The 26-facility county parks system includes the Irvine Ranch Open Space, comprising Limestone Canyon, Weir Canyon and Fremont Canyon nature preserves, as well as Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park.
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Description
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park lies within some of the last remaining coastal canyons in Southern California. Forty miles of trails lead the visitor through oak and sycamore woodlands and up onto ridges with expansive scenic vistas. Rocky bluffs tower above the canyon trails.
Visitors to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park can see California as it has existed for thousands of years. The Coastal Sage Scrub community covers hilltops and slopes, along with patches of Native Valley Grassland and Maritime Chaparral. In the canyons visitors can find riparian habitats lined by Willow, Oak, and Sycamore trees. After a plentiful winter rain, the ephemeral streams spring to life. In the summer, you can easily pass through the seasonally dry creek beds.
The park is part of the Natural Community Conservation Planning program, which is designed to protect rare and endangered species, from California Gnatcatcher to Orange-Throated Whiptail, by preserving large tracts of Orange County’s rapidly disappearing Coastal Sage Scrub community. Other species benefit from this preservation, including Mule Deer, Long-tailed Weasel, Bobcat, Red-tailed Hawk, and many more.
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s 7,000 acres are part of the South Coast Wilderness area, comprised of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, Crystal Cove State Park, The City of Irvine Open Space, and Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (totaling almost 20,000 acres).
Visit the park’s award-winning Nix Nature Center to learn more about Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and for trail information and orientation.
Upcoming Activities
Join us at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park
Please be aware this is a Fitness Hike and not for beginners; the pace is approximately a 19-minute mile. Join Laguna Canyon Foundation Volunteers to raise your heart rate and your spirits on this strenuous, moderately paced, 6.2-mile hike over...
Slow down and discover what the natural world can teach us. On a guided walk, we’ll explore how trees, rocks, and animals offer quiet lessons about resilience, patience, and change. Then, we’ll create a personal nature token—a small, handmade reminder...
Join OC Parks and 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...