Activities and Programs

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.

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, fast paced 6-mile hike over steep and uneven terrain with a 1,150-ft. elevation gain.

Age: 16 or older. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Location: Willow Staging Area, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (West side of Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133, just south of El Toro Road).

Parking: $3/car at Willow Staging Area parking lot. Parking is limited, carpooling is encouraged.

Difficulty Rating: 4/5

Materials: Participants must bring plenty of water, closed-toed hiking shoes, and sun protection. Hiking poles are recommended.

Safety precautions and protocols:

• Advanced registration required. Every individual, including children, must be registered. Register here.
• Group sizes are minimized for safety purposes. For group registrations or questions please email volunteer@lagunacanyon.org
• Participants must individually sign a waiver at the beginning of the program. For participants under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the waiver.
• 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.

Contact volunteer@lagunacanyon.org with any questions.

Weather, including high temperatures and wet or muddy trail conditions, may lead to cancellation of this event.

Join OC Park naturalists for story time and short hike with your little ones (ages 3-6) as we learn about spiders!  

Age: 3-6 year-olds. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.   

Location: Nix Nature Center, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (18751 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach 92651, East side of Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133). 

Parking: $3/car at the Nix Nature parking lot. Parking is limited, carpooling is encouraged.  

Difficulty Rating: 1/5  

Materials: Participants must bring plenty of water, closed-toed shoes, and sun protection. 
Safety precautions and protocols:  

• Advanced registration required. Every individual, including children, must be registered.  Register here.

• Group sizes are minimized for safety purposes. For group registrations or questions please email volunteer@lagunacanyon.org  

• Participants must individually sign a waiver at the beginning of the program. For participants under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the waiver.  

• 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.  

Contact volunteer@lagunacanyon.org or shelbi.richardson@ocparks.com with any questions.  

Weather, including high temperatures and wet or muddy trail conditions, may lead to cancellation of this event.

Come explore Baker Canyon in OCParks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. This scenic equestrian ride involves steep climbs and descents on both double and singletrack trails and around 1000’ of accumulated elevation. We will travel through multiple landscapes of coastal sage and chaparral and rewards you with sweeping views of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks as well as the Santa Ana Mountains. On clear days you can see Catalina Island and even beyond Orange County into the Los Angeles Basin. This is a shorter ride views make it well worth it.

Join us for an evening/night mountain bike ride through Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve and Red Rock Wilderness, part of OCParks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. We will ride approximately 12 miles, with 1500′ of climbing along a variety singletrack trails and ranch roads. The route will vary based on trail conditions/availability.

This ride is not recommended as a first time night ride. Bring adequate lights, a jacket, plenty of water, spare tubes, tools and all other equipment to be self-sufficient on the trails. Hopefully we will see some of our local nocturnal critters. Motorized recreation vehicles of any class or type are not permitted for use in the Nature Preserve.

Enjoy an evening hike through stunning rock formations and fragrant native plants as you listen to the sounds of nature. During this hike in the Irvine Open Space Preserve, you may travel at various hiking speeds based on your comfort level.  This out-and-back program travels 3.5 miles round trip up 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 beautiful early morning hike passing through Irvine and Santiago Oaks Regional Parks and then crossing into Weir Canyon Nature Preserve, part of Irvine Ranch Open Space. Leaving Santiago Oaks, we drop into lower Weir Canyon, winding our way back to Irvine Regional Park. Distance is around 7 miles with a few steep climbs and descents.

After a brief walk from the Community Center, enjoy a 4-mile fitness hike on the Buck Gully Trail to warm up your legs before relaxing into yoga. The yoga is suitable for those with little or no experience and features basic poses centered on the muscles used for hiking, biking and other sports. 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, a yoga mat and wear shoes appropriate for hiking.

Looking for a way to give back to Nature this Autumn? 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, weeding, trimming, or planting seed of our beautiful native plants.

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

Join us for a rewarding day of trail work on the Cactus Hill Trail at beautiful Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park! We’ll be tackling brush clearing, filling/leveling eroded areas, and clearing drains to help maintain one of the park’s most popular trails. No experience necessary. Trail maintenance is hard but rewarding work. We will be using tools such as loppers, picks, shovels, and McLeod’s to improve the user experience, protect the fragile habitat and increase the sustainability of our trails. Be prepared to hike to and from the staging area with changing elevation.

Age: 16 or older. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Location: Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park – Cactus Hill Trail

Staging: More information will be shared to registrants closer to the event date.

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Materials: Participants must bring water, closed-toed shoes, long pants, and sun protection. Gloves and tools are provided. Feel free to bring your own gloves if you prefer!

Advanced registration required. Every individual, including children, must be registered.

Contact: WhitingRanch@ocparks.com  or 949-923-2245 with any questions.

Weather, including high temperatures and wet or muddy trail conditions, may lead to cancellation of this event.

