Note: Wilderness parks are closed for two...

Note: Wilderness parks are closed for two or more days after

significant rainfall. Call before your visit to confirm

accessibility.

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 (949) 923-2299.

The ranger gives a free 30- to 45-minute Discovery Nature Talk

suitable for all ages Monday and 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 or visit https://www.ocnhm.org.

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 Nov. 27 and

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

The newly renovated El Moro Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 5

p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Join a

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

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

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.

Take an easy-paced strenuous mountain bike ride in Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park’s Shady and Serrano Canyon at 7:30 a.m. Saturday or

meet for a drop in ride through the park at 8:30 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.

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. Help with restoration

projects from 8 to 11 a.m. on this Saturday and every third Saturday

of the month through May. All volunteers receive free “Keep It Wild”

T-shirts provided by the Laguna Canyon Foundation. A Wilderness

Access Volunteer training session will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on

Sunday. 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

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