Wilderness park backcountry can be closed for...
Wilderness park backcountry can be closed for two or more days after
significant rainfall. Call to check accessibility.
LAGUNA COAST WILDERNESS PARK
The park is open to hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers from
7 a.m. to sunset, Saturday and Sunday. Parking is available for $3 at
the Willow Canyon Staging Area, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road. Mountain
bikers may ride on specified trails only.
The Dilley Preserve on Laguna Canyon Road, north of the 73 Toll
road, is closed for at least six months due to road construction.
Laguna Heights, the trailhead for West Ridge trail and other
routes into Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, is open daily,
from 7 a.m. to sunset.
A free training session about how to become a Wilderness Access
Volunteer will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. June 18.
Docent-led tours by Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. take place at 8 a.m.
every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Call for reservations
and meeting points. Weekday and special group tours are also
available. Information: (949) 923-2235 or www.ocparks.com.
SUMMER NATURE CAMP
IN ORANGE COUNTY WILD
Orange County Wild, a coalition dedicated to preserving the
county’s open spaces, will host a weeklong summer program for
children from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 27 to July 1. The camp will give
students hands-on exploration of natural surroundings. Professional
naturalists will lead campers on visits to parks, harbors and
wetlands throughout Orange County, including Upper Newport Bay,
Bommer Canyon, the Irvine Open Space Preserve, Crystal Cove State
Park and the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Participants will earn an
Amateur Naturalist certificate upon completion of the program.
The camp is open to children 7 to 10 years old. The cost is $75
per child. Space is limited and reservations are requested by June
10. To register, call (949) 497-7647 or e-mail crystalcv@fea.net.
Aliso and Wood
Wilderness hikes
The 4,000-acre Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, at 28373
Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel, is open from 7 a.m. to sunset daily
for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. Parking is $3.
The ranger gives a free 30- to 45-minute discovery nature hike
suitable for all ages on the second and fourth Saturday of the month.
Meet at noon at the park entrance.
Located at the entrance is the Orange County Natural History
Museum; call before visiting to confirm it’s open.
For information, call (949) 831-3287.
Natural history lectures are held at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday
of each month at Acorn Naturalists, 1255 El Camino Real, Tustin. No
dogs allowed. For information, call (949) 923-2200.
HISTORIC DISTRICT TOUR MEETS AT LOS TRANCOS
A walk through the 12-acre Historic District at Crystal Cove State
Park will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday. The tour will meet at the Los
Trancos parking lot, Pacific Coast Highway at Los Trancos.
Information: (949) 640-5220.
CRYSTAL COVE
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. 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.
A guided back county hike will leave at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday
and a geology walk will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Both
hikes meet at the El Moro Visitor Center.
For more information, call the El Moro Visitor Center (949)
640-5220.
HIKE THROUGH IRVINE
RANCH LAND RESERVE
A three-hour, three-mile hike through Laurel Canyon will depart at
8 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. June 18. Join a guide for a bike ride at 9
a.m. June 16. Tours are led by members of The Nature Conservancy, and
also available by special request. Information, The Nature
Conservancy: (714) 832-7478.
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