Page 2367 – Let's Go Outside

Fremont Distance Hike

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Carl Peterson

Join us for an extremely challenging and strenuous hiking adventure in the scenic Fremont Canyon Wilderness Area. This 16-mile loop hike is for experienced, physically fit distance hikers. The hike is on fire/SCE dirt roads with numerous significantly steep, unrelenting climbs and descents. We hike the entire rim of Fremont Canyon, passing by an abandoned coal mine, the Fremont Weather Station and the remnants of a rare stand of Tecate cypress. Along the way we’ll have sweeping views of Orange County, the Santa Ana Mountains and surrounding mountain ranges.

FREEKS Ride: Clockwise

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Christian Lutkemeyer

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.

Wilderness Access Day: Gypsum Canyon

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Kayla Saunders

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.

Land Tending with LCF – Berns Canyon Preserve

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Emma van der Veen

Join Laguna Canyon Foundation at one of our Land Tending days in Berns Canyon Preserve as we learn and work together to create a healthier habitat for the native plants and wildlife that call the canyon their home. Depending on…

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Emma van der Veen

If you use the Wilderness Parks for hiking, biking, photography or just relaxing, Trail Work might be right up your alley! Get up close and personal with the trails you use; you’ll see them in a whole new way. No…

Bird Walk

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Emma van der Veen

Spot local native and seasonal resident birds with Laguna Canyon Foundation Volunteer naturalists on this slow and easy 2-mile hike over flat, uneven terrain near Aliso Creek. No experience necessary! Age: 12 or older. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by…

Slow-paced Mountain Bike Ride: Limestone Canyon/East Sinks

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Jeffrey Black

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.

Little Explorers: Hike at Dilley!

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Emma van der Veen

The Dilley Preserve has so many interesting and cool things to explore! Bring your little ones (3-6) on a exploratory guided hike! Age: 3-6 year old. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Location: James Dilley Preserve, Laguna…

KIDS Mountain Bike Clinic- Rider Skills for Kids

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Darren Lott

If you’ve got kids showing an interest in mountain biking and want them to learn practical bike handling skills, then join us for the IRC Kid’s Rider Skills Clinic. The class begins with an overview of bicycle safety and clinic fundamentals followed by a series of exercises demonstrating rider-influenced bike maneuvers such as front & rear wheel lifts, hops, drop/roll-offs, late & emergency braking and cornering techniques over pavement, loose dirt, rocks, logs, ruts & potholes. Watch your budding riders enjoy a fun-filled morning on their bikes while developing confidence navigating rocks, ruts/potholes, step-ups/drop-offs, emergency braking and cornering.

Photo Journey Limestone Canyon: The Sinks, Loma Ridge Backcountry and Sunset

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Ross Gough

Join us in the back-country wilderness for a journey filled with beautiful sights that are photographic and artistic sketching opportunities. Our journey begins in the afternoon. We will be deep in a secluded canyon, where time is measured in centuries, even millennia, in the sandstone cliffs of this ancient place called Limestone Canyon. You will board a 4-wheel drive vehicle for a 13-mile tour of the canyon and hills surrounding it. We will stop frequently for 15-30 minutes to admire the views, take photos, sketch landscapes, and answer questions.

The Orange County Fire Watch program is facilitated in partnership with OC Parks, City of Irvine, City of Newport Beach, Irvine Ranch Conservancy, and Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). The volunteer program is managed by Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff, and its mission is to reduce catastrophic wildfires through education, early reporting and deterrence.

The program supports the larger Orange County FIre Watch Network, a collaboration of fire watch programs such as the Fire Safe Council East Orange County Canyons, the cities of Anaheim and Laguna Beach among others. Irvine Ranch Conservancy and OCFA train volunteers and staff to deploy to specific locations determined by fire spread research, historical ignition data, and participant safety requirements. Deployment occurs on Red Flag Warning days, Santa Ana Wind events, and/or in other special circumstances.

If you are interested in volunteering, please call 714-508-4700 or email firewatch@irconservancy.org.

Established in 2005, Irvine Ranch Conservancy is a non-profit, non-advocacy organization created to help care for the permanently protected wildlands and parks on the historic Irvine Ranch. The Conservancy actively manages nearly 30,000 acres of land in partnership with landowners such as OC Parks, City of Irvine and City of Newport Beach.

The organization works with its partners to enhance the public’s appreciation, understanding and connection to the land, while helping other land owners and managers with all aspects of stewardship. The Conservancy contributes its resources, expertise and energy to achieve the best possible balance of preservation and public participation.

