Canyon Acres is one of my favorite areas in Orange County. It was established back in 1880 when Harvey Hemenway built a home on the corner of Arroyo Drive and Canyon Acres Drive with a sizeable 138 acres of space. Up to present day, Canyon Acres has had an interesting history. It's had a red-light district, a newspaper factory, rogue distilleries, massive fires, and major floods. During the Prohibition, Canyon Acres was known as Bootlegger's Canyon as many of the neighborhood residents were distilling and smuggling their own rotgut. In the 1990s, Canyon Acres suffered two devastating tragedies: the Laguna Beach Fire and the El Niño storm. The 1993 fire destroyed 60 houses in the area while El Niño trapped its residents in their homes as mud from the Laguna Canyon hillsides came down and blocked any exit routes out of the canyon neighborhood.
First off, ample parking is available along Laguna Canyon Road, but no parking is allowed from 11PM-6AM (posted signs are everywhere). As for parking on Canyon Acres Drive, signs are posted at the street entrance that parking on the street is by permit only. But, hikers are allowed to park at the end of the street, just not in the cul-de-sac. There are not many spots so I typically park on Laguna Canyon Road and walk up the eccletic neighborhood street saying "Hi" to the very friendly neighbors.
As for the cache, it is hiding nearby a hidden labyrinth within Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, off of the very steep Canyon Acres Trail. Before you run out of energy on the uphill, look for an off-chute trail to the north (trailhead marked in the Waypoints section), and take it. Follow the easy, twisty path to the maze. I found this maze many years ago and thought I'd share it with fellow geocachers as it's a hidden gem of Laguna. When you find the cache, there is no need to remove it from it's hanging place. Gently pull on the container and the inner cache will come out. You'll need to BYOP to sign the log. To replace the container, gently pull on the cache and slide the cache back into place.
Another hidden gem is hiding a little southeast of the maze - an exquisite park bench with an interesting bottle opener, perfect for some whiskey. If you're lucky enough to find this, sit back and crack open a cool one. But please, remember to carry out any beverage containers as there are no trash receptacles here. If you need some help finding the bench, shoot me a message and I'll be happy to help.