This week in the Irvine Open Space Preserve, we’ll be in Quail Hill, once part of the historic Irvine cattle ranch. The hike is seven and a half miles with some climbing but rewards you with fantastic views overlooking Laguna Canyon and many Irvine locales. Please bring water, a trail snack, sunscreen, hat and any other necessary equipment to keep you safe on the trail. Get your boots out and register to hike the Quail Trail and Shady Canyon singletrack trails.

This week in the Irvine Open Space Preserve, we’ll be in Quail Hill, once part of the historic Irvine cattle ranch. The hike is seven and a half miles with some climbing but rewards you with fantastic views overlooking Laguna Canyon and many Irvine locales. Please bring water, a trail snack, sunscreen, hat and any other necessary equipment to keep you safe on the trail. Get your boots out and register to hike the Quail Trail and Shady Canyon singletrack trails.

Quail Trail, Cattle Crest, Rabbit Run, Serrano Ridge

Non-native and invasive plant species are invading our native habitat and open spaces. They aggressively compete with our native plants for resources and spreads rapidly once established. Monitoring, management, and removal of these plant species is an important aspect of land management and habitat restoration.

Help us to manage populations of invasive plants and remove them from the habitat. No previous experience is necessary, just a desire to work outside and get dirty! Snake chaps, gloves, and tools will be provided but please feel free to bring your own if you have them. Please wear long pants, long sleeved shirts, close toed shoes, and protective sun protection. Note: This is a wilderness area, there are natural hazards. Snakes, including rattlesnakes, are occasionally seen here.

Due to recent rain, the City of Irvine has asked IRC to assess its seven-day access trail system. The purpose of this is to evaluate trails and report on conditions for public access before the busy holiday week.

This hike is for the seven-day access trails in Bommer Canyon: Bommer Meadow, Bommer Canyon (trail along the road), Nature Loop, West Fork, Turtle Ridge singletrack, Community Trail.

A minimum of one Trail Guide may register. If more register, they should go on the assessment together, but may split up to look at various trail segments, if needed.

(We don’t actually need a certified “Docent/Lead” to sign up to do this; it can be one or more Trail Guides.) Activity time can be determined by the volunteer(s) but must be within the regular “open” hours for the trail system.

All IRC volunteers must be in IRC uniform (with proper landowner [City of Irvine] identification/patch), including your badge(s).

Before leaving your home to report for the activity, fill your water bottle, bring everything you need to be healthy, and conduct a self-assessment.

Please take note of the trail conditions and take photos of any issues, especially those that might impact the public’s access of the trail, such as areas that are impassable or highly saturated. It will be helpful to note the exact location of any photos taken.

As soon as possible after the Assessment Hike, please send an email to 1) Tony Pointer (tpointer@irconservancy.org) AND 2) IRC Activity Operations (activityoperations@irconservancy.org) with your observations including (but not limited to):

1. Weather during your hike
2. Overall impression of the trail (saturated, wet, impassable, dry, etc.)
3. Any problem spots (fallen branches, etc.)
4. Provide photos and exact location of any problem spots
5. Wildlife sightings
6. Other hikers?

Please also remember that if you find that you are making ½” or deeper footprints on any of the trails, please do not continue! Immediately report that information to Tony Pointer and IRC Activity Operations.

Due to recent rain, the City of Irvine has asked IRC to assess its seven-day access trail system. The purpose of this is to evaluate trails and report on conditions for public access before the busy holiday week.

This hike is for the Quail Hill Loop only, which is one of the seven-day access trails.

A minimum of one Trail Guide may register. If more register, they should go on the assessment together. (We don’t actually need a certified “Docent/Lead” to sign up to do this; it can be one or more Trail Guides.) Activity time can be determined by the volunteer(s) but must be within the regular “open” hours for the trail system.

All IRC volunteers must be in IRC uniform (with proper landowner [City of Irvine] identification/patch), including your badge(s).

Before leaving your home to report for the activity, fill your water bottle, bring everything you need to be healthy, and conduct a self-assessment.

Please take note of the trail conditions and take photos of any issues, especially those that might impact the public’s access of the trail, such as areas that are impassable or highly saturated. It will be helpful to note the exact location of any photos taken.

