Climbing Near Foothill Ranch, California

There is a Stand-Alone Boulder on a moderately trafficked hiking trail near the top of Robinson Ranch Road. Trailhead is marked with veterans memorial and picnic table. Drive up Robinson Ranch Road. You’ll see a cement picnic table indicating the beginning of a 15-20 minute approach. Take the path leading left. Follow a few switchbacks. once you come out onto the first ridge, look straight out over the mini-valley/large gulley. You’ll be able to see the face of “Snake Bait”. Then it’s up to you to decide.... if it’s worth it or not lol.

*After the 2024 Airport fire and 2025 rain season this boulder is now mostly buried*This is the first climbable boulder that you encounter along the road and is home to some of the best problems in the area. One can easily spend an entire afternoon on this rock alone. Problems range from v0-v5 with the exception of one or two lines that remain undone and are undoubtably v7+ at least. A nice overhang and bamboo patch provide shade between burns. Around two miles after turning onto Trabuco Creek rd, the road opens up into a big round-about area. This boulder can be seen on the right side of the trail peaking out from behind a tall bamboo patch.

Fun boulder problems scattered along a popular off-roading and hiking trail. All currently established routs are easily reachable by vehicle, bike, or on foot. The trail is a well maintained dirt road and all off-roading "obstacles" are optional so an AWD or 4x4 vehicle is not really required although its always helpful. Most of these boulders lie within the creek bed, so holds tend to be somewhat polished and some landing areas might be wet depending on the time of year you visit. Rock quality is surprisingly good with some cool features and plenty of potential for further development and exploration. From 55 Freeway: Take the Chapman Avenue E exit Merge onto E Chapman Ave headed East ~4.2 mi. Continue onto E Santiago Canyon Rd ~1.0 mi Keep left to stay on E Santiago Canyon Rd ~11.3 mi Turn left onto Live Oak Canyon Rd ~1.4 mi Slight right to stay on Live Oak Canyon Rd ~1.9 mi Continue onto Trabuco Canyon Rd ~1.0 mi Turn left onto Trabuco Creek Rd Boulders begin to appear on either side of Trabuco Creek Rd around the 2 mile mark.