Join us for a brisk morning hike in the beautiful Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve.  This loop hike is for physically fit hikers who relish the challenge of multiple steep climbs and descents.  The hike offers sweeping views of Orange County, the Santa Ana Mountains, and surrounding mountain ranges.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-4 activity on the land.

Birds and other wildlife need healthy habitat to thrive. Simple things like weeding and sowing seed of native plants can greatly improve habitat for wildlife. You can be part of that positive impact while enjoying the beauty of Buck Gully near Newport Beach. This activity takes place on sloped terrain and sturdy hiking boots are highly recommended. All training, tools, and gloves will be provided to ensure your safety and comfort. Rattlesnakes are occasionally seen here and generally avoid people, but protective gear will be provided.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-3 activity on the land.

Love birds, but need help with identification?  Join Crystal Cove State Park birders on a guided autumn bird walk on both the inland and coastal areas of the park on Saturday, December 5, at 8 a.m.

Meet at the Berns Amphitheatre (PCH inland at stoplight School-State Park, follow signs towards the campground.)  $15 day use fee

Led by Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers in partnership with OC Parks. Join Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers in a classroom and outdoor setting to learn about outdoor hiking skills. The class will be followed by an easy 2-mile hike on level terrain. We will cover boots, day packs, poles, clothing and the ten most essential items to have in your pack. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Little Sycamore Canyon Staging Area/Nix Nature Center (west side of Laguna Canyon Road/SR-133, approximately 3.5 miles south of I-5/405). Online reservations required: www.lagunacanyon.org/activities.html. For questions call: 949-497-8324. Parking: $3.

Join us for a morning in City of Irvine’s Open Space Preserve as we improve some of Shady Canyon’s single track trails. Our main tasks will be repairing drainage structures. This work will help keep the trails sustainable for the surrounding habitat and enjoyable for users.

The day’s activities will include a 3 mile round trip hike on some of Irvine’s finest single track trails. No previous trail work experience necessary … just the desire to work outdoors and get dirty!

Tools, gloves & light snacks will be provided. Please wear sturdy work shoes or boots, long pants, sun protection, & a hat. A small back pack is handy to carry water, gloves & snacks.

Share Mountain bike club will be performing trail restoration on the following trails. Peralta Hills Trail, Hawk Trail and Grasshopper Trail.

Start your weekend off by exploring the endless opportunities found throughout magnificent Limestone Canyon. Designated trails will be open for self-guided trail use in OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. Trail routes vary in distance and level of difficulty with choices ranging from easy one-hour walks to strenuous 15-mile cardio treks. Whether traveling by feet, hooves or wheels, Wilderness Access Day in Limestone Canyon is a treasure waiting to be discovered by hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers alike.

Come experience Limestone Canyon’s beauty from the back of your horse. Designated trails will be open for self-guided access hiking, biking, and equestrian use during Wilderness Access Day in Limestone Canyon. Equestrian riders who have trail riding experience with a fit and able horse will enjoy the historic ranch roads of days gone by. Take in the awe-inspiring vistas from the mighty ridge tops and drink in the cool canyon shade through the oak grove.

Join an exploratory hike through the beautiful Limestone Canyon. This month on the guided walk, we will offer an introductory tracking hike along Shoestring Single Track Trail. Discover the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, its history and nature along this refreshing 2-mile hike.

Review the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-2 activity on the land.

Explore the richness of Newport Beach’s Buck Gully Reserve as we hike during the beautiful early evening hours. The stream is running and the rich plant and animal life is enjoying the cool, shady canyon, making for a fantastic evening hike in a natural oasis amid the suburban surroundings. We’ll walk along San Joaquin Hills Road, which overlooks Buck Gully, for the first mile and then drop down into the canyon on the Bobcat Trail, looping back through the upper end of the gully along the Buck Gully Trail. This activity is conducted at a walking pace, approximately 3 miles per hour.

PLEASE NOTE: Poison oak grows in abundance throughout the entire Buck Gully Reserve trail system. If you are susceptible to poison oak, please plan accordingly.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-3 activity on the land.

Led by Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers in partnership with OC Parks. Come and enjoy an easy, 2.5-mile family hike over moderate but uneven terrain (45-ft. elevation gain). Starting at the James Dilley Preserve we will hike one of the most diverse areas of the park to Barbara’s Lake and back. Hike is led by Laguna Canyon Foundation naturalist volunteers. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, James Dilley Preserve (I-5 or 405 to 133 south to stoplight at 73 toll road; make a U-turn, go 1 block. Dilley is on the right). Online reservations required: www.lagunacanyon.org/activities.html. For questions call: 949-497-8324. Parking: $3.

