Back Bay pathways may be revamped

Damaged trails, future construction subject of meeting set for tonight.BACK BAY -- A stretch of a path that winds through the park at Upper Newport Bay is not much of a trail anymore. Scarred by a gaping hole, the footpath is blocked to hikers in two places by yellow caution tape, though the barriers do not block everybody who passes by.

“We keep replacing it [the tape], because there’s crazy people who like to go blazing through it,” park ranger Sue McIntire said.

The blocked pathway, which traverses through a dip in the nature preserve’s geography near its border with Irvine Avenue, represents only a few yards of the park’s trail system. McIntire said the stretch of the trail between the barriers has been off-limits since spring.

The damaged footpath is not the only place where hikers have attempted to blaze their own trail through the park. Recognizing room for improvement in the trail system, a representative from Newport Beach and one from Orange County’s parks department have scheduled a meeting for tonight to speak with park-goers about possible ways to improve the trail system around the bay.