* NOTE: Valentine’s Day falls on Saturday...

* NOTE: Valentine’s Day falls on Saturday this year, so why not take

your sweetheart on one of the many hikes scheduled for Feb. 14?

Remember, rain can cause park closures. Please call for information

on access and special programs.

Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

28373 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel

Park Information: (949) 923-2200 or https://www.ocparks.com

The park is open daily all year, 7 a.m. to sunset, for hiking,

bicycling and equestrian use. Parking is $2. No pets.

Special hiking programs can be arranged by calling Ranger Carroll

at (949) 923-2299. Each second and fourth Saturday of the month the

ranger gives a free 30- to 45-minute discovery nature talk suitable

for all ages. Meet at noon at the park entrance.

The Orange County Natural History Museum, open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesday through Sunday, is at the park entrance. Information:

1-800-422-8886.

CRYSTAL COVE

STATE PARK

8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

Park Conditions: (949) 494-3539; Interpretive Programs: (949)

497-7647

https://www.crystalcove statepark.com

The park is open 6 a.m. to sunset, daily all year, for hiking,

bicycling and horseback riding. The park includes backcountry, bluff

top and beach areas, with access at different points. Parking is $5.

Dogs are allowed only on paved paths above the beach.

Special Activities: Docent-led backcountry hikes are scheduled for

most Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. Upcoming dates include Saturday,

Sunday and Feb. 21 and 22. Hikes are 3 to 5 miles and last about 2

hours. Be sure to bring water and wear hiking boots. Meet at El Moro

Visitor Center (Coast Highway, School-State Park stoplight).

February and March only: Celebrate the gray whales’ return on two

Gray Whale Sundays. Volunteers will help park visitors spot migrating

whales from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday and the third Saturday in

March.

El Moro Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and

Sunday; and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Crystal Cove Historic District Visitor Center is open Friday,

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join a guided tour of the

historic district at 10 a.m., every second Saturday of the month. The

Crystal Cove Interpretive Assn. welcomes new volunteers. Call (949)

497-7648.

Crystal Cove’s Resource Management Team is seeking volunteers

interested in gardening to assist in a native plant propagation

project. Information: (949) 497-7645.

Irvine Ranch

Land Reserve

The Nature Conservancy (714) 832-7478 or irvineranch@tnc.org

Participants meet at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Headquarters on

Laguna Canyon Road, just south of the El Toro Road intersection. All

tours are free, but require reservations.

Special Activities: Choose between two treks through Laurel

Canyon, an easy, two-mile walk on Sunday or a three- to five-mile

hike on Thursday.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

20101 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

(949) 923-2235 or https://www.ocparks.com and nonprofit support

group websites, https://www.lagunacanyon.org and

https://www.lagunagreenbelt.org

Call the rangers to ask about special group hikes for schools,

scouts and other organizations and clubs. Parking is $2. No dogs.

Wilderness Access: Willow Canyon Staging Area, at 20101 Laguna

Canyon Road (just south of El Toro Road intersection), is open every

Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for hikers, equestrians and

mountain bicyclists on specified trails without guides.

Jim Dilley Staging Area, on Laguna Canyon Road, is open every

Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for hikers only on specified

trails without guides. Among area trails is one that skirts Barbara’s

Lake, one of Orange County’s only natural lakes.

Laguna Heights, the trailhead for West Ridge trail and other

trails into Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, is open daily all

year, 7 a.m. to sunset.

Special Activities: Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. docent volunteers lead

a Laurel Loop hike every Saturday at 8 a.m. Information and

reservations: (949) 923-2235. Hikers meet at Willow Canyon Staging

Area. $2 donation per hiker. Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. welcomes

volunteers. Call (949) 497-8190 for information.

NEW: Help with restoration projects on Feb. 21 and every third

Saturday of the month from 8 to 11 a.m. All volunteers receive free

“Keep It Wild” T-shirts provided by the Laguna Canyon Foundation.

* Activities compiled by Ellen Girardeau Kempler, LAGUNA CANYON

FOUNDATION, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving,

enhancing and protecting Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the

adjacent coastal canyon parks. For more information visit

https://www.lagunacanyon.org or call (949) 855-PARK (7275).