As soon as possible after the Assessment Hike, please send an email to 1) Tony Pointer (tpointer@irconservancy.org) AND 2) IRC Activity Operations (activityoperations@irconservancy.org) with your observations including (but not limited to):

1. Weather during your hike
2. Overall impression of the trail (saturated, wet, impassable, dry, etc.)
3. Any problem spots (fallen branches, etc.)
4. Provide photos and exact location of any problem spots
5. Wildlife sightings
6. Other hikers?

Please also remember that if you find that you are making ½” or deeper footprints on any of the trails, please do not continue! Immediately report that information to Tony Pointer and IRC Activity Operations.

Join us as we explore the native seed farm while learning about plants, pollination, and pollinators. We’ll focus on the native plants grown at the farm as we talk about, and identify, the pollinators we find on them. Closed-toe shoes and water are required for the walk. Hats and sunscreen highly recommended.

Enjoy an evening hike through stunning rock formations and fragrant native plants as you listen to the sounds of nature. This hike in the Irvine Open Space Preserve is done at an easy walking pace. This out-and-back program travels 3.5 miles round trip to scenic Loma Ridge and back down. Please bring a red-tinted flashlight as the return portion of the hike may be after sunset.

Join us on this epic hike to Mini Moab. We’ll hike from the bottom of Fremont Canyon to the bold, sandstone outcrops marking the ridgeline locally known as “Mini Moab.” This extremely challenging out-and-back hike is for experienced, physically fit distance hikers. We climb steeply along ranch roads past an abandoned coal mine, the Fremont Weather Station, remnants of a rare stand of Tecate cypress, and Lizard Rock. Less than a mile after entering the Coal Canyon Ecological Reserve, we reach our destination. The view from Mini Moab is nothing short of spectacular! After a break for snacks and to enjoy the view, we’ll retrace our steps back to the Fremont Staging Area.

Invasive Species Control (Tree Tobacco, Castro Bean and Artichoke Thistle)

Proposed Location: Slopes west of Cattle Camp

In coordination with IRC Staff Isaac Ostmann

Birds are often hidden from sight and yet can still be identified by their calls and songs. Knowing how to identify birds by ear is an important step in becoming a better birder. Join other birders as we search for birds by both ear and eye in the beautiful arroyo canyon of Agua Chinon, part of OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. Restoration of this sensitive habitat has recently been completed, and we are watching to see if bird populations increase over time. Please wear sturdy shoes suitable for hiking, along with sun protection such as a hat and sunscreen.

Looking for a way to give back to Nature this Spring? Come help us behind the scenes at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s one-of-a-kind Native Seed Farm in Irvine! Every day at the farm is different; depending on the needs of the farm we will be harvesting seeds from beautiful native plants, planting new seeds in the annual plots, working in our native plant demo garden, or tending to younger seedlings in our nursery.

Working with us at the Native Seed Farm is a great way to grow your community and cultivate knowledge about local plant and wildlife! Absolutely no experience or special equipment required! 

Enjoy a five mile out and back hike to warm up your legs before experiencing a gentle flow yoga practice in nature. The hike is highlighted with a short but steep climb at a medium pace and takes us to a 360-degree view of the Quail Hill neighborhood. The yoga is suitable for those with little or no experience, slower in pace and gentle in practice. Our focus on breath calms the nervous system and has positive effects on mental, emotional and physical health. If you have never done a yoga hike before you will be surprised how connected you feel to nature. Please bring water, your own yoga mat plus a large beach towel, and wear shoes appropriate for hiking on trails.

Art creating is back! Join our professional artist to learn about expressive underpainting washes. This a a fun and loose application of pigment that will be the foundation for a painting. Watercolor, pastel, oil, or acrylic can all be used. If you have never tried this technique, there will be some materials provided for you to explore as well as a demonstration of how to get started. You may also just join the group and work in your own method.

Upon registration, a recommended list of materials is available for you to bring to this free program. No materials are provided, only art instruction. A tour of the house and background of Madame Modjeska’s artist life is highlighted.

This program welcomes all who are interested and love the arts, from beginning to advanced artists. Come experience an OC Park in a new way.

Join us for a slow-paced interpretive hike related to current IRC projects focused on research, monitoring, and conservation.  The series will rotate through the landscape based on the season and projects.

