You will first need to log into your account or register for an account. Once you are logged into your account, click on the “Activities” tab at the top of the page. The best way to register is to click on the orange “See More Information” button on the activity you are interested in. The activity page will open and below the activity description you will select the number of participants in your group attending, add in first and last names for all guests, and the age if under 18. Check to make sure the activity age and difficulty is appropriate for all visitors. Then click on the orange “Register” button. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with detailed instructions on how to get to the activity.
After registering for an activity, activity participants will receive a confirmation email with detailed instructions with driving directions to the activity. We encourage participants to reference these directions rather than using a wayfinding app on their mobile device because some staging areas are located off of private roads, and they don’t always appear correctly on these apps.
We recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before the activity start time. Many of our activities occur on managed access land which means there are gates that must be opened/closed to access the trails. Arriving early ensures that activity participants will have enough time to be let through the gates, use restrooms, and finish preparing for the activity.
In order to update your registration, you need to log into your account, click on “Activity Dashboard” as you hover over the green button in the upper right corner that says “Hello, [your first name]” and you will be taken to your Activity Dashboard. There you will see a list of your upcoming activities you have registered to attend. From there you should see an option to edit your registration. When you click on the orange edit button it will take you to the activity page and you will be able to cancel or change your registration. If there are still spots available, you will see a blank “Attendee Name” field next to a green “Add” button. Once you fill in the name, you will be able to click the green “Add” button. If you would like to change the name of someone in your group, you can cancel their registration then add the new participant.
We do not permit registered attendees to be dropped off at the staging area in order to participate in activities. In case of emergencies, activity participants need to be able to evacuate the staging area using their own transportation. Many of the staging areas are in remote areas with poor cellular service, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to hail a taxi or rideshare service.
To protect sensitive habitats and wildlife, dogs are not permitted during Irvine Ranch Conservancy-led activities.
Additionally, dogs are not permitted in OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space Preserve, in the City of Newport Beach’s Buck Gully Reserve, nor in the City of Irvine’s Open Space Preserve, except for leashed dogs on the Quail Hill Loop Trail. For other program operators’ regulations, please contact the appropriate agency as listed in the activity description.
Protects you and your dog from:
- Poison oak
- Venomous Snakes
- Ticks and Lyme disease
- Harming open space
Protects wildlife from:
- Starvation – wildlife avoid areas frequented by other predators such as dogs.
- Territory disruption – domestic dog scent harms coyote and bobcat territories.
- Nest abandonment – birds frightened by dogs can leave their nests, endangering their young.
What activity participants should bring depends on the activity type but in general we recommend that every participant brings a trail backpack with the following: more than enough water for the activity, sun protection (sunscreen, sun glasses, hat), snacks, personal medications, and any other items to keep you comfortable for the activity. Additionally, please dress appropriately with proper closed-toed footwear and various clothing layer options. For more information to be prepared for an activity, please visit our Trail Tips page.
All of the activities have a difficulty rating on the activity description page. Participants can find a description of the difficulty ratings here.
If you are hiking, we recommend hiking boots or very sturdy sneakers. No open toed shoes or high heels are allowed. For all activities bring more water than you would normally drink in a couple of hours, some snacks, sunscreen and hats for day activities. Layers are also highly recommended as the temperature changes frequently. If going on a night hike, you may bring flashlights with red tinting (you can buy the red tinted saran wrap and put that on over your flashlight with a rubber band).
There are several parks in Orange County that allow self-guided access. Visit www.ocparks.com for a listing. Or, check our website for the upcoming Wilderness Access Days where designated trails are available for self-guided hiking, biking and equestrian use. You can filter for these events under the Multi-use Recreational category on the Activities Page.
We have several themed hikes that offer a high level of interpretation. These are considered the easiest activities. Look for family specific activities such as Family Hikes or Bats: Heroes of the Night. Our Hicks Haul Road hikes are generally considered moderate. They go about three to five miles and have some elevation gain and loss. Most activities will tell you how far they are going and the elevation gain if known.
Yes, we are not able to provide horse rentals for our rides. If you are signing up for an equestrian activity you must have your own trail worthy horse and the appropriate amount of experience for the ride you have registered for. The horse should be well-mannered and have experience riding on a trail.
Oso Trail in Casper’s Park would be considered strenuous. Most of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park would be considered moderately strenuous. Orange County trails are not terribly strenuous, generally speaking, for experienced trail riders and horses.
For Orange County, moderate rides have some elevation gain and some up and down terrain. The length of a trail should also be considered. A trail ride of two-three hours would be considered moderate by most standards; four + hours would be considered strenuous.
Bikes must be considered trail worthy; they need knobby tires, multiple low gears, and should have at least a front shock. Bikes that are not appropriate for our trails include BMX, road bikes, an upright city bike with slick/thin tires, bikes with any attachments, and beach cruisers. Motorized recreation vehicles of any class or type are not permitted for recreational use.
- Helmet
- Mountain Bike
- Gloves (if you prefer)
- 100 oz of water
- Calories (Clif bars and gu)
- Spare tubes
- Hand pump
- Tool kit
- Patch Kit if you have one
- Sunscreen
- Sun Glasses
- Appropriate biking attire (cotton clothing and jeans are NOT considered appropriate attire)
- Helmet
- Mountain Bike
- Gloves
- 70 oz of Water
- Calories
- Spare Tubes
- Tool kit
- Hand Pump
- Extra layers
- 12 watt bulb that lasts 3 hours (minimum)
The first step is to fill out the volunteer interest form. This will add you to our email list so you can be notified of the upcoming Irvine Ranch Conservancy Volunteer orientations.
