Lilac Trail

The Lilac Trail is a solid steady climb for about 1.5 miles, eventually leading to a tower atop the hills and offering wide views of the surrounding landscape.

While the Lilac Trail is within Chino Hills State Park, it heads up a hillside located above the town of Olinda - formerly a small canyon  neighborhood but currently being built up with luxury hillside homes - far away from most of the other State Park areas. As such, you likely won't find many other people on the trail, usually just residents getting out for a short walk. 

While the hike itself isn't too scenic, it pays off near the upper sections when the trail feels like it traces the ridgeline of the hills, with the rolling hilltop crests of the area around it within view. The trail itself ranges from broken up asphalt to overgrown double track. While it is a fire road, it doesn't see steady use and can feel pretty isolated once you leave the homes below behind.

The electrical tower makes a natural endpoint, as the trail peaks on a ridgeline with wide views, however the buzzing from the tower combined with the immediate view of the active landfill just below will probably encourage hikers to turn around and heading back down the trail pretty shortly.

For the most part, the hike up is a steady climb, eventually reaching about 550' in elevation gain, with only a couple short downhill streaks to give your legs a rest. Springtime is the nicest time to take on the hike, when the hillsides are green and the wildflowers are blooming.

There is no water and no shade along the trail. Dogs are also not permitted here. The trail begins behind a gate at the top of Lilac Lane. The trail is open from Sunrise to Sunset. Free street parking is available just before the gate.