For this series, we will spend the spring morning hiking along beautiful Limestone Canyon where we will focus on the butterflies in Limestone Canyon, and the newly created butterfly habitat plots.  These plots were seeded and planted with a variety of both host and nectar plants to aid the documented, declining population of butterflies in the canyon. We will hike through Limestone canyon plot by plot, and up to Dripping Springs, a natural water source dripping out of an earthquake fault and down a gorgeous fern-covered rock face.

Spend your morning watering, mulching and weeding the newly planted Coast Live Oak seedlings within a beautiful oak woodland in Baker Canyon. No experience necessary.

Spending time outside is one of the best ways to nurture curiosity and instill a love of the natural world. Bring your young ones and join OC Parks staff to learn all about the Newport Back Bay.

Our Toddler Treks program is offered every Friday from 10:00-11:00am and includes a story time, an age-appropriate hike, and a themed craft. Each week will focus on a different topic that encourages young ones to learn about the outdoors.

The program begins at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center. Program content is tailored for the preschool level (ages 2-5), but all are welcome to attend. Please wear comfortable attire and closed-toe shoes.

The program and parking are free. Advance registration is required.

Adverse weather conditions may move the program indoors or cancel it.

Nature journaling is a wonderful tool for nature observations, creating lasting memories, and making deeper connections with nature. Build upon your own sense of place to maximize mindfulness and relaxation. Each session will cover the basics of art theory and practices, journal anatomy, and immersing your senses in the wonders of nature.

Bring a nature journal and your own art materials such as pencils, pens, or watercolors. A portable chair is recommended along with sun protection, water, and snacks. Be prepared to move along the trail a short distance and sit to document the beauty around you.

Experience the serenity of Bommer Canyon during this moderate-paced hike in the Irvine Open Space Preserve. We’ll experience mature coastal sage scrub and fantastic views overlooking the city of Irvine and the hillsides to the north. This hike is just over 3 miles and includes 700 feet of total climbing elevation with several very steep inclines. The steepest section ascends 300 feet in a quarter-mile. Participants must be in good physical condition and should be able to hike steep hills.

Join Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers in beautiful Laguna Coast Wilderness Park at our native plant nursery as we care for native plants from their seed stage to their mature, ready-to-be planted stage. Volunteers may collect seeds, sow seeds in flats, bump plants up, plant at restoration sites, sterilize plant containers, and help maintain the nursery. Gain hands-on experience with habitat restoration while working alongside other zany and interesting plant lovers!

Please note the following safety precautions and protocols:

Pre-registration on lagunacanyon.org/events is required for this event. No walk-ups. Register here.
Each participant must register individually. For group registration or questions, please email volunteer@lagunacanyon.org.
Group sizes will be minimized for safety purposes.
Participants must be at least 16 years old and those younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. A waiver, provided on arrival, must be signed by each participant at the start of the program.
Please wear long pants, closed- toed shoes and sun protection, and bring water.
In an effort to protect all employees, volunteers, and participants, please do not attend if you are not feeling well, have symptoms of illness or have been in contact with someone who was ill.

Location: Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Willow Canyon Staging Area (west side of Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133, just south of El Toro Road). You must arrive by 8 am.

Parking: Free for nursery volunteers – a pass will be provided upon arrival. Park and walk up the gravel trail 100 yards to get to the small native plant nursery, just before the trailers.

Please note: Wet or muddy trail conditions may lead to cancellation of this event.

Access is first come first served until parking capacity is reached. No registration required.

Equestrians, while space is not guaranteed we encourage you to please email irvineranchopenspace@ocparks.com to coordinate parking.

Come explore 3.3 miles of new trails at Saddleback Wilderness, part of OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space, through this self-guided opportunity. Designated trails will be open for self-guided hiking, biking and equestrian use. There are multiple trail loop options which vary in distance and level of difficulty. Choices range from an easy one-mile loop to multiple figure-8 configurations for those looking to maximize their mileage. Regardless of distance, nearly all options feature scenic views including a destination vista point offering 360-degree perspectives from the mountains to the sea.

Please review our Trail Tips page and FAQ page to prepare for your experience in the wilderness area.