THEN AND NOW

THEN ...

Five years ago, Orange County planners envisioned the completion of a

countywide, 350-mile system of hiking and horseback riding trails by

1999. The trails -- part of the county’s interconnected 550-mile master

plan of bikeway, hiking and riding trails -- would enable outdoor

enthusiasts to reach Los Angeles, Riverside or San Bernardino counties

without ever strapping on a seat belt or filling their cars up with gas.

Called “a major hub for getting on the hiking and riding trail system,”

Upper Newport Bay played a big role in the configuration.

Of the 550 miles of trails, bikeway trails would account for 200 miles,

while hiking and riding trails would account for 350 miles.

In Upper Newport Bay, the plan called for hiking and riding trails to run

from Upper Newport Bay through Irvine, then north to Chino Hills,

northeast to Orange and Anaheim Hills and south to Laguna Hills and Dana

Point.

Newport Beach environmentalist and Defend the Bay member Nancy Skinner

liked the idea.”I think it sounds fascinating,” Skinner said at the time.

“It would be a great asset to the city and the county.”

NOW ...

“We have gotten a heck of a lot done over the last five years,” said Jeff

Dickman, chief of trail planning and implementation for the county’s

Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department. He said the county typically opens

10 to 12 new bikeway, hiking and riding trails each year.

“These trails are a quick relief for people,” Dickman said. “They provide

people with the opportunity for a quick hike or jog after work.”

Dickman said the county -- although it did not reach the goal set in 1994

-- has completed 175 of the 350 countywide hiking and riding trails.

About 100 of the bikeway trails have been completed, he said.

Dickman estimated it will be five more years until Upper Newport Bay

hiking and riding trails will be linked to Peter’s Canyon Regional Park

in Tustin. The 13-mile trail will move residents closer to reaching

Irvine Park and Santiago Oaks Regional Park in Orange, and eventually

Anaheim Hills and the Santa Ana Riverbed.

And planners added another Back Bay trail to the blueprint. When

completed, this trail will extend from the northernmost tip of the Back

Bay and stretch northwest toward Santa Ana Heights.

Dickman said the county expects to complete the hiking and riding trails

by 2007. He said there is a strong possibility of achieving that goal if

planners stay diligent.

Dickman said there is no estimated completion date for the bikeway

trails, mainly because of cost and time factors.

-- Amy Spurgeon