Come be a part of the effort to restore the oak woodlands in Weir Canyon that have been impacted by invasive wood-boring beetles and the recent Canyon 2 fire. This is a unique opportunity to see the impacts of the fire and beetle management and to plant acorns to ensure the long-term health of this special habitat.

Join us for a docent-led mountain bike ride through the Irvine Open Space Preserve. This moderate-paced mountain bike tour through the picturesque hills of Bommer and Shady Canyons includes a combination of ranch roads and multiple intermediate and advanced level technical single-track trails, with many steep climbs and descents. Over 2700 feet of accumulated climbing elevation is experienced on this route.

Please note, this program is an intermediate-to-advanced ride featuring only a few short rest stops, steep climbs and rocky descents. It requires above average fitness and mountain biking skills, and a mountain bike with a minimum of front suspension.

Enjoy self-guided access in the southern portion of Irvine’s Open Space Preserve. The entire southern Open Space Preserve trail network will be open for self-guided hiking and biking from 8 am to 2 pm. This includes the single-tracks in Shady Canyon and Bommer Canyon that are reserved for guided activities only. Registration is not required for this event, though it is shown on the website. If you need driving directions, please use the online registration to receive a map and instructions for getting to Bommer. The Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp will be available for parking, but please take note that your vehicle must be removed from the Cattle Camp area by 2 pm.

Join us on a wonderful, moderately paced hike, in the beautiful Bommer Canyon. Take in the breathtaking views of Irvine and the surrounding area as we hike up to and along the ridge line of the canyon. Along your hike, you will joined by IRC volunteers who will be sharing their knowledge about the local environment. This is a 3 mile hike with 700 feet of total elevation that includes several steep climbs. Participants must come prepared with sturdy, closed toed shoes, backpack, and at least 50 oz of water.

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

Enjoy an early evening family hike in Agua Chinon, part of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. We hike a gradual climb of 500 ft elevation of  as we watch for red-tailed hawks and mule deer.  This activity originates in the City of Irvine and travels into OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve. The hike will average 3 miles round trip at an easy pace with a medium level of interpretation.

This program is for participants who would enjoy a slower-paced gradual climb hike. Hikers should be in good health able to do a beginning hike over a variety of terrains. Wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes, and bring water for the hike. Be ready to enjoy the sounds and smells of early evening.

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

Come along with us to visit one of the most photographed and famous sites on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks – The Sinks. This interpretative program will begin with a hike along a riparian corridor currently being restored with native plants and will visit both east and west sides of The Sinks.  Along the way we’ll talk about the geologic processes that over millions of years created the geologic features of The Sinks, Loma Ridge, and Agua Chinon Creek.

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. There will be instructor led yoga above the scenic Avocado Orchard with the West Loma Ridge rising along side. Views of the Pacific coastline peep through the trees at the landing (elevation gain 1640′) where we spread our mats and breathe deeply. The hike distance will be 6-7 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.

Discover the hidden canyons and trails found on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. These seldom hiked trails offer fantastic vista views, secluded oasis of oaks or rising rocky outcrops. Come take a stroll along the trails to discover the hidden gems of Orange County. We will listen to tales how the geology was formed underfoot to tales of the plants and animals that call these protected habitats home. Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes for our hike as well as proper sun protection and water.

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

Come out and enjoy the evening with us on the Orchard Hills loop trail. This trail meanders around an avocado orchard on the edge of the open space preserve and provides fantastic ridge-top views of Irvine and the Pacific coastline.

The three-mile loop has several very steep climbs, but the hike is done at a moderate pace. The effort is rewarded with a beautiful, unobstructed view to the west. Please bring water and wear sturdy shoes. This hike is not suitable for children under 12.

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

Come be a part of the effort to restore the oak woodlands in Weir Canyon that have been impacted by invasive wood-boring beetles and the recent Canyon 2 fire. This is a unique opportunity to see the impacts of the fire and beetle management and to plant acorns to ensure the long-term health of this special habitat.

Please join IRC staff and volunteers as we plant native shrubs along the new Waterworks Trail in Fremont! Spend the afternoon working under an oak woodland and coastal sage habitat. Your work on the trail will help establish important habitat in Fremont for local wildlife.

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

Recharge your batteries with a refreshing mid-week hike through the Agua Chinon Wash in Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve. This hike will visit The Sinks and other possible destinations such as Box Springs, Loma Ridge, Limestone Ridge and Limestone Canyon.

