe, bike, or hike. Their events are for beginners to more experienced paddlers and hikers. This group has hosted over 210+ events in the past and hosts multiple events throughout the week.
OC Girls’ Walking and Hiking Group
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Link: https://www.meetup.com/oc-girls-walking-and-hiking-group/
Description: OC Girls’ Walking and Hiking Group is for local, lighter, and later hikes. This group is geared towards women with busy schedules with the goal of getting some exercise while socializing out on the beautiful trails in Orange County. This group has organized over 25+ events and typically has multiple events each week.
Why should you join an Irvine hiking group?
Challenge Yourself
Joining a local Irvine hiking group will provide you with many benefits. The first benefit is you will be able to attend hiking events that will challenge you as a hiker. There are groups that will host events for longer or more strenuous hikes. By attending these events you can build up your hiking stamina and experience. There are also groups that require hiking at a faster pace. You can experience pushing at a faster pace than what you are used to and learn how to maintain a fast pace to knock out longer day hikes in a timely manner.
Expand Your Outdoor Activities
Another great benefit of joining an Irvine hiking club or hiking group is that you can expand on your outdoor activities. Although most of the groups above mainly focus on hiking, some of them will do other outdoor activities such as camping, backpacking, kayaking, trail running, and more. This is a great way to get introduced to other outdoor activities from people who already have experience.
Expand Your Hiking Area
One of the best benefits of joining a hiking group is that you can expand your hiking area. If you are used to local hikes or hiking the same trails and want to expand then you can be introduced to new trails in the area and even in Southern California and beyond. You can also take it a step further and go camping or backpacking in completely new areas.
3 things to consider when joining an Irvine hiking group
Meeting Location
Prior to attending your first hiking group event, there are a few things you should consider. The first and most important thing to consider is where the group typically meets up. For local trails, try to find a group that meets up in the most convenient location possible. You don’t want to find a weekday group that meets on the opposite side of Highway 405 heading directly into traffic as this will discourage you from attending. Luckily there are many OC hiking groups that meet all over the place.
Location of Hikes
Another major consideration you should have is where the hikes take place. There are groups that focus mainly on local urban hikes, some that prefer hikes within an hour, and some even in other areas of California and beyond. You can join groups that cover a wide range of areas to mix it up and be able to hike on all different kinds of terrain.
Day of Events
One more thing you should definitely consider is what day the hiking events typically occur. You can find groups that only have events on weekdays and others only on weekends. If you are trying to build a hiking habit and hike more often then it’s possible for yo you can mix and match so that you are hiking more than once a week. Some groups even have multiple events throughout the week which would make it easy to stick to one group depending on what your interests are.
Summary
Irvine trails will take you to beautiful trails above the coastline, deep into desert canyons, along the watery marshes, through flower fields, and to the summits of giant mountain peaks. With such great hiking trails and wonderful views to see, they can be a much better experience when shared with other local Irvine hikers you meet at these local hiking groups. The bonds, laughter, and triumph you share with other hikers will make it that much better!
The list above is only just the beginning. As you gain more hiking experience and your goals and interests change over time, so too can the groups and events you attend. You can try out different groups that align with your current interests and goals. Enjoy all of your hikes and outdoor adventures with local Irvine hiking clubs and hiking organizations!
