South County Abounds in Undeveloped Land, but a Lot Is Off-Limits

High on a hill above Laguna Beach, with a sweeping view of coastline from San Pedro to Dana Point, Irvine Co. security officer Tony Castillo pointed to the fresh tracks in the dirt and shook his head.

“Mountain bikes,” he said. “I tell them all they have to do is read the signs, but I guess some people just don’t read.”

The posted signs, along with miles of barbed-wire fence, make it clear that this particular piece of coastal property--the Irvine Coast land between Laguna Canyon Road and Newport Beach--is not open to the public.

Tens of thousands of acres of South County are fenced off in a similar fashion, only a fraction of which can be seen from public highways and hiking trails. This land, along with the open-space dedications that are now a part of virtually every development agreement between county government and major landowners in South County, provide the most striking visual contrast to the built-out, northern part of the county.

Rancho Mission Viejo

In deepest South County, Rancho Mission Viejo’s 40,000 acres sprawl across flat grasslands and scrubby foothills, reaching from Camp Pendleton to the new community of Rancho Santa Margarita. The ranch has been in the hands of the O’Neill family since 1882, and about 35,000 acres remain under agricultural preserve. The family plans to keep the bulk of that land--about 25,000 acres--in agricultural uses, including a working cattle ranch “for generations to come,” said Diane Gaynor, spokeswoman for the Santa Margarita Co., the family-controlled development company.

Another good-sized chunk of off-limits land lies between Laguna Hills and Laguna Beach. About 3,400 acres of the planned 6,600-acre, 20,000-unit Aliso Viejo housing development are reserved for greenbelt uses, with 2,600 acres of that to be the Aliso/Wood Canyons Regional Park.

The Aliso Viejo greenbelt will eventually link up with part of the Irvine Coast greenbelt, which has also been designated for eventual transfer to the county. The Irvine Coast and Aliso Viejo dedications--along with the earlier-dedicated Crystal Cove State Park and other adjacent open space--combine to form a greenbelt of almost 12,000 acres around Laguna Beach.

Fences and Trespassers

The Irvine Coast parcels are scheduled to be transferred to the county as hotel and residential development near Corona del Mar proceeds. As the county builds trails and makes the land accessible, it could be linked to adjacent Crystal Cove State Park, providing Orange County residents with almost 6,000 acres of coastal mountain wilderness.

But for now, there are fences--and trespassers.

“We used to get them cutting through the gates every couple of months, driving up here and having a beer party,” said Castillo, who left the Azusa Police Department about two years ago for the more bucolic Irvine Ranch job. “Sometimes we get poachers and shooters.”

Not too long ago, Castillo said, a stolen car was found on the property, stripped of any salable parts.

Most trespassers are dismissed with a warning the first time they are caught, although during the fire season, when a smoldering cigarette could set thousands of acres ablaze, they might be prosecuted immediately, Castillo said. He and the other Irvine Co. patrolmen are deputized by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and can issue citations and make arrests.

Striking Vistas

Despite the potential dangers, the attraction to venture onto private, pristine land is easy to understand. The Irvine Coast land is a refuge: there is nothing on it that didn’t grow there, save for a few watering troughs for cattle and a confusing network of narrow, steep dirt roads. The vistas are striking; a strong afternoon breeze rustles what grass the cattle have not yet eaten, and hawks circle overhead, searching for rodents or other prey.

On the ocean-facing slopes, green and pale purple chaparral dominates the landscape. In Shady Canyon, on the Irvine side of the land’s highest ridgeline, oak and sycamore trees provide shade for grazing cattle. Wild artichoke thistle grow amid--and threaten--the tall grasses.

‘Why Not Open It Up’

Elizabeth Brown, president of Laguna Greenbelt Inc., which battled for two decades to preserve open space around Laguna Beach, said the public must encourage county officials to find the money needed to open up and supervise public use of dedicated lands as soon as possible.

“Getting it dedicated (for public use) is only part of the problem,” Brown said. “That land back there is getting quite a bit of use anyway--hikers, bikers, motorcyclists are back there every weekend.”

“Why not open it up,” Brown said, “and with proper supervision, make sure it stays in one piece?”