Crystal Cove Alliance is hosting the 19^th Annual Tree Lighting & Holiday Bazaar starting at 10am on Saturday, December 5. Santa will arrive in the Historic District of Crystal Cove State Park at 4pm and the tree lighting will take place at sunset. Enjoy authentic vintage décor and a holiday gift bazaar.  Hot cocoa & cookies will be provided by The Beachcomber Café.  Park in the Los Trancos lot (PCH inland at stoplight Los Trancos then walk across the street or take the shuttle.)  Day-use fee: $5/per hour (max. $15)

We start our ride on the paved Hicks Haul Road, the extension of Jeffrey Rd north of Portola Pkwy. As we warm up on the climb to the top of the road, we enjoy increasingly beautiful views over Irvine. We then follow Loma Ridge to the East, with fantastic vistas of Orange County, the surrounding wildlands, and even Catalina Island on clear days. From Loma Ridge we fly down into Limestone Canyon and then visit the Sinks, Orange County’s own “Grand Canyon.”

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-4 activity on the land.

After a snack break on the viewing deck, we continue to the Box Springs, which provides year round water for wildlife like deer. Oak trees provide shade and acorns, which the Indians used to grind into acorn meal. We can still find traces of their work. On our way back, we ride down on Limestone Ridge, a fun singletrack that leads us towards the Augustine Staging area, enjoying views of Saddleback and Santiago Canyon. From there we will follow the Shoestring Trail to climb back up to Loma Ridge, and then coast back down on the paved Hicks Haul Road to our starting point.

Hiking combined with outdoor yoga adds a unique dimension to your fitness experience and yoga practice. YIKING allows the spirit to link with the natural environment. The rigorous cardio hike meanders around an avocado orchard on the edge of the open space preserve followed by a  steep ascent and descent to and from West Loma Ridge through Changala’s Pass. The hike distance will be about 4 miles, making your muscles more pliable, enhancing the yoga stretches. YIKING invokes a sense of harmony and flow, as you breathe deeply, refreshing your mind, body and spirit— all in a location with sweeping views of Irvine and the Pacific coastline.

All participants must bring a yoga mat and carry it along on the hike to the hillside yoga site. Please wear clothes comfortable to stretch in. Hiking poles and sun protection are encouraged.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-5 activity on the land.

Summer is a wonderful time to learn about our local nature.  Join a park naturalist on a family hike at Crystal Cove State Park to learn about the plants and animals living in the park on Sunday, December 6 at 9 a.m. Meet at the Berns Amphitheater (PCH inland at stoplight School-State Park, follow signs towards the campground.)

$15 day-use fee. See additional Family Hike programs in November here.

While enjoying the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of Agua Chinon located in Limestone Canyon, your help is needed to remove aggressive weeds that threaten to overtake new sensitive native plantings. Your contributions will give wildflowers room to grow and your efforts will have a lasting impact on the landscape and the wildlife which depend on it. Participants will learn the names of common weeds and native plants, view wildlife, and enjoy a rarely visited scenic vista overlooking the Sinks, Orange County’s very own miniature Grand Canyon! This activity originates in the City of Irvine and travels into OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve.

All tools and training, including plant identification, will be provided. Expect a challenging and unique workout experience as this event will include bending, kneeling and walking across slopes and uneven terrain. Sturdy footwear is recommended. There is a lot of area to cover and many wildflowers to save so your assistance is greatly appreciated. Hope you can join us!

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-3 activity on the land.

Come visit the Office of Natural Resources at the City of Newport Beach at the Back Bay Science Center every Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM to experience the beauty of Upper Newport Bay while touring a research and education facility! Explore tidepool touch tanks, observe coastal bay and estuary birds, or examine some biofacts in the Teaching Lab. Open to all ages.  For any questions, please contact: marineeducation@newportbeachca.gov.

Please join us at the Community Stewardship Native Plant Nursery located at the Quail Hill Trailhead in Irvine. Help us to propagate native plants by planting seeds, transplanting seedlings, or planting natives in the ground off of Quail Hill’s loop trail. This is a unique opportunity to help start native plants at the same location they will be planted. Your work at the nursery will help to enhance the native habitat – directly benefiting the local wildlife!

Tools and training will be provided, and no experience is necessary. Native Plant Nursery community stewardship days occur every first Sunday of the month.

Discover the wild canyons and hidden foothills on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Many of these lands are wilderness parks and nature preserves for OC Parks. Enjoy a slow-paced hike to explore Orange County’s beautiful wild canyons and hidden foothills as you hear stories from how the geology was formed underfoot to tales of the plants and animals that call these protected habitats home.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-2 activity on the land.