Notes on your surroundingsSpring Fever--It’s a great...

Notes on your surroundings

Spring Fever--It’s a great time of year to get out there and smell the roses, or mustard plant, or just enjoy a tremendous showing of lupine and wild poppies. One of Orange County’s most beautiful hiking spots is Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

Self-guided tours and hikes are available every day but to make the trek easier, park rangers lead an interpretive hike Saturdays at 9 a.m. The tour meanders through parts of the 1,500-acre park, which is covered with oak woodlands, grassy hills and rock formations.

The tour begins at Red Rock Trail, which is a 1 1/2-mile hike from the park entrance on Portola Parkway. Don’t let the sight of the shopping center across from the trail head get you down. Once your feet are moving, the thick trees and wildlife will verify that you’re not in South Coast Plaza anymore.

For those who prefer to explore on two wheels, or four legs, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park offers graded roads and trails for mountain bikes and equestrians. Motorized vehicles are prohibited. First-timers to the area, or inexperienced hikers, will want to explore three popular trails. Each starts from the Portola Parkway trail head.

* Vista Point Trail: Four miles round trip. Leads from heavily wooded Borrego Canyon to a high ridge overlooking south Orange County. Great views.

* Red Rock Trail: Four miles round trip. Explores rugged rock formations sometimes described as a small Grand Canyon. The strangely eroded sandstone serves as nice contrast to the work-a-day world.

* Borrego Trail-Mustard Trail-Whiting Road Loop: Six-mile route. Climbs through Borrego Canyon to a mesa-like top called Four Corners. The descent winds down Serrano Canyon to Portola Parkway.

Getting there: From Interstate 5 in the El Toro area, exit on Lake Forest Drive and proceed east 4.8 miles to Portola Parkway. Turn left and drive half a mile to the entrance and parking lot of Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

For more information, or to sign up for the naturalist-led hikes, call Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park at (714) 589-4729.