Take a leisurely ride on beautiful Hall Canyon and Helo trail in the Black Star Wilderness Area, home of oak woodlands, grasslands, and coastal sage scrub. View evidence of the old ranch days when cattle once roamed the area and see wildflowers that are native to our area. You will see amazing views of the local canyons and red rock. Evidence of a more recent use of the land is an area used for helicopter landings and a large metal ball and chain the military and OC Fire departments used for training.

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 Wild Tales 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. Minors under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult guardian. Please wear comfortable attire and closed-toe shoes. Additionally, please note that the hiking portion of the program occurs on a non-stroller friendly trail.

Advance registration is REQUIRED. In an effort to keep our program size manageable and engaging for participants, this program no longer accepts walk ups. Program and parking are free.

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

The OC Parks Jr. Ranger Program encourages park guests to explore the outdoor world within OC Parks by developing a sense of belonging, becoming a part of nature and feeling empowered to be stewards of Orange County’s natural and cultural resources.  

Earn yourself a Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Jr. Ranger Badge by completing this Jr. Ranger quest! We will be exploring the wildlife corridors at Laguna Canyon and figuring out if animals are using them and if so, why. 

Age: Designed for 7 to 12 years of age, but all are welcome to participate. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  

Location: Nix Nature Center, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (18751 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach 92651, East side of Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133). 

Parking: $3/car at Nix Nature Center parking lot. Parking is limited, carpooling is encouraged. 

Difficulty Rating: 1/5  

Materials: Participants must bring plenty of water, closed-toed shoes, and sun protection. 
Safety precautions and protocols:  

• Advanced registration required. Every individual, including children, must be registered.  Register here.

• Group sizes are minimized for safety purposes. For group registrations or questions please email volunteer@lagunacanyon.org  

• Participants must individually sign a waiver at the beginning of the program. For participants under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the waiver.  

• 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.  

Contact volunteer@lagunacanyon.org or shelbi.richardson@ocparks.com with any questions.  

Weather, including high temperatures and wet or muddy trail conditions, may lead to cancellation of this event.  

Join us in OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space for a challenging docent-led mountain bike ride for very experienced off-road riders in excellent cardio shape. Climb challenging State Spur to Cathedral Rock, and then descend into Fremont Canyon while passing some of Orange County’s most spectacular geological formations. The ride continues out to Mini-Moab and then over to Sierra Peak, passing the Tecate Cypress forest, then past Sierra Peak, and over to the last descent down through historic Black Star Canyon. Motorized recreation vehicles of any class or type are not permitted for use in the Nature Preserve. 

Join us on this moderate-paced hike over the ridge and the through beautiful Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve, part of OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. We will enjoy short breaks at the East and West Sinks viewing platforms before hiking back through the canyon. We will enjoy a view of wonderful vistas in addition to a spectacular view of The Sinks. This hike involves hiking on both double and single-track trails with an elevation gain of 1000 ft.

Do you want to explore the Sinks, a geological rock formation that has got its reputation as “Orange County’s miniature Grand Canyon”? Come out and join us on a hike from the Portola staging area to the West Sinks in OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon. Distance is about 6 miles, with some sustained climbing in one section. Participants must wear sturdy, closed-toe hiking shoes. Remember to pack plenty of water, sunscreen, a hat, and all other necessary equipment to keep you safe on the trail. This activity originates in the City of Irvine (Portola Staging Area) and travels into OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space.

Enjoy the relaxation of riding in the wilderness on empty trails. Join us on this docent-led mountain bike ride through Limestone Canyon, part of OCParks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. We will visit the East Viewing Platform for a panoramic view of the geological feature call The Sinks. The route to The Sinks will include a fun downhill ride on the Dripping Springs single track. The return route will take us on the Limestone Ridge single track with views of Limestone Canyon, Santiago Canyon and the Santa Ana Mountains.

This is a slow-paced ride designed for the beginner that has experience riding fire roads such as Limestone Canyon or Telegraph Canyon but wants to develop their climbing and riding abilities. The ride can also be enjoyed by more advanced riders looking for a relaxed ride in a beautiful setting.

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 info@irconservancy.org to coordinate parking.

Come explore 6 miles of new trails at Gypsum Canyon Wilderness through this self-guided opportunity.

Located within OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space, Gypsum Canyon Wilderness features seven new trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Two lookout points offer sweeping views of the surrounding canyons and unique prehistoric rock formations. Multiple loop options that vary in distance and range from easy to moderate in difficulty are available for self-guided exploration.

Gypsum Canyon Wilderness is comprised of protected and preserved native habitats that a variety of wildlife, including mule deer, red-tailed hawks, California gnatcatchers and bobcats, call home.

Rain or inclement weather will cancel the program.

Gypsum Canyon Wilderness is located at 390 South Gypsum Canyon Road, Anaheim, CA 92887.