Wilderness parks backcountry can be closed for...

Wilderness parks backcountry can be closed for two or more days after

significant rainfall. Call to check accessibility.

3rd Annual Whiting Ranch Hill Climb

The SHARE Mountain Bike Club is hosting its 3rd Annual Dreaded

Hill Climb from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. April 2 at the Glen Ranch Road

entrance parking lot of Whiting Ranch.

The cost is $10 for members and $20 for others. Event T-shirts are

$10. Entry deadline is March 28.

Participants will climb 700 feet in a .6-mile distance in a timed

event. Staging will be individual time trials. Registration is at 8

a.m., and start times begin at 9 a.m.

Participants can sign up on line at https://www.share mtb.com or by

contacting SHARE at info@sharemtb.com, or call (714) 963-4922.

SHARE Mountain Bike Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to

the promotion of responsible mountain biking in Orange County.

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, 28373 Alicia Parkway,

Laguna Niguel. The 4,000-acre coastal canyon park is open from 7 a.m.

to sunset daily for hikers, horseback riding and mountain biking.

Parking is $3.

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

suitable for all ages the second and fourth Saturday. Meet at noon at

the park entrance.

Located at the park entrance is the Orange County Natural History

Museum; call before visiting to confirm if it’s open. For information

call (949) 831-3287.

Natural history lectures are held at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday

of the each month at Acorn Naturalists, 1255 El Camino Real, Tustin.

For information, call 800-422-8886.

No dogs allowed. For information, call (949) 923-2200.

Irvine Ranch

Land Reserve

Participants interested in a free tour meet at Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road.

Tours require a reservation; call the Nature Conservancy at (714)

832-7478.

A mountain bike ride is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sunday. Meet at

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s Willow Canyon staging area.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park at 20101 Laguna Canyon Road is 6,400

acres.

The wilderness is accessed on designated trails from Willow Canyon

staging area, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and

Sundays for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers on specified

trails.

Laguna Heights, the trailhead for West Ridge trail and other

routes into Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, is open 7 a.m. to

sunset daily all year.

Laguna Greenbelt Inc. docent tour volunteers lead hikes at 8 a.m.

each second and fourth Saturday of the month. Meet at Willow Canyon

Staging Area. There’s a nominal $2 donation per hiker. For

reservations, call (949) 923-2235.

Docent-led hikes, mountain bike rides and equestrian tours are

also available. Parking is $3. Call (949) 923-2235 for directions.

Crystal Cove

State Park

Crystal Cove State Park, 8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

has 3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped woodland. The

park is open 6 a.m. to sunset daily. Due to recent rains, the

backcountry is open for hiking only until further notice.

Docent-led backcountry hikes are scheduled for most Saturdays and

Sundays at 9 a.m. Hikes are three to five miles and last about two

hours.

Special Activities include a plant identification hike at 9 a.m.

Saturday and a three- to five-mile backcountry hike scheduled for

Sunday. For the Sunday hike, meet at the El Moro Visitor Center.

For more information, call (949) 640-5220.

Dogs are allowed on paved areas only. Wilderness campsites are

available. Parking is $8. For interpretive programs, call (949)

497-7647. For park conditions, call (949) 494-3539.