Page 2371 – Let's Go Outside

Hall Canyon on Horseback

Friday, December 19, 2025
Whitney Messens

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.

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Christian Lutkemeyer

If you are new to mountain biking and interested in getting started the right way, or if you just want to hone your existing skills developing terrain-influenced bike handling over several types of man-made features, this is the clinic for you! The class begins with a brief overview of rider fundamentals starting with platform position and weight transfer then covering equipment basics & setup, braking, gearing and a brief bike maintenance Q&A session followed by a series of exercises demonstrating terrain-influenced bike handling over a variety of man-made features including log piles, rock step-ups, A-frames and many more. These riding techniques will be taught and practiced at the Mountain Bike Skills Development area. This activity originates in the City of Irvine and travels into OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space.

Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Yezly Fontalvo

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!

Wilderness Access Day: Bommer Canyon

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Leland Sterbling

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.

Wilderness Access Day: Red Rock Wilderness

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Kayla Saunders

PRE-REGISTRATION is REQUIRED for this event.

All participants are required to have, a printed copy or on their phone, the confirmation email to show through the window of their vehicle to drive through the entry gate. You will need the confirmation email for you and your guests to enter the trail system.

Come explore OC Parks’ newest trails at Red Rock Wilderness through this self-guided opportunity.

Located within OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space, Red Rock Wilderness features more than 8 miles of new trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding along with a scenic overlook that offers 360-degree views of the nearby iconic red rocks, Black Star Canyon Wilderness, Irvine Lake, Santiago Canyon and beyond. Additional 3 miles of multi-use trails within Loma Ridge Nature Preserve, part of OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space, will also be accessible for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Multiple loop options that vary in distance and range from easy to moderate in difficulty are available for self-guided exploration.

Rain or inclement weather will cancel the program.

Keep It Wild – Native Plant Nursery – Willow

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Emma van der Veen

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…

Land Tending with LCF – Aliso & Wood Canyons

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Emma van der Veen

Join Laguna Canyon Foundation and OC Parks at one of our Land Tending days in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park as we learn and work together to create a healthier habitat for the native plants and wildlife that call…

Trail Stewardship – Lizard

Saturday, December 20, 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…

Wilderness Access Day: Red Rock Wilderness, Equestrian

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Kayla Saunders

PRE-REGISTRATION is REQUIRED for this event.

Come experience Red Rock Wilderness’ beauty from the back of your horse. Designated trails will be open for self-guided access hiking, biking, and equestrian use during Wilderness Access Day in Red Rock Wilderness. Equestrian riders who have trail riding experience with their own fit and able horse will enjoy the historic ranch roads of days gone by. Take in the awe-inspiring vistas from the mighty ridge tops and drink in the cool canyon shade through the oak grove.

There is limited space for equestrian parking. Riders must also have the ability to transport their horse to the staging area.

Family Hike at Red Rock Wilderness

Saturday, December 20, 2025
Fran Howard

Enjoy an afternoon family hike in Red Rock Wilderness, part of OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. We will hike along a flat trail and cross a dry creek as we watch for red-tailed hawks and mule deer. The hike will average 3-4 miles round trip at an easy pace with a medium level of interpretation. This program is for participants who would enjoy a slower-paced and level hike. Wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes and bring water for the hike.

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

Hall Canyon on Horseback

Hall Canyon on Horseback

Mountain Bike Clinic: Terrain Skills

Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm

Wilderness Access Day: Bommer Canyon

Wilderness Access Day: Red Rock Wilderness

Keep It Wild – Native Plant Nursery – Willow

Land Tending with LCF – Aliso & Wood Canyons

Trail Stewardship – Lizard

Wilderness Access Day: Red Rock Wilderness, Equestrian

Family Hike at Red Rock Wilderness

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