2026-July: Turtle Rock Hills hike at Sunset-Full Moon/Buck Moon/Level 2

**Special hike this late afternoon/evening at sunset and view the almost full moon rise on the hills about sunset time. This month is Buck Moon of July 2026(https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-july)!** Almanac.com(https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-july) **🦌🌝** **It is almost full moon. Visible 92%. Sunset is at 7:55 PM and Moon rise is 7:04 PM (to our view around sunset time)** **This hike is rated level 2 or faster for pace, distance and elevation. Please see the** **RATING TABLE(https://tinyurl.com/HikeRating)** **for more info about difficulty levels** **https://tinyurl.com/HikeRating** **Meeting time: 6:15 PM** **Distance: \~4 miles (we can go a shorter loop for about an hour)** **Elevation: \~1100ft** **Duration: 2 hours** **ESSENTIALS: Bring water, running/hiking shoes, a headlamp or flash light on the way back after sunset.** **DIRECTIONS: Address: 1 Concordia, Irvine** **ABOUT THIS HIKE:** **This is a workout conditioning hike composed of a looped route with a mix of trails and sidewalk/bike paths, along with some not too long but fairly steep hills. The two popular hills: French Hill and Suicide Hill at Turtle Rock. This loop, which uses city streets, single-track trails and a little bit of climbing, is one of several possible routes that visit the two summits. This hike requires regular hikers or those who have exercise experience (stair stepper or treadmill on 5-7 degree incline). The trail is dog friendly.** **Route:** **The hike begins with a steep climb up French Hill, gaining 200 feet in about 0.3 miles. At the top, you get a nice view of the Santa Ana Mountains and you can also see the other destination, Turtle Rock, to the left.** **At the top, bear right, pass by a small summit marker, and begin heading downhill, toward a residential neighborhood. The trail swings around the back side of the houses and begins to curve south, making a moderate ascent to a ridge. Here, you get nice views of the Laguna Canyon area and the San Joa

Source: Public event listing