Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park Aliso...

Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

28373 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel

Park Information: (949) 923-2200 or 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. On June 12 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. For

information, call (949) 831-3287. Monthly Lecture: At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Coastkeepers will make a presentation about kelp

reforestation efforts. Lectures are held the second Wednesday of each

month at Acorn Naturalists, 155 El Camino Real, Tustin. Information:

(800) 422-8886.

Crystal Cove State Park

8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

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

497-7647

www.crystalcovestatepark.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.

Docent-led backcountry hikes are scheduled for most Saturdays and

Sundays at 9 a.m. Upcoming dates include Saturday, Sunday, June 12

and June 13. 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

(PCH, School-State Park stoplight). For a change of pace, enjoy a

sunset and moonlight beach walk at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

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 Friday,

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

historic district at 10 a.m. on June 12 and every second Saturday of

the month. For information, call (949) 640-5220.

The state park has a variety of volunteer opportunities. 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: Mountain bikers can enjoy a ride through the

park on Saturday and two Sunday and June13 at 8 a.m., or join the

regular third Thursday ride at 8 a.m., June 17. Choose from a

three-mile hike through Laurel Canyon at 8 a.m. on Saturday; a

three-mile hike in Laguna Laurel at 8 a.m. June 13; and an 11-mile

hike through Shady Canyon and along the Serrano Ridgeline at 8 a.m.

Sunday.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

20101 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

(949) 923-2235 or www.ocparks.com and nonprofit support group

websites, www.lagunacanyon.org and 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 (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, 7 a.m. to sunset.

Special Activities: Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. docent volunteers lead

a Laurel Loop hike, Saturday and June 12 and every Saturday at 8 a.m.

Information and reservations: (949) 923-2235. Hikers meet at Willow

Canyon Staging Area. $2 donation per hiker. Wilderness Access

Volunteers (WAVs) Training: Sunday, June 13, 9 to 11 a.m. Learn how to become a “meet and greet” volunteer. Call (949) 923-2235.

* 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

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