THIS PLACE IS A NATURAL : Irvine Regional Park Offers Plenty to Do, All in a Setting With an Untamed Feel

Irvine Regional Park is just what a park should be: accessible but not manicured.

It’s just five miles east of busy Orange Circle, and it has plenty of people-friendly attractions--picnic benches and grills, walking paths, jungle gyms and historic markers.

Yet the feel of the park is of something wild. Oaks, sycamores and weeping willows are everywhere. From most spots, you can see the dramatic foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. The grass is not quite perfectly trimmed, and even the zoo houses animals in near-natural habitats.

The naturalness of this park is at least partly due to the wishes of former owner James Irvine Jr. In 1897, he donated 160 acres of the Irvine Ranch to the county with the stipulation that it be kept “as natural as possible.” Through other land acquisitions, the park has grown to its current 477 acres.

Noon to 12:45: The Orange County Zoo is on the small side, but it is cheery, informative and filled with many animals native to the Southwest.

There are coyotes and bobcats, a road runner and a raven, wood ducks and brown pelicans. The great horned owl hooted for visitors, but the wild burro stayed stubbornly in his stall.

I knew I liked this zoo when I looked into the aviary. I decided it was the first I’d ever seen that I would want to live in if I were a captive bird. It houses two types of hawks, a mountain quail and an acorn woodpecker, among others.

The zoo’s hours vary seasonally; at present, it is open from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

12:45 to 1:15: You can rent a horse and ride the nature trails around the six-mile circumference of the park. The cost is $10 for a half hour; rides are limited to a half hour because of the erosion of some trails. Only walking and trotting are permitted.

Riders under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. Lessons are available--both Western and English styles--by calling ahead, (714) 538-5860.

Ponies are waiting just across the field to carry children around a corral. If a child is under the four-foot marker, he or she must be led by a parent; $2 pays for six trips around the corral.

Taller children may ride by themselves; for the same price, they are allowed four circuits.

The ponies looked healthy and well-groomed. They are available for parties if you call at least two weeks ahead of time, (714) 289-PONY.

1:15 to 1:45: Alongside the park’s pond is a Civil War cannon put there in the 1920s. The accompanying marker honors four men who died aboard the battleship Maine before the Spanish-American War.

From the cannon, you can take a walk around the pond. There are a number of picnic areas and a boathouse where you can rent a foot-paddle boat (seats two) for $7 per half hour.

Next to the boat house is a two-seater-bike rental shop ($8 per hour). You can also rent a volleyball setup for $20; horseshoes for $7, or, for $25, a softball setup that includes three bats, five mitts, bases and balls. There are three fields.

1:45 to 2:30: The Indian grinding stone is poorly marked on the park’s official map. It is near the Interpretive Center, surrounded by a black metal fence.

The squat brown stone has, on top, five deep indentations that were used to grind acorns, as a sign explains. The stone is from Black Star Canyon, several miles east.

Next door, inside the Interpretive Center, visitors can learn more about the county’s natural and human history.

There is also a snack bar nearby that serves candy, soda, ice cream and hot dogs.

2:30 to 3: There is certainly enough to do inside Irvine Regional Park to fill several 3-Hour Tours. But the drive to nearby Irvine Lake Park is so spectacular that I had to mention it. It’s three miles of winding foothills road, heading east.

With the recent rains, the lake is now filled to capacity, for the first time in 20 years. Anglers will probably want to spend more time here, at the “Home of the Super Trout.”