Favorite Places : Back Bay Trail, Newport Beach

“The Back Bay Trail runs along the edge of the tidal estuary off of Upper Newport Bay. There’s a vast expanse of water that runs to the cliffs across the way, so you get a great feeling of openness. It’s a protected wildlife area. Typically you see walkers, some bicyclists, and a lot of birds--egrets, herons, coots. There are birding groups: formal, serious birders with binoculars and field guides and floppy hats. You get a sense of wilderness seeing the birds in their natural habitat.

The glorious thing is that it’s very accessible. I used to have a law office in Newport Center and I would change into my running clothes and go down and in 10 minutes I was completely away from the office, away from the city. It’s a good escape. Whenever I go through Orange County I try to make a point of passing through. It’s like seeing an old friend.”

--BILL BELDING, attorney and writer, Santa Monica

Back Bay Trail winds along the foot of the bluffs that border the 752-acre Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve. The wetlands were purchased by the state and became part of its Ecological Reserve System in 1975 after a legal battle. The trail is about 2 1/2 miles long, running from near Pacific Coast Highway inland to the edge of Irvine. It offers a combined bike path and jogging trail as well as disabled access. Programs range from kayak tours and nature walks to nighttime marsh prowls and campfires. For information, call (714) 640-6746. Favorite Places columnist Jane Spiller welcomes suggestions for favorite places that are publicly accessible and free. Contact her c/o Voices.

Jane Spiller / For The Times