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 at the park entrance. Special

Event: The museum will host Archeology in the Park on Sept. 18. For

details, 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, Sunday, Sept. 18

and 19. Hikes are three to five miles and last about two hours.

Help protect a valuable natural resource by becoming a tidepool

docent. Attend a free training session from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 23 at

the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. This in-class training will be

followed by a tidepool walk at 2 p.m. Sept. 26. For details, call

(949) 497-7647.

Irvine Ranch Land Reserve

The Nature Conservancy (714) 832-7478 or

https://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 a guided mountain bike ride at 8 a.m.

Thursday and every third Thursday of the month.

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.

Dilley Preserve, on Laguna Canyon Road. This area is closed for at

least six months due to road construction.

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. Hikers meet at Willow

Canyon Staging Area, $2 donation per hiker. Information and

reservations: (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

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