Las Ramblas/Patriot Trail in San Juan Capistrano
“Are You In or Out?”
Hike theme song: Bruce Springstein-Born in the USA
To reach the trailhead for Flag Hill, take the 5 freeway heading south towards San Juan Capistrano. You are going to exit the freeway at Pacific Coast Highway/Camino Las Ramblas. Make a left turn onto Camino Las Ramblas and follow this street until it dead ends and you see the trailhead. Parking is free and dog are allowed!
In 2006, Ryan Pickell erected a flag pole on top of what has become known as Flag Hill. The flag was erected on the hill in memory of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But in January of 2010, the flag was toppled because of the strong thunderstorms that hit the Southern California area. Ryan’s younger brother, Kyle, decided to fix the flag as an Eagle Scout project. After working on it for a month, Kyle and a group of community members dedicated the new 35-foot pole, which was much bigger than the previous, on Memorial day of 2010. Sadly, this was not the only replacement that has happened to the flag, Ryan’s flag pole had been replaced once before, after it was vandalized in 2007. The location of the flag offers a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and is a great memorial to the strength of our country.
More info on the history of Flag Hill: http://www.ocregister.com/news/flag-251347-pole-kyle.html
From the trailhead take the main Las Rambles Trail. There will be quite a few smaller trails but stay on the main fire road to reach the flag. When you reach Harbor View Trail take it up to the left. Once you reach the top you will come to a main intersection and see the hill and sign for the Patriot Trail. This trail starts with a huge hill and then dips and dives like a roller coaster. You will stay on it all the way to Flag Hill, and can return using the same route. These are popular trail systems with lots of hikers and mountain bikers.
This hike has some beautiful views of South Orange County and the Pacific Ocean. With 2013 being the driest year in California it was pretty dry but the native plants still bring in some green for us. The flag and the story behind it are worth checking it out. There is also a mailbox near the flag where visitors can leave messages which we found to be really interesting to read. This hike is about 3.5 miles total and took us about 2 hours at a relaxed pace. Even though some of the hills are tough, it has only about 500 feet of elevation gain.
“You’re a grand old flag, you’re a high flying flag and forever in peace may you wave.”
The Real Mountains of Orange County 