There are many species of animals that live in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. While you might see a few when you visit, most wildlife avoid human contact. They may see you as a threat, or they might be "nocturnal." and most active at night. SInce scientists need to monitor wildlife health and habits, they use remote monitoring cameras to "see" the animals. These cameras are positioned along trails, and capture images of the animals as they walk by. Biologists use these photos to check if wildlife are healthy, where they are living, and to see if human activity is affecting them. Irvine Ranch Conservancy scientists want you to see the animals, too! These slideshows feature images captured by their Wildlife Monitoring Project. For more information about the project, click here. For more slideshows, visit the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks Wildlife Slideshows page on YouTube.

Year of Deer A year of photos taken by a remote wildlife monitoring camera in Limestone Canyon. The photos are in order from January through December, so you can watch the seasons change in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

Spring Babies In spring, baby critters are out exploring the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

For the Birds A variety of native birds captured throughout the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, including owls, hawks, eagles, hummingbirds and more.

Say Cheese! Sometimes the animals get a little curious about the cameras used in the Wildlife Monitoring Project. Here are some critters who are ready for their close up.

2007 Santiago Fire These captivating pictures follow the 2007 Santiago Fire as it traveled through Limestone Canyon.

For more slideshows, click here.

There have been many scientific studies of the geological and ecological resources on The Irvine Ranch over the last few decades. But the comprehensive review and evaluation leading to the Natural Landmark designation is the most rigorous, objective and independent scientific study ever conducted on the land. Findings of the seven accomplished scientists who participated in this review both confirm and reinforce previous evaluations recognizing the importance of this open space.

The process for Landmark evaluation included a detailed application prepared by LSA Associates, Inc. in Irvine, California. The exhaustive review included onsite evaluations conducted by independent biologists and geologists selected by the National Park Service. These experts produced an extensive report that was then peer-reviewed by seven other independent scientists.

Based on these evaluations and the recommendations of the Science Advisory Committee of the National Park Service, the National Park Service Advisory Board, and the National Park Service director, the Secretary of the Interior designated the Irvine Ranch National Natural Landmark in 2006. A similar objective review led to the designation as a California Natural Landmark on Earth Day 2008 by the California State Parks director.

Rare and biologically rich coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats are the primary features that make the land worthy of Natural Landmark designation. Embedded within the expanses of scrub are imperiled natural communities such as native grasslands, stream corridors and live oak woodlands, as well as important populations of rare and endangered plants and animals.

Much of the coastal sage scrub habitats are healthy and relatively undisturbed, and the Landmarks are one of the largest areas of this highly threatened Mediterranean-type shrub land remaining in California.

Geologists who studied the Irvine Ranch for the Natural Landmark designation identified many unique and rare features - including fossils of hadrosaurian, or "duckbilled," dinosaurs. The land is an outstanding illustration of the complicated and unique geologic history of the southwestern continental margin of North America.

The exceptionally wide variety of rock types and diversity of fossils exposed on the land captures changing landscapes and evolutionary events with remarkable completeness for a span of nearly 80 million years. The terrain ranges from picturesque coastlines subject to modern erosion and other natural processes, to rugged, uplifted mountains where the geologic history of Southern California is exposed from the late Cretaceous period (65 million to 80 million years ago) to the late Pleistocene period (less than 1 million years ago) and largely intact.

OC Parks encompasses regional, wilderness and historical facilities, as well as coastal areas throughout the County of Orange in California. Featuring 60,000 acres of parkland, open space and shoreline, Orange County’s award-winning parks and programs are enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors each year, in ways as diverse as the parks themselves.

OC Parks’ facilities offer something for just about everyone, whether for recreation, enjoying nature or learning about the history of Orange County. OC Parks is committed to managing land and facilities in a way that maximizes their enjoyment by the public, while properly maintaining and overseeing them so they are available for generations to come.

Common Animals	Animal Tracks
Common Plants	Arthropods
Birds	Invasive Weeds
Wildflowers	Butterflies

Community Science

Engagement

Equestrian

Fire Watch

Hiking & Fitness

Interpretive

Mountain Biking

Multi-Use Recreation

Stewardship

Trail Work

Training

Fremont Distance Hike

Fremont Distance Hike

FREEKS Ride: Clockwise

Wilderness Access Day: Gypsum Canyon

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

Land Tending with LCF – Berns Canyon Preserve

Trail Stewardship – Sheep Run (Mentally Sensitive)

Bird Walk

Slow-paced Mountain Bike Ride: Limestone Canyon/East Sinks

Little Explorers: Hike at Dilley!

KIDS Mountain Bike Clinic- Rider Skills for Kids

Photo Journey Limestone Canyon: The Sinks, Loma Ridge Backcountry and Sunset

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