Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park 28373...

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

28373 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel

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

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

bicycling and equestrian use. Parking is $3. No pets.

Special hiking programs can be arranged by calling Ranger Carroll

at (949) 923-2299. The ranger gives a free 30- to 45-minute Discovery

Nature Talk suitable for all ages each second and fourth Saturday.

Meet at noon at the park entrance.

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

p.m., Wednesday through Sunday is located at the park entrance. For

information, call (949) 831-3287.

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 $10.

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, Aug. 21 and 22.

Hikes are three to five miles and last about two hours. Special

Programs: The Crystal Cove Interpretive Assn. is hosting two events:

a bat walk with Stephanie Remington at 6:30 p.m. today ($5/person),

and a wild bird rehabilitation workshop with Susan Doggett (called

the Bird Lady of Orange County) from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday

($20/person; includes parking). Reservations required, call (949)

497-7647.

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

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: Meet for guided mountain bike rides at 8 a.m.

Thursday and also 8:15 a.m. Saturday and Aug. 21. Take a three-mile,

three-hour guided hike through Laurel Canyon at 8 a.m. Sunday.

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 $3. No dogs.

Wilderness Access: Willow Canyon Staging Area, at 20101 Laguna

Canyon Road (just south of El Toro Road intersection), is open 8 a.m.

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

mountain bicyclists on specified trails without guides.

Jim Dilley Staging Area, on Laguna Canyon Road is open 8 a.m. to 4

p.m. every Saturday and Sunday 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 7 a.m. to

sunset daily all year.

Special Activities: Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. docent volunteers lead

a Laurel Loop hike at 8 a.m. every Saturday. They will also lead a

longer, more strenuous Emerald Canyon loop hike at 7:30 a.m., Sunday.

Hikers meet at Willow Canyon Staging Area. $2 donation per hiker.

Information and reservations: (949) 923-2235. A Wilderness Access

Volunteer Training session will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Aug. 21.

* 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).