OUTDOORS
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Crystal Cove State Park, 8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, has 3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped woodland. $10 day-use parking fee.
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. Note: All hikes meet at the El Moro Visitor Center (from Coast Highway, turn inland at light for School/State Park, follow park signs), unless otherwise indicated. Information: (949) 497-7647 or via e-mail wbonnin@ parks.ca.gov. Rain cancels.
No reservations are required; for more information, visit www.crystalcovealliance.org
LAGUNA COAST WILDERNESS PARK
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road; reservations and information, (949) 923-2235; www.ocparks.com.
Rangers staff the park daily. Open daily, 7 a.m. to sunset, including holidays. Parking lot hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WILDERNESS VOLUNTEERING
The Laguna Canyon Foundation will host an orientation on various volunteer opportunities on Sunday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Nix Nature Center, James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center, 18751 Laguna Canyon Road. Volunteers can choose to help at Willow Canyon, the Dilley Preserve or the Nix Nature Center; participate in wilderness restoration projects; train to become guides for naturalist tours; create materials for the park’s educational programs, assist with the foundation’s office operations; or staff fundraising events. No experience is required. For more information, call (949) 497-8324.
Willow Canyon on Laguna Canyon Road, just south of the El Toro Road intersection. Open to hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers on specified trails; open 7 a.m. to sunset, but parking lot is only open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., $3.
Dilley Preserve on Laguna Canyon Road, just north of the 73 Tollroad: Open daily 7 a.m. to sunset. Parking $3; lot open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Little Sycamore Canyon on Laguna Canyon Road, just south of the I-405 interchange: The James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; parking $3; lot open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Laguna Heights, the trailhead for West Ridge trail and routes into Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, at Top of the World on Alta Laguna Blvd., is open daily, 7 a.m. to sunset.
Laguna Canyon Foundation leads a guided Walk with a Naturalist at 9 a.m. Saturdays. Information: (949) 923-2235. All programs meet at Willow Canyon.
The Nature Conservancy leads a full schedule of hikes, mountain bike tours and equestrian rides within Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve. Information: (714) 832-7478.
ALISO AND WOOD CANYONS
Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, 28373 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel; (949) 923-2200; www.ocparks.com: Open daily all year, 7 a.m. to sunset, for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians; parking, $3.
Orange County rangers and a groundskeeper staff the park daily; free 30-minute ranger-led Discovery Hike offered each second and fourth Saturday at noon. Orange County Natural History Museum located at the park entrance; call before visiting to confirm museum is open. (949) 831-3287.
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