Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park...

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

28373 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel

Park Information: (949) 923-2200 or www.ocparks.com

The park is open from 7 a.m. to sunset daily, year-round, for

hiking, bicycling and equestrian use. Parking $2. No dogs.

Special Activities: Learn about the canyons’ history, plants,

animals and trails. From noon until 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11,

participate in an easy ranger-led walk. Please meet at park

headquarters. Additional hiking programs can be arranged by calling

Ranger Carroll at (949) 923-2200.

The Orange County Natural History Museum is at the Park entrance

and open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. See live

animals and displays of birds, fossils, butterflies and Indian

artifacts. The museum wants your recyclables! Bring your California

Redemption Value items to the recycling bins at Aliso and Woods

Canyons Wilderness Park.

For more information: (949) 831-3287 or www.ocnha.mus.ca.us.

Crystal Cove

State Park

8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

Park Conditions, (949) 494-3539; Interpretive Programs, (949)

497-7647

State Web site www.parks.ca.gov local Web site

www.crystalcovestatepark.com

The park is open from 6 a.m. to sunset daily, year-round, for

hiking, bicycling and equestrian use. Parking $5. Dogs are allowed

only on paved paths above the beach.

Special Activities: At 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 4, 5 and

12, join docent-led backcountry hikes. Hikes are three to five miles

and last about two hours. Be sure to bring water and wear hiking

boots. At 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, join Dean Schroeder for a

tracking hike. Reservations are required, and no more than 20 can

participate. At 7 p.m., Captain Dave Anderson from Dolphin Safari

will speak about our local marine mammals. He has spent four years

videotaping these animals and will present this information in

conjunction with the onset of the gray whale migration. Meet at El

Moro Visitor Center for backcountry hikes and lecture on marine

mammals.

The El Moro Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays

and Sundays and from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Crystal Cove Historic District Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m.

to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Crystal Cove Interpretive Assn. welcomes new volunteers. Call

(949) 497-7648.

The Irvine Ranch

Land Reserve

The Nature Conservancy 714-832-7478 or [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!

Special Activities: At 9 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Jan. 4, 5, 11

and 12, join guided “drop-in” mountain bike rides that orient new

visitors to the trails. Meet at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. At

9 a.m. Saturday, join a 12-mile, three- to four-hour docent-led bike

ride through Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Shady and Serrano

ridges. At 7 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, participate in a three- to

four-mile, three- to five-hour bird walk on the Laguna Laurel trail.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, join an equestrian ride through Laguna

Coast Wilderness Park. At 8 a.m. Jan. 16, join a docent-led “Third

Thursday” bike ride, a six- to 10-mile, two- to three-hour event.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

20101 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

(949) 923-2235 or www.ocparks.com

Call the rangers and ask about special group hikes for schools,

scouts and other organizations and clubs. Parking Fee $2. No dogs.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Activities:

Wilderness access: From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday

at Willow Canyon Road staging area on Laguna Canyon Road just south

of El Toro Road intersection. Open for hikers, equestrians and

mountain bicyclists on specified trails without guides.

Jim Dilley Greenbelt Preserve: From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every

Saturday and Sunday. Hikers only on specified trails without guides.

Trails include Barbara’s Lake, the largest of the Laguna Lakes, which

are the only natural lakes in Orange County.

Guided hikes in Laurel Canyon: At 8 a.m. every Saturday, a

3.5-mile guided hike by Laguna Greenbelt Inc. volunteers. Call for

reservations. There is a $2 donation per hiker.

Laguna Heights: Open from 7 a.m. to sunset daily, year-round.

Trailhead for West Ridge trail and other trails into Aliso and Wood

Canyons Wilderness Park.

Laguna Greenbelt Inc. welcomes volunteers. Call (949) 497-8190 for

more information or visit www.lagunagreenbelt.org.

Parks operate on a regular schedule during the holidays

* Activities compiled by Marla Smith from the 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, check out

www.lagunacanyon.org or 855-7275 (PARK).