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 www.ocparks.com

The park is open daily all year from 7 a.m. to sunset for hiking,

bicycling and equestrian use. Parking is $3. No dogs.

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

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

the park entrance.

Located at the park entrance, the Orange County Natural History

Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. 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

www.crystalcovestatepark. com. The park is open daily all year

from 6 a.m. to sunset for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding. The

park includes backcountry, bluff top and beach areas, with access at

different points. Parking $8. 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., including Jan. 23. Hikes are three to five miles

and last about two hours.

Special Activities: Meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, for a plant ID

hike or take a geology walk from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23.

Celebrate the gray whales’ return on the first Gray Whale Sunday.

Volunteers will help park visitors spot migrating whales from 9 a.m.

to 1 p.m. on Sunday.

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. on the second

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

Irvine Ranch

Land Reserve

The Nature Conservancy (714) 832-7478 or

https://[email protected]

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.

Mountain bike rides start at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. Thursday.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

20101 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

(949) 923-2235 or www.ocparks.com and nonprofit support group

websites, www.lagunacanyon.org and 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 special bird hike at 8 a.m. on Jan. 22. Meet at Willow Canyon

Staging Area, $2 donation per hiker. Help with restoration projects

from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday and every third Saturday of the month

through May. All volunteers receive free “Keep It Wild” t-shirts

provided by Laguna Canyon Foundation. Attend a training session to

become a Wilderness Access Volunteer (WAV) from 9 to 11 a.m. on

Sunday. WAVs meet and greet park visitors. Information and

reservations for both programs: (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).