Park-Goers Are Riding High at 1,600-Acre Whiting Ranch

Three months after its debut, Whiting Ranch Regional Park is looking like a hit.

“We get a lot of use out of that park,” said Mark Carlson, supervising ranger for O’Neill and Whiting Ranch parks, as well as the yet-to-be-opened Wagon Wheel Regional Park. “All of our reactions from people using the park have been very positive.”

The 1,600-acre wilderness park, near Trabuco Canyon between Lake Forest Drive and El Toro Road, drew an estimated 4,500 users in February. Weekend use is heaviest, rising from about 300 people soon after the park’s opening to as many as 600 per weekend now, depending on the weather.

Located in fast-growing South County, the park--boasting green, oak-shaded gullies and red sandstone bluffs--is proving a solid draw among mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians and runners, as well as weekend naturalists.

John Gannaway, the park’s full-time ranger, said Whiting Ranch is being discovered increasingly by naturalist groups, such as the Audubon Society, and running clubs. The park is also popular with hikers and equestrians. Gannaway said mountain bikers have been the biggest user group so far, though.

Between Whiting Ranch and another recently opened county park, Aliso Viejo, mountain bikers are now offered numerous trails that offer a variety of terrain and technical challenge, he said. Whiting Ranch is now drawing many cyclists who used to ride primarily in Crystal Cove State Park, north of Laguna Beach.

“It’s got a lot of variety, and a lot of nice areas,” said Wayne Stetina of Mission Viejo, a several-time national champion road cyclist who now competes on mountain bike as well. “That’s where I go when I go with my kids.”

The rising popularity of Whiting Ranch as a mountain biking hot spot raises a question, however: Will success spoil the park? Conflicts among user groups, especially those pitting mountain bikers against others, have been played out in backcountry areas across the country.

According to Carlson, there have been a few complaints about mountain bikers in the park, mostly about a “small percentage” who ride off the established trails. Speed has also been a problem, Gannaway said.

“Especially some of the younger riders have been using the park as a thrill ride,” Gannaway said. On weekends, the trail leading into the park from the entrance can be quite congested, and there have been “verbal conflicts” between users (although no collision-related injuries so far).

“There are some guys riding way too fast,” Stetina acknowledged. “People just need to use some good judgment. A good 98% of the riders are real considerate.”

Recently, Gannaway has been placing more signs on trails, some directional and some reminding riders of the speed limit (a maximum 10 m.p.h., slower in some areas). Bicycles and horses are banned altogether from one trail, leading to Red Rock, and “discouraged” from some single-track trails in other areas of the park.

“Our goal right now is to educate people on the sensitive resources this park contains,” Gannaway said. “We do have some sensitive areas.” (The park is closed to bikers and equestrians after a rain, to reduce trail erosion.)

So far, the education effort seems to be having an effect, and some of the problems common in the early weeks of the park have subsided, even as overall usage has gone up. Gannaway and Carlson agreed that most mountain bikers have been conscientious, and only a small percentage have caused problems.

In fact, mountain bike groups concerned about losing access to Whiting Ranch have expressed a desire to start a cooperative effort modeled after programs that have been successful in Crystal Cove and Chino Hills state parks. There, groups help rangers patrol the park, in addition to assisting with trail maintenance.

Already, Gannaway said, a mountain bike group has helped place barriers on unauthorized trails that have been started by bikers and hikers. These efforts, and word-of-mouth warnings between mountain bikers, have “already helped,” Gannaway said.

The problems so far have been mostly minor, and Carlson and Gannaway said that park users should continue to coexist peacefully even as the park gains in popularity. “Considering we have these (different) groups, each group has come away with a good experience,” Carlson said. “There’s always someplace you can get away for an isolated experience.”

Plans for a second park entrance should ease congestion around the current entrance, Carlson said. Someday, if all goes according plan, the park will be linked the proposed 5,500-acre Limestone Canyon Regional Park.

To reach Whiting Ranch, users can take the Santa Ana Freeway to Lake Forest Drive, heading north about five miles to Portola Parkway. After a left turn, the park is on the right.

Gannaway leads free nature weeks each Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. at the entrance to Red Rock Canyon, a walk of about 1 1/2 miles from the park entrance.