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 https://www.ocparks.com

The park is open 7 a.m. to sunset daily, all year, 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. There will be no nature talk on Christmas day.

Crystal Cove State Park

8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

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

497-7647

https://www.crystalcove

statepark.com

The park is open 6 a.m. to sunset, daily all year, 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. Upcoming dates include Dec. 19 and 26. Hikes are

three to five miles and last about two hours.

Special Activities: Meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18 for a

winter native plant walk. Celebrate the winter solstice with a sunset

beach walk at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

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. each second Saturday

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

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.

Mountain bike rides in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s start at

8:30 a.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. Sunday. No tours are scheduled

Monday through Jan. 2.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

20101 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

(949) 923-2235 or https://www.ocparks.com and nonprofit support

group websites, https://www.lagunacanyon.org and

https://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.

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 Laurel Loop hike at 8 a.m. every Saturday (except Christmas and New

Year’s days). Hikers 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 Saturday. 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

https://www.lagunacanyon.org or call (949) 855-PARK (7275).