This hike involves multiple steep climbs and descents, with 2100+ feet of accumulated climbing elevation, but is done at a moderate pace of approximately 3 mph. Please bring plenty of water, and wear sturdy shoes. Hike distance is 10-12 miles. This activity originates in the City of Irvine and travels into OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve.

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

Join IRC’s Drain Gang on its mission improve Bommer Canyon’s single track trails. Our main objective will be to repair drainage structures (drainage dips, tread outslope, drainage knicks, etc.) so they will function well this wet season and protect the trails from erosion. We will use pick mattocks, shovels and rakes/McLeods to clean and enhance existing structures. This work will help keep the trails sustainable for the surrounding habitat and enjoyable for users.

The day’s program will include a up to 1 mile of hiking 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.

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

Want to have fun while giving back to nature? Join Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s one-of-a-kind Native Seed Farm in Irvine. You will be working to help expand the Farm’s impact for restoration of Orange County’s wildlands by planting new plants into our growing fields, weeding to protect them while they grow, and harvesting seed, depending on the season. Tools and training will be provided. You do not need experience, nor a green thumb, just excitement to give back to the land.

Please note our Minors Policy as noted on the letsgooutside.org website:  All minors (under 18 years of age) must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. They must also (both parent and minor) be registered for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy led program they wish to attend.

Reviewing the 1-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this Level 1 activity.

Participants are required to come prepared by reviewing the Stewardship Tips in their confirmation email. Under-prepared participants may be turned away.

The Youth Action Team, an after school community-service based program throughout the City of Irvine regularly volunteers their time to steward the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. This week, middle school students will spend their afternoon helping out at the Native Seed Farm! Stewardship activities can include harvesting native seed, weeding, and planting. Please help lead this group and provide a wonderful experience they will never forget!

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

Come out and enjoy the evening with us on the Orchard Hills loop trail. This trail meanders around an avocado orchard on the edge of the open space preserve and provides fantastic ridge-top views of Irvine and the Pacific coastline.

The three-mile loop has several very steep climbs, but the hike is done at a moderate pace. The effort is rewarded with a beautiful, unobstructed view to the west. Please bring water and wear sturdy shoes. This hike is not suitable for children under 12.

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

Enjoy an evening fitness hike through stunning rock formations and fragrant native plants as you listen to the sounds of nature. This hike is done at your own pace as a walk, jog, or run (speed range typically 2.5 to 3.5 mph), so is suitable for beginners who are just starting their fitness program as well as more experienced hikers who are looking for a workout. This out-and-back program travels the 3.5 mile route to scenic Loma Ridge (450′ elevation gain) and back down, with most participants completing the route in about 1.5 hours. The hike is family-friendly, but children must be closely supervised by an adult and able to hike with the group, or be safely carried by a strong adult or secured in a jogging stroller. This activity originates in the City of Irvine and travels into OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve.

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

Join Irvine Councilmember Melissa Fox and naturalists on a hike up Agua Chinon Wash to The Sinks, with a visit to one of Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s large riparian habitat restoration projects. This spectacular hike takes you alongside a dry creek bed in Agua Chinon Wash, the headwaters of San Diego Creek, which meanders through Irvine before eventually flowing into Newport Bay. It begins with a flat, and sometimes sandy walk through lush riparian, or creek side, habitat with periods of shady, oak woodlands. Elderberry and mulefat shrubs abound in the creek bed while the hillsides of the canyon are covered in native sage scrub.

Highly experienced mountain bikers can explore one of the most rugged and remote areas of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks from the trails of Fremont Canyon Nature Preserve on this fast-paced advanced ride.  Fremont Canyon remains one of the most wild places in Orange County, with a diversity of rare plants and animals, and this ride includes natural trail hazards such as sand, tree roots, ruts, and exposed rocks.  PLEASE NOTE: there are multiple very steep climbs, with an approximate elevation gain of 3,500 feet over 19 miles.  This hard ride is for expert adult-only riders in excellent physical condition who will be rewarded with the remote wonders of Fremont Canyon.

Please review the Difficulty Ratings to help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-5 activity on the land.

Are the regular cardio hikes a little too fast for you? If so, join us in beautiful Baker Canyon for this slower intro-to-cardio hike. This scenic loop hike will involve a few steep climbs with a net gain of about 1000′ but you will be rewarded with sweeping views of the northeastern edge of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.
Remember, even though this is a slower cardio hike, it is still faster than a walk. You must be able to hike the entire time without stopping. Please make sure you are in excellent physical condition!
Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-4 activity (due to pace) on the land.

Remember, even though this is a slower cardio hike, it is still faster than a walk. You must be able to hike the entire time without stopping. Please make sure you are in excellent physical condition!