One thing I found to be very fun with the hiking at Crystal Cove State Park is that there a number of different routes, so depending on where you’re heading or how big (or little) of a challenge you’re looking for, you can piece together your own route.
Deer Canyon is the furthest of the three campgrounds, and the maps I saw in my research prior to booking had labelled the trail as ‘Strenuous’, the hardest of all the hikes within the park. Honestly, at the time I didn’t think much of it – “it’s just walking” and “I’m in good shape” were some of the things I was telling myself.
Well, it was definitely strenuous and I have a lot more appreciation for how elevation can impact how difficult an excursion can be!
But thanks to the elevation we were able to take in some incredible views