Four Corners via Maple Springs Trucktrail

Sunday hike in Orange County for the first time.
My driving experience up to the trail was death defying… I literally thought I was gonna die! Lots of curves and turns. And the parking lot is a joke, super small with no more than 10 spots. So we ended up parking on the road.
A surprising trail that was found by mistake, ended up being a pretty good hike. It was easy… although super duper long… so my legs were aching at the end. Going up was a steady trail that wasn’t too steep. Also not very crowded here, mostly mountain bikers, but the trail is very wide, so no worries about getting smashed by a biker.
It’s windy… so bring a jacket.
There were lots of dried berry poop and lizard remains:
But once you get to the top, there are some wonderful views:
On the way down we took some shortcuts which were more fun to go down… overall, I liked this hike. I think I’d come back with my dog, she’d like it.

I had planned a hike to the nearby Bedford Peak that started at the same spot, but we missed the turn off for that trail after the first few hundred meters. My hiking companions and I just continued heading along the paved access road that was at the park entrance. After about a mile and a half or so, the trail starts making switchbacks uphill, which then turns to dirt, though the road itself is still wide enough for motor vehicles to navigate.
I knew we weren’t on the right trail about 3 miles into the hike. Everyone agreed to just keep going to see what was further up the mountain and trail. Luckily for us, soon afterward a mountain biker passing by informed us that the Four Corners Peak was only about 2 more miles. With knowledge in hand, we continued the descent up the dirt road which consisted of a number switchbacks that snaked up to the top.
By the time that you are nearly at the peak, you will pass a sign that marks the 7^th mile. Just over 7 miles from parking lot to peak!
The peak was windy! Easily 30 – 40 mph wind gusts, but the views are awesomely panoramic. We chose a great day with very clear skies. You could see the entire spread of the San Gabriel Mountains, Diamond Bar, Chino, Orange County, Catalina Island, Palos Verdes, the coast line stretching up to Long Beach, around the peninsula, south bay, Santa Monica, the Malibu beaches and Point Dume, not to mention the downtown LA skyscrapers majestically reaching towards to the heavens.
As we were taking in the sights, another mountain biker informed us that there was a short cut, that ran a tangent across the switchbacks. We decided to take this on the return, which saved us about 2 miles going downhill. A little bit steep heading down, this trail has been in use much less, littered with broken bottles, kicked beer cans, and empty shotgun shells. If you are looking to take the short cut, there a 3 parts, marked by a black, three rung metal railing that looks completely out of place by itself. Look off of the mountain road and you should see the trail.
Overall, I would say that this hike is very easy, though very long, just over 14 miles round trip. The elevation grade is not too steep and the mountain road is in excellent shape, This looks to be more of a mountain biking destination, as we saw plenty more bikers than hikers transversing it.
Note, that the trail head is in Cleveland National Forest, which requires an Adventure Pass to park. The parking lot here was extremely small, less than ten parking spaces available and we ended up parking back on the road since all of spots were occupied. I suggest doing the same if you want to save some cash on the pass.