There are supportive roles where you can support the lead on hiking, biking and equestrian activities. If you go through our Activity Leadership Training, you can lead activities. Along with these 2 roles there are other special trainings you can attend that are stewardship based.
Volunteers must be 18 years or older.
Volunteers must commit a minimum of 36 hours per year.
Training for IRC volunteers is a multi-step process but worth it in the end. This process fully prepares you for supporting Leads on activities. The training includes a volunteer orientation, engage workshop, CPR/First Aid training, training hikes and hike evaluations.
IRC Volunteers lead and support activities in Buck Gully Reserve in Newport Beach, Quail Hill and Bommer Canyon Preserve in the City of Irvine and in the Irvine Ranch Open Space, a part of the OC Parks wilderness parks. That includes places like Limestone Canyon, Black Star Canyon and Fremont Canyon.
Yes, if you aren’t ready to commit to long-term volunteering, you can consider working as a community volunteer. Click here to view the upcoming community volunteer opportunities.
For more information, you can email info@irconservancy.org.
The first step is to fill out the volunteer interest form. This will add you to our email list so you can be notified of the upcoming OC Parks Volunteer orientations.
Volunteer roles include Animal Keeper, Backcountry Patrol, Education Docent, Fire Watch, Habitat Monitor, Historic Docent, Nature Center Volunteer, Trail Ambassador, Visitor Services, Zoo Docent, and more!
Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age or 16 with parent permission.
Volunteers must commit a minimum of 36 hours per year.
Training includes a Program Orientation/Public Interaction Workshop, First Aid/CPR Training, and Site Facility Training.
Please view the volunteer opportunity matrix to see which parks you can volunteer at and what roles you can be trained in!
Yes, if you aren’t ready to commit to long-term volunteering, you can consider working as a short-term volunteer. Please view the OC Parks calendar for upcoming short-term volunteer opportunities.
For more information, you can email volunteer@ocparks.com.
Orange County Fire Watch is a volunteer-based program made up of dedicated individuals specially trained to deter arson activity, detect and report ignitions early, and provide public education about wildfire awareness and prevention. OC Fire Watch volunteers are not trained as firefighters but play a proactive role to prevent catastrophic wildfires.
The OC Fire Watch program is managed by Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) and facilitated in partnership with OC Parks, City of Irvine, City of Newport Beach and Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).
OC Fire Watch volunteers are provided with in-depth training about wildfire behavior, public interaction training and how to report fires. Once a volunteer is trained, they can participate in OC Fire Watch events, such as Red Flag Warning deployments, OC Fire Watch Outreach Events, additional training and more.
The main goal of the OC Fire Watch program is to reduce ignition sources that may cause a wildfire, especially during high-wind events and Red Flag Warning conditions. This is accomplished through Fire Watch volunteers staffing high visibility areas where ignitions are likely, along roadsides and trailheads adjacent to open spaces in high wildfire-risk areas of Orange County.
The visibility of Fire Watch volunteers in these areas serves as a deterrent to suspicious or dangerous activity, unintentional or intentional detrimental behavior that may result in ignitions.
A Red Flag Warning is a forecast warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) to inform the public, fire practitioners, and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildfire combustion, and rapid fire spread.
Red Flag conditions include high temperatures, low relative humidity and high, sustained winds. The Santa Ana Mountains and lower foothills provide the perfect topography for the Santa Ana winds to reach their greatest strength. If an ignition occurs during a Red Flag Warning or Santa Ana Wind event, a wildfire can grow rapidly making it extremely difficult for firefighters to slow the spread and reach full containment of the fire.
In Coastal Southern California, the single greatest threat to our communities and the health of wildlands is the increased frequency and severity of wind-driven wildfires. Through wildfire ignition data analysis, it was determined that the vast majority of wildfires are human caused, both unintentionally and intentionally. Ignitions leading to catastrophic wildfires occur most often in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), where our communities and wildlands meet.
Studies show that a vast majority of ignitions start along roadsides. In a wind-driven wildfire, our communities and wildlands greatest defense are ignition prevention and early response to ignitions to reduce catastrophic wildfires. As a response to the 2007 Windy Ridge Fire, which was ignited along a roadside and rapidly spread due to Santa Ana winds, IRC partnered with Orange County Fire Authority to strategically defend our open space from wildfires, forming the OC Fire Watch Program.
During extreme wildfire weather conditions, it is critical to provide support to emergency services. OC Fire Watch volunteers provide additional vigilance to detect and report any potential ignitions, report suspicious behaviors, and act as visual deterrents. Volunteers deploy to specific locations determined by fire spread research, historical ignition data, and participant safety requirements.
OC Fire Watch volunteers are deployed annually on the Fourth of July holiday as ignition risk is increased due to firework use, but Red Flag Warning and/or Fire Weather Watch deployments are most frequent between October and January, during Santa Ana Wind season. The Program also participates in community engagement events year-round with education and outreach activities supported by OC Fire Watch volunteers.
To become an OC Fire Watch volunteer, individuals are required to complete volunteer training by one of OC Fire Watch partner agencies.
Click HERE to see the overview of the two training paths. You are not required to complete both training paths, we recommend you research both volunteer pathways and select the one that best suits your interests and needs.
Requirements and commitments will vary based on the volunteer program you choose.
After completing a training pathway, volunteers interested in joining OC Fire Watch will be provided with information about upcoming training workshops.
For questions about the OC Fire Watch volunteer training, please contact us at firewatch@irconservancy.org.
PLEASE CONTACT:
Scott Graves
sgraves@irconservancy.org
714 – 508 – 4777