Please note: Winter’s cool days are ideal...

Please note: Winter’s cool days are ideal for hiking and other

outdoor activities, but rainfall 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. Saturday, and 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 Wednesday through

Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is at the park entrance. Call (949)

831-3287 for information.

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 daily all year, 6 a.m. to sunset, 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, March 20 and 21. Hikes are three to five miles and last about

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

Moro Visitor Center (North Coast Highway, School-State Park

stoplight).

Choose from two wildflower hikes at 9 a.m. on March 20 and 21, or

take a short tide pool walk at 3 p.m. on March 20.

LAST CHANCE!

Celebrate the gray whales’ return on the year’s final Gray Whale

Sunday. Volunteers will help park visitors spot migrating whales from

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 21.

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

p.m., and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Crystal Cove Historic District Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m.

to 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Crystal Cove Alliance

offers a guided tour of the historic district at 10 a.m. Saturday and

every second Saturday of the month. For information, call (949)

640-5220.

Crystal Cove’s Resource Management Team is seeking volunteers

interested in gardening to assist in a native plant propagation

project. Information: (949) 497-7645. The state park has a variety of

other volunteer options. For details, call (949) 497-7647.

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: Take a three-mile hike through Laurel Canyon

on Sunday. At 9 a.m. Thursday, and every third Thursday of the month,

mountain bikers meet for a six- to 10-mile, two-hour ride in Laguna

Coast Wilderness Park. On March 20, take a two-mile, two-hour easy

walk through Laguna Laurel.

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.laguna

greenbelt.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 the 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 (just north of the

San Joaquin Hills Toll 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 from 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 March 20 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 501(c